Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Ezekiel » Chapter 37 » Verse 11-28

Ezekiel 37:11-28 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

11 Then he said H559 unto me, Son H1121 of man, H120 these bones H6106 are the whole house H1004 of Israel: H3478 behold, they say, H559 Our bones H6106 are dried, H3001 and our hope H8615 is lost: H6 we are cut off H1504 for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy H5012 and say H559 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, O my people, H5971 I will open H6605 your graves, H6913 and cause you to come up H5927 out of your graves, H6913 and bring H935 you into the land H127 of Israel. H3478

13 And ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD, H3068 when I have opened H6605 your graves, H6913 O my people, H5971 and brought you up H5927 out of your graves, H6913

14 And shall put H5414 my spirit H7307 in you, and ye shall live, H2421 and I shall place H3240 you in your own land: H127 then shall ye know H3045 that I the LORD H3068 have spoken H1696 it, and performed H6213 it, saith H5002 the LORD. H3068

15 The word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came again unto me, saying, H559

16 Moreover, thou son H1121 of man, H120 take H3947 thee one H259 stick, H6086 and write H3789 upon it, For Judah, H3063 and for the children H1121 of Israel H3478 his companions: H2270 then take H3947 another H259 stick, H6086 and write H3789 upon it, For Joseph, H3130 the stick H6086 of Ephraim, H669 and for all the house H1004 of Israel H3478 his companions: H2270

17 And join H7126 them one H259 to another H259 into one H259 stick; H6086 and they shall become one H259 in thine hand. H3027

18 And when the children H1121 of thy people H5971 shall speak H559 unto thee, saying, H559 Wilt thou not shew H5046 us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say H1696 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, I will take H3947 the stick H6086 of Joseph, H3130 which is in the hand H3027 of Ephraim, H669 and the tribes H7626 of Israel H3478 his fellows, H2270 and will put H5414 them with him, even with the stick H6086 of Judah, H3063 and make H6213 them one H259 stick, H6086 and they shall be one H259 in mine hand. H3027

20 And the sticks H6086 whereon thou writest H3789 shall be in thine hand H3027 before their eyes. H5869

21 And say H1696 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, I will take H3947 the children H1121 of Israel H3478 from among H996 the heathen, H1471 whither they be gone, H1980 and will gather H6908 them on every side, H5439 and bring H935 them into their own land: H127

22 And I will make H6213 them one H259 nation H1471 in the land H776 upon the mountains H2022 of Israel; H3478 and one H259 king H4428 shall be king H4428 to them all: and they shall be H5750 no more two H8147 nations, H1471 neither shall they be divided H2673 into two H8147 kingdoms H4467 any more at all:

23 Neither shall they defile H2930 themselves any more with their idols, H1544 nor with their detestable things, H8251 nor with any of their transgressions: H6588 but I will save H3467 them out of all their dwellingplaces, H4186 wherein they have sinned, H2398 and will cleanse H2891 them: so shall they be my people, H5971 and I will be their God. H430

24 And David H1732 my servant H5650 shall be king H4428 over them; and they all shall have one H259 shepherd: H7462 they shall also walk H3212 in my judgments, H4941 and observe H8104 my statutes, H2708 and do H6213 them.

25 And they shall dwell H3427 in the land H776 that I have given H5414 unto Jacob H3290 my servant, H5650 wherein your fathers H1 have dwelt; H3427 and they shall dwell H3427 therein, even they, and their children, H1121 and their children's H1121 children H1121 for ever: H5769 and my servant H5650 David H1732 shall be their prince H5387 for H5704 ever. H5769

26 Moreover I will make H3772 a covenant H1285 of peace H7965 with them; it shall be an everlasting H5769 covenant H1285 with them: and I will place H5414 them, and multiply H7235 them, and will set H5414 my sanctuary H4720 in the midst H8432 of them for evermore. H5769

27 My tabernacle H4908 also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, H430 and they shall be my people. H5971

28 And the heathen H1471 shall know H3045 that I the LORD H3068 do sanctify H6942 Israel, H3478 when my sanctuary H4720 shall be in the midst H8432 of them for evermore. H5769

Commentary on Ezekiel 37 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 37

Eze 37:1-28. The Vision of Dry Bones Revivified, Symbolizing Israel's Death and Resurrection.

