TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Ezekiel 36:1–15. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The prophet had been ordered to set his face towards the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them, Eze 6:2. Then God was coming forth to contend with his people; but now that God is returning in mercy to them he must speak good words and comfortable words to these mountains, Eze 36:1 and again Eze 36:4. You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord; and what he says to them he says to the hills, to the rivers, to the valleys, to the desolate wastes in the country, and to the cities that are forsaken, Eze 36:4. and again Eze 36:6. The people were gone, some one way and some another; nothing remained there to be spoken to but the places, the mountains and valleys; these the Chaldeans could not carry away with them. The earth abides for ever. Now, to show the mercy God had in reserve for the people, he is to speak of him as having a dormant kindness for the place, which, if the Lord had been pleased for ever to abandon, he would not have called upon to hear the word of the Lord, nor would he as at this time have shown it such things as these. Here is,
I.The compassionate notice God takes of the present deplorable condition of the land of Israel.
It has become both a prey and a derision to the heathen that are round about, Eze 36:4.
1.It has become a prey to them; and they are all enriched with the plunder of it. When the Chaldeans had conquered them all their neighbours flew to the spoil as to a shipwreck, every one thinking all his own that he could lay his hands on (Eze 36:3): They have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the heathen, to the residue of them, even such as had themselves narrowly escaped the like desolation. No one thought it any crime to strip an Israelite. Turba Romae sequitur fortunam ut semper - The mob of Rome still praise the elevated and despise the fallen. It is the common dry, when a man is down, Down with him.
2.It has become a derision to them. They took all they had and laughed at them when they had done. The enemy said, "Aha! even the ancient high places are ours in possession, Eze 36:2. Neither the antiquity, nor the dignity, neither the sanctity nor the fortifications, of the land of Israel, are its security, but we have become masters of it all." The more honours that land had been adorned with, and the greater figure it had made among the nations, the more pride and pleasure did they take in making a spoil of it, which is an instance of a base and sordid spirit; for the more glorious and prosperity was the more piteous is the adversity. God takes notice of it here as an aggravation of the present calamity of Israel: You are taken up in the lips of talkers and are an infamy of the people, Eze 36:3. All the talk of the country about was concerning the overthrow of the Jewish nation; and every one that spoke of it had some peevish ill-natured reflection or other upon them. They were the scorning of those that were at ease and the contempt of the proud, Psa 123:4. There are some that are noted for talkers, that have something to say of every body, but cannot find in their hearts to speak well of any body; God's people, among such people, were sure to be a reproach when the crown had fallen from their head. Thus it was the lot of Christianity, in its suffering days, to be every where spoken against.
II.The expressions of God's just displeasure against those who triumphed in the desolations of the land of Israel, as many of its neighbours did, even the residue of the brethren, and Idumea particularly. Let us see,
1.How they dealt with the Israel of God. They carved out large possessions to themselves out of their land, out of God's land; for so indeed it was: "They have appointed my land into their possession (Eze 36:5), and so not only invaded their neighbour's property, but intrenched upon God's prerogative." It was the holy land which they laid their sacrilegious hands upon. They did not own any dependence upon God, as the God of that land, nor acknowledge any remaining interest that Israel had in it, but cast it out for a prey, as if they had won it in a lawful war. And this they did without any dread of God and his judgments and without any compassion for Israel and their calamities, but with the joy of all their hearts, because they got by it, and with despiteful minds to Israel that lost by it. Increasing wealth, by right or wrong, is all the joy of a worldly heart; and the calamities of God's people are all the joy of a despiteful mind. And those that had not an opportunity of making a prey of God's people made a reproach of them; so that they were the shame of the heathen, Eze 36:6. Every body ridiculed them and made a jest of them; and the truth is they had by their own sin made themselves vile; so that God was righteous herein, but men were unrighteous and very barbarous.
2.How God would deal with those who were thus in word and deed abusive to his people. He has spoken against the heathen; he has passed sentence upon them; he has determined to reckon with them for it, and this in the fire of his jealousy, both for his own honour and for the honour of his people, Eze 36:5. Having a love for both as strong as death, he has a jealousy for both as cruel as the grave. They spoke in their malice against God's people, and he will speak in his jealousy against them; and it is easy to say which will speak most powerfully. God will speak in his jealousy and in his fury, Eze 36:6. Fury is not in God; but he will exert his power against them and handle them as severely as men do when they are in a fury. He will so speak to them in his wrath as to vex them in his sore displeasure. What he says he will stand to, for it is backed with an oath. He has lifted up his hand and sworn by himself, has sworn and will not repent. And what is it that is said with so much heat, and yet with so much deliberation? It is this (Eze 36:7), Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. Note, The righteous God, to whom vengeance belongs, will render shame for shame. Those that put contempt and reproach upon God's people will, sooner or later, have it burned upon themselves, perhaps in this world (either their follies or their calamities, their miscarriages or their mischances, shall be their reproach), at furthest in that day when all the impenitent shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt.
