One stylistic characteristic is Ezekiel's autobiographical perspective. Almost all of his oracles (except 1:2-3; 24:24) appear in the first person giving the impression that they are memoirs of a true prophet of Yahweh. However, Ezekiel did not often share his personal struggles or reactions with the reader, as Jeremiah did (except 4:14; 9:8; 11:13; 20:49; 24:20; 37:3).
Two other features mark the oracles in Ezekiel. One is the "halving"of oracles in which the writer first propounded a theme and then pursued a different theme only to end with a coda that links elements from both parts.19The second characteristic is the use of an earlier text or tradition, the interpretation of it in the light of current circumstances, and the application of it to new situations.20
Another stylistic characteristic is the formulaic expressions Ezekiel used some of which are unique to him and others shared with other prophets. Ezekiel usually referred to Yahweh as adonay yhwh, "the Lord Yahweh"(217 times). This title emphasized Yahweh's authority as His people's divine master. The name by which Yahweh addressed the prophet (93 times) is consistently ben adam, "son of man;"He never used Ezekiel's personal name. This title, ben adam, appears only in Ezekiel and in Daniel 8:17, which Ezekiel 2:1 may have influenced. This title stresses the prophet's humanity and the distance between God and the human. Ezekiel's favorite title for the Israelites (in the former Northern Kingdom, in Jerusalem, or in exile) is bet yisra'el, "house (or family) of Israel"(83 times or 57 percent of its 146 uses in the Old Testament). This title expresses the solidarity of the Israelites.
Ezekiel almost always carefully distinguished whether he or Yahweh was speaking in contrast to some other prophets who sometimes leave the reader with a question about the speaker's identity. Other formulae of expression common in this book are "the word of the Lord came to me saying,""thus has the Lord Yahweh said,"and "the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.""Set your face toward"is also common and means to face the person or persons addressed so they get the full impact of what is said. "The hand of the Lord came upon me"reflects God's control of His prophet as does "the Spirit of Yahweh fell upon me.""I am Yahweh"and "they will know that I am Yahweh"are also distinctive theological formulae.
"Much of Ezekiel's language is repetitive. This sometimes makes for tiresome reading, but it helps to highlight his recurrent themes."21
