it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin: The word of the Lord first came to Ezekiel in 593 BC. At that time, Judah was still partly independent (see Ezekiel Book Introduction, “Setting”). However, the Babylonians had already taken control of the nation in 597 BC. They had carried King Jehoiachin away into exile in Babylon.
Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, ruled Judah as a vassal of Babylon from 597 to 586 BC. A vassal was a king who ruled under the authority of a stronger king. Ezekiel dated his prophecy from the time of Jehoiachin’s captivity, not from the reign of Zedekiah. He likely viewed Zedekiah as a temporary ruler in place of the rightful king, Jehoiachin.
Later, Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (2 Kings 24:20). In response, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 588 BC. He destroyed the city and burned the temple in 586 BC.