III.The promises of God's favour to his Israel and assurances given of great mercy God had in store for them.
God takes occasion from the outrage and insolence of their enemies to show himself so much the more concerned for them and ready to do them good, as David hoped that God would recompense him good for Shimei's cursing him. Let them curse, but bless thou. In this way, as well as others, the enemies of God's people do them real service, even by the injuries they do them, against their will and beyond their intention. We shall have no reason to complain if, the more unkind men are, the more kind God is - if, the more kindly he speaks to us by his word and Spirit, the more kindly he acts for us in his providence. The prophet must say so to the mountains of Israel, which were now desolate and despised, that God is for them and will burn to them, Eze 36:9. As the curse of God reaches the ground for man's sake, so does the blessing. Now that which is promised is,
1.That their rightful owners should return to the possession of them: My people Israel are at hand to come, Eze 36:8. Though they are at a great distance from their own country, though they are dispersed in many countries, and though they are detained by the power of their enemies, yet they shall come again to their own border, Jer 31:17. The time is at hand for their return. Though there were above forty years of the seventy (perhaps fifty) yet remaining, it is spoken of as near, because it is sure, and there were some among them that should live to see it. A thousand years are with God but as one day. The mountains of Israel are now desolate; but God will cause men to walk upon them again, even his people Israel, not as travellers passing over them, but as inhabitants - not tenants, but freeholders: They shall possess thee, not for term of life, but for themselves and their heirs; thou shalt be their inheritance. It was a type of the heavenly Canaan, to which all God's children are heirs, every Israelite indeed, and into which they shall shortly be all brought together, out of the countries where they are now scattered.
2.That they should afford a plentiful comfortable maintenance for their owners at their return. When the land had enjoyed her sabbaths for so many years, it should be so much the more fruitful afterwards, as we should be after rest, especially a sabbath rest: You shall be tilled and sown (Eze 36:9) and shall yield your fruit to my people Israel, Eze 36:8. Note, It is a blessing to the earth to be made serviceable to men, especially to good men, that will serve God with cheerfulness in the use of those good things which the earth serves up to them.
3.That the people of Israel should have not only a comfortable sustenance, but a comfortable settlement, in their own land: The cities shall be inhabited; the wastes shall be builded, Eze 36:10 And I will settle you after your old estates, Eze 36:11. Their own sin had unsettled them, but now God's favour shall resettle them. When the prodigal son has become a penitent he is settled again in his father's house, according to his former estate. Bring hither the first robe, and put it on him. Nay, I will do better unto you now than at your beginnings. There is more joy for the sheep that is brought back than there would have been if it had never gone astray. And God sometimes multiplies his people's comforts in proportion to the time that he has afflicted them. Thus God blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning, and doubled to him all he had.
4.That the people, after their return, should be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the land, so that it should not only be inhabited again, but as thickly inhabited, and as well peopled, as ever. God will bring back to it all the house of Israel, even all of it (observe what an emphasis is laid upon that, Eze 36:10), all whose spirits God stirred up to return; and those only were reckoned of the house of Israel, the rest had cut themselves off from it; or, though but few, in comparison, returned at first, yet afterwards, at divers times, they all returned; and then (says God) I will multiply these men (Eze 36:10), multiply man and beast; and they shall increase, Eze 36:11. Note, God's kingdom in the world is a growing kingdom; and his church, though for a time it may be diminished, shall recover itself and be again replenished.