Three stages in Israel's revival present themselves to the prophet's eye. (1) The new awakening of the people, the resurrection of the dead (Eze 37:1-14). (2) The reunion of the formerly hostile members of the community, whose contentions had affected the whole (Eze 37:15-28). (3) The community thus restored is strong enough to withstand the assault of Gog, &c. (Eze 38:1-39:29) [Ewald].

1. carried … in the spirit—The matters transacted, therefore, were not literal, but in vision.

the valley—probably that by the Chebar (Eze 3:22). The valley represents Mesopotamia, the scene of Israel's sojourn in her state of national deadness.

2. dry—bleached by long exposure to the atmosphere.

3. can these bones live? … thou knowest—implying that, humanly speaking, they could not; but faith leaves the question of possibility to rest with God, with whom nothing is impossible (De 32:39). An image of Christian faith which believes in the coming general resurrection of the dead, in spite of all appearances against it, because God has said it (Joh 5:21; Ro 4:17; 2Co 1:9).

4. Prophesy—Proclaim God's quickening word to them. On account of this innate power of the divine word to effect its end, prophets are said to do that which they prophesy as about to be done (Jer 1:10).

5. I … cause breath to enter into you—So Isa 26:19, containing the same vision, refers primarily to Israel's restoration. Compare as to God's renovation of the earth and all its creatures hereafter by His breath, Ps 104:30.

ye shall live—come to life again.

6. ye shall know that I am the Lord—by the actual proof of My divinity which I will give in reviving Israel.

7. noise—of the bones when coming in mutual collision. Perhaps referring to the decree of Cyrus, or the noise of the Jews' exultation at their deliverance and return.

bones came together—literally, "ye bones came together"; as in Jer 49:11 (Hebrew), "ye widows of thine shall trust in Me." The second person puts the scene vividly before one's eyes, for the whole resurrection scene is a prophecy in action to render more palpably to the people the prophecy in word (Eze 37:21).

8. So far, they were only cohering in order as unsightly skeletons. The next step, that of covering them successively with sinews, skin, and flesh, gives them beauty; but still "no breath" of life in them. This may imply that Israel hereafter, as at the restoration from Babylon was the case in part, shall return to Judea unconverted at first (Zec 13:8, 9). Spiritually: a man may assume all the semblances of spiritual life, yet have none, and so be dead before God.

9. wind—rather, the spirit of life or life-breath (Margin). For it is distinct from "the four winds" from which it is summoned.

from the four winds—implying that Israel is to be gathered from the four quarters of the earth (Isa 43:5, 6; Jer 31:8), even as they were "scattered into all the winds" (Eze 5:10; 12:14; 17:21; compare Re 7:1, 4).

10. Such honor God gives to the divine word, even in the mouth of a man. How much more when in the mouth of the Son of God! (Joh 5:25-29). Though this chapter does not directly prove the resurrection of the dead, it does so indirectly; for it takes for granted the future fact as one recognized by believing Jews, and so made the image of their national restoration (so Isa 25:8; 26:19; Da 12:2; Ho 6:2; 13:14; compare Note, see on Eze 37:12).

11. Our bones are dried—(Ps 141:7), explained by "our hope is lost" (Isa 49:14); our national state is as hopeless of resuscitation, as marrowless bones are of reanimation.

cut off for our parts—that is, so far as we are concerned. There is nothing in us to give hope, like a withered branch "cut off" from a tree, or a limb from the body.

12. my people—in antithesis to "for our parts" (Eze 37:11). The hope that is utterly gone, if looking at themselves, is sure for them in God, because He regards them as His people. Their covenant relation to God ensures His not letting death permanently reign over them. Christ makes the same principle the ground on which the literal resurrection rests. God had said, "I am the God of Abraham," &c.; God, by taking the patriarchs as His, undertook to do for them all that Omnipotence can perform: He, being the ever living God, is necessarily the God of, not dead, but living persons, that is, of those whose bodies His covenant love binds Him to raise again. He can—and because He can—He will—He must [Fairbairn]. He calls them "My people" when receiving them into favor; but "thy people," in addressing His servant, as if He would put them away from Him (Eze 13:17; 33:2; Ex 32:7).

out of your graves—out of your politically dead state, primarily in Babylon, finally hereafter in all lands (compare Eze 6:8; Ho 13:14). The Jews regarded the lands of their captivity and dispersion as their "graves"; their restoration was to be as "life from the dead" (Ro 11:15). Before, the bones were in the open plain (Eze 37:1, 2); now, in the graves, that is, some of the Jews were in the graves of actual captivity, others at large but dispersed. Both alike were nationally dead.

