The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of the spirit of YHWH (רוּחַ יְהוָה) in the book of Ezekiel. It is observed that there has been a lack of investigation of the spirit of YHWH in the Old Testament in general and Ezekiel in particular. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the nature and activities of the spirit of YHWH, as well as the role of the spirit of YHWH in the promise of restoration in the narrative of Ezekiel. This project will apply speech act theory as its major methodology, building a three-step approach that is based on the work of speech act theorists John L. Austin, John R. Searle, and Richard S. Briggs. In this three-step approach, I will explore the non-linguistic convention, the illocutionary acts, and the idea of self-involvement that are related to the spirit of YHWH. Through this methodology, I will be able to investigate the multifaceted and indispensable role of the spirit of YHWH in Ezekiel. I argue that, in Ezekiel, the spirit of YHWH is a central character who is indispensable in working towards the promise of restoration, both in terms of how the promise will be experienced by the people of YHWH and in terms of revealing the content of the promise. The outcome of this project will contribute to the study of the spirit of YHWH in Ezekiel and the study of speech act theory in prophetic literature.

KEYWORDS: Ezekiel, spirit, restoration, speech act theory, non-linguistic convention, illocutionary act, prophet.