Ezekiel37

Ezekiel is transported by the Spirit to a valley filled with dry bones, which the Lord commands him to prophesy over. The bones miraculously reassemble, gain flesh, and are then given breath, standing as a great army, symbolizing the restoration of the 'whole house of Israel' from their despair and captivity. Subsequently, Ezekiel is instructed to join two sticks, representing Judah and Joseph, into one, signifying the future reunification of the divided kingdoms of Israel under one king and an everlasting covenant of peace.

The Vision of the Dry Bones

The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

He caused me to pass by them all around: and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and behold, they were very dry.

He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? I answered, Lord GOD, you know.

Again he said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, you dry bones, hear the LORD’s word.

Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, an earthquake; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

I saw, and, behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.

Therefore prophesy, and tell them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into Eretz-Israel.

You shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, my people.

I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it, says the LORD.

Reunification of Israel and Judah

the LORD’s word came again to me, saying,

You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

and join them for you one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

When the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these?

tell them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.

The sticks whereon you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

Say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;

neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them.

They shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forever more.

My tent also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The nations shall know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in their midst forever more.

Study Notes for Ezekiel 37

Verse 1

The setting is a prophetic vision experienced 'in the spirit of the LORD,' emphasizing that this is a divine revelation, not a physical event. The 'valley full of bones' symbolizes the desperate, lifeless state of the exiled nation of Israel.

Verse 2

The description 'very dry' emphasizes the permanence and hopelessness of the national death represented by the exile; it suggests a catastrophe long past redemption by human effort.

Verse 3

Ezekiel's response, 'O Lord GOD, thou knowest,' shows humility and acknowledges that the power required for such a miracle belongs solely to God, setting the stage for a dramatic display of divine sovereignty.

Verse 4

The method of restoration is through the powerful, creative Word of God. Ezekiel is commanded to 'prophesy,' underscoring that God’s life-giving power is channeled through the proclamation of His message.

Verse 5

The word translated 'breath' is *ruach*, which means wind, breath, or spirit. This links the physical revival directly to the life-giving power of God's Spirit.

Verse 8

The restoration occurs in two stages: physical reassembly (flesh and skin) followed by the infusion of life (*ruach*). This separation highlights that physical existence alone is not true life; it requires God's animating Spirit.

Verse 9

The second command to prophesy is directed to the *wind* (*ruach*), explicitly summoning the life-giving Spirit from all directions to animate the waiting bodies.

Verse 10

The result is an 'exceeding great army,' signifying that the restored nation will be strong, numerous, and ready for God's future purposes, reversing the shame of defeat and scattering.

Verse 11

This verse provides the essential interpretation: the dry bones represent the 'whole house of Israel,' who, in exile, felt totally abandoned and 'cut off' from their covenant relationship and homeland.

Verse 12

Opening their 'graves' is a metaphor for bringing the exiles out of Babylon, which they viewed as a place of national death and burial. God promises a miraculous resurrection and return to the land of Israel.

Verse 14

The promise of putting God's *spirit* (*ruach*) in them confirms that the physical restoration (return to the land) will be accompanied by spiritual renewal and cleansing (cf. Ezek 36:26-27).

Verse 16

The stick for Judah represents the Southern Kingdom (Judah and Benjamin), while the stick for Joseph/Ephraim represents the Northern Kingdom (the ten tribes), scattered centuries earlier by Assyria.

Verse 17

The symbolic action of joining the two sticks illustrates the promised future political reunification, reversing the division that occurred after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 12).

Verse 22

The promise of 'one king' signifies the end of the civil war and political division that plagued the nation for centuries, establishing a unified monarchy under God’s authority.

Verse 23

Cleansing from *idols* and *transgressions* is essential. The physical restoration is intrinsically linked to a future spiritual purity, ensuring the people will maintain their covenant obligations.

Verse 24

'David my servant' refers to the future Messianic King. Since the historical David was long dead, this title points to the ideal, eternal ruler who will perfectly fulfill the Davidic covenant. He will be the 'one shepherd' leading God's people.

Verse 25

The guarantee of perpetual dwelling in the land is tied directly to the eternal reign of the Davidic Prince (*Nasi*), emphasizing the permanence of God's covenant promises.

Verse 26

The 'covenant of peace' (*shalom*) is synonymous with the New Covenant (Jer 31) and guarantees security, wholeness, and an unbreakable relationship with God.

Verse 27

The climax of the restoration is the permanent return of God's presence (*tabernacle*) among His people, fulfilling the ultimate covenant promise: 'I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'

Verse 28

The final goal of Israel’s restoration is doxological: the surrounding 'heathen' nations will recognize God’s power and holiness because of His permanent, sanctifying presence in the midst of Israel.

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Ezekiel37

The Vision of the Dry Bones

Reunification of Israel and Judah

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