16. stick—alluding to Nu 17:2, the tribal rod. The union of the two rods was a prophecy in action of the brotherly union which is to reunite the ten tribes and Judah. As their severance under Jeroboam was fraught with the greatest evil to the covenant-people, so the first result of both being joined by the spirit of life to God is that they become joined to one another under the one covenant King, Messiah-David.

Judah, and … children of Israel his companions—that is, Judah and, besides Benjamin and Levi, those who had joined themselves to him of Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, as having the temple and lawful priesthood in his borders (2Ch 11:12, 13, 16; 15:9; 30:11, 18). The latter became identified with Judah after the carrying away of the ten tribes, and returned with Judah from Babylon, and so shall be associated with that tribe at the future restoration.

For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim—Ephraim's posterity took the lead, not only of the other descendants of Joseph (compare Eze 37:19), but of the ten tribes of Israel. For four hundred years, during the period of the judges, with Manasseh and Benjamin, its dependent tribes, it had formerly taken the lead: Shiloh was its religious capital; Shechem, its civil capital. God had transferred the birthright from Reuben (for dishonoring his father's bed) to Joseph, whose representative, Ephraim, though the younger, was made (Ge 48:19; 1Ch 5:1). From its pre-eminence "Israel" is attached to it as "companions." The "all" in this case, not in that of Judah, which has only attached as "companions" "the children of Israel" (that is, some of them, namely, those who followed the fortunes of Judah), implies that the bulk of the ten tribes did not return at the restoration from Babylon, but are distinct from Judah, until the coming union with it at the restoration.

18. God does not explain the symbolical prophecy until the Jews have been stimulated by the type to consult the prophet.

19. The union effected at the restoration from Babylon embraced but comparatively few of Israel; a future complete fulfilment must therefore be looked for.

stick of Joseph … in the hand of Ephraim—Ephraim, of the descendants of Joseph, had exercised the rule among the ten tribes: that rule, symbolized by the "stick," was now to be withdrawn from him, and to be made one with the other, Judah's rule, in God's hand.

them—the "stick of Joseph," would strictly require "it"; but Ezekiel expresses the sense, namely, the ten tribes who were subject to it.

with him—that is, Judah; or "it," that is, the stick of Judah.

22. one nation—(Isa 11:13; Jer 3:18; Ho 1:11).

one king—not Zerubbabel, who was not a king either in fact or name, and who ruled over but a few Jews, and that only for a few years; whereas the King here reigns for ever. Messiah is meant (Eze 34:23, 24). The union of Judah and Israel under King Messiah symbolizes the union of Jews and Gentiles under Him, partly now, perfectly hereafter (Eze 37:24; Joh 10:16).

23. (Eze 36:25).

out of … their dwelling-places—(Eze 36:28, 33). I will remove them from the scene of their idolatries to dwell in their own land, and to serve idols no more.

24. David—Messiah (See on Eze 34:23, 24).

25. for ever—(Isa 60:21; Joe 3:20; Am 9:15).

26. covenant of peace—better than the old legal covenant, because an unchangeable covenant of grace (Eze 34:25; Isa 55:3; Jer 32:40).

I will place them—set them in an established position; no longer unsettled as heretofore.

my sanctuary—the temple of God; spiritual in the heart of all true followers of Messiah (2Co 6:16); and, in some literal sense, in the restored Israel (Eze 40:1-44:31).

27. My tabernacle … with them—as foretold (Ge 9:27); Joh 1:14, "The Word … dwelt among us" (literally, "tabernacled"); first, in humiliation; hereafter, in manifested glory (Re 21:3).

28. (Eze 36:23).

sanctify Israel—set it apart as holy unto Myself and inviolable (Ex 19:5, 6).