5.That the reproach long since cast upon the land of Israel by the evil spies, and of late revived, that it was a land that ate up the inhabitants of it by famine, sickness, and the sword, should be quite rolled away, and there should never be any more occasion for it. Canaan had got into a bad name. It had of old spued out the inhabitants (Lev 18:28), the natives, the aborigines, which was turned to its reproach by those that should have put another construction upon it, Num 13:32. It had of late devoured the Israelites, and spued them out too; so that it was commonly said of it, It is a land which, instead of supporting its nations or tribes that inhabit it, bereaves them, overthrows them, and causes them to fall; it is a tenement which breaks all the tenants that come upon it. This character it had got among the neighbours; but God now promises that it shall be so no more: Thou shalt no more bereave them of men (Eze 36:12), shalt devour men no more, Eze 36:14. But the inhabitants shall live to a good old age, and not have the number of their months cut off in the midst. Compare this with that promise, Zac 8:4. Note, God will take away the reproach of his people by taking away that which was the occasion of it. When the nation is made to flourish in peace, plenty, and power, then they hear no more the shame of the heathen (Eze 36:15), especially when it is reformed; when sin, which is the reproach of any people, particularly of God's professing people, is taken away, then they hear no more the reproach of the people. Note, When God returns in mercy to a people that return to him in duty, all their grievances will be soon redressed and their honour retrieved.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
(Chapter XXXVI. — Verses 1 and following) \"But you, son of man, prophesy over the mountains of Israel and say, 'Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, because the enemy has said of you, 'Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,' therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Because you have been desolate and crushed on all sides (or because you have been scattered from those around you), and have become a possession (or inheritance) for the rest of the nations, and you have risen up on the lips of the tongue, and have become a reproach to the people (or nations).'\ Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and hills, to the rivers, valleys, and desolate walls (or scattered), and to the deserted and depopulated cities that have been mocked (or trampled) by (Al. and) the rest of the nations all around. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who (Vulg. who) have given my land to themselves as an inheritance with joy (Al. with the sword), and with the whole heart, and with all their soul, and have expelled it to ravage (or with hatred despising souls, to overthrow them in devastation). Therefore he says (( Vulg. he is silent, says)), prophesy over the land of Israel, and you shall say to the mountains and hills, the ridges and valleys, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I in my zeal, and in my fury, have spoken, because you have endured the confusion (or reproaches) of the nations. Therefore thus says the Lord God (or Adonai the Lord): I have raised (or will raise) my hand, that the nations which are around you, they themselves shall bear their confusion (or disgrace). But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they are about to come. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. And I will fill you with people and animals, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. And I will bring forth (or generate) upon you, my people Israel, and they will possess you (or you), and you will be (or you will be) for an inheritance, and you will no longer be added, so that you may be without them (or and you will no longer add, so that they may make you childless). Thus says the Lord God: Because they have said of you (or to you), you are a devourer of men, and a choker of your nation: therefore you will no longer eat men, and you will no longer kill your nation, says the Lord God: nor will I cause the confusion (or shame) of nations to be heard in you (or in you) any longer, and you will not bear the reproach of peoples (or you will not bear), and you will no longer lose your nation (or your nation will no longer be without children), says the Lord God. Above is the description of the prophet's appearance, or rather his turning towards the mountain of Seir. Here the son of man speaks to the mountains, or rather to the mountains of Israel, who are commanded to hear the word of God. And to briefly delay the allegory, the overall meaning of the prophecies concerning the mountains of Israel is this: Because the enemy, that is, the mountain of Seir, has insulted you and believed that he would possess you forever, and the once high places of the Lord are now deserted and have passed into his inheritance, and not only did he say this, but he also possessed you for a considerable time, to the extent that he spoke arrogantly against you, which brought reproach upon you from all nations. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, not only to the mountain of Seir, but also to its mountains and hills, streams, valleys, deserts, and ruins, and to the abandoned cities: because he has spoken with the fire of his zeal, not only against all the nations, but especially against Edom, which, he says, has held my land in possession along with the other nations, and has possessed it with the sword, and has possessed it with all their heart, in order to drive out its inhabitants and lay waste to the land. Therefore, speak, says the prophet, concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and hills, and hills (which the Seventy interpreted as 'valleys,' which we understand as wooded areas) and valleys. Thus says the Lord God: in my zeal and fury, I will be the avenger of your reproach, and I will raise my hand, so that the nations that are around you may bear their disgrace and confusion: but you, O mountains of Israel, will bear fruit according to your former state, and produce shoots and, according to the Seventy, bring forth grapes, with which my people Israel will be satisfied. That which you may not think will happen after a long time is near, imminent, and will come. And lest this seem difficult to you, I myself will come to you, and those who had departed from you will return to you, so that you may regain your former culture and all things may be fulfilled, so that there may be many people among you, and cities, which were previously destroyed, may be inhabited. And not only will I multiply people, but also animals will multiply and increase, and I will make you dwell as in the beginning, when Moses, leading the two and a half tribes across the Jordan (Numbers 32), and under Joshua, son of Nun, the other nine and a half tribes possessed the land of Judah (Joshua 1 and 13): and I will give you much greater possessions than you had in the beginning before you experienced various captivities. And when I have done this to you, then you will know that I am the Lord. And you, O land of Israel, will be full and abundant, a possession for my people, who will inherit you. You will no longer be without children. But when your inhabitants multiply, O mountains of Israel, then your enemies will no longer accuse you of devouring men and of being a land without children. Instead, you will multiply and your descendants will be numerous. You will neither hear, he said, any longer, nor will you endure the confusion of the nations, nor will you lose your people, so that you may eventually endure captivity, because the Lord has spoken. We will say these things loosely in the Jewish manner, which they expect in the thousand-year kingdom, when they assert that the city of Jerusalem is to be rebuilt, and the temple, which is described at the end of this volume, and the happiness of all things, some of which they believe were fulfilled under Zerubbabel. But how can this be fulfilled, what is said: 'And I will make you dwell as in the beginning, and I will give you greater blessings than you had in the beginning?' For under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, only a few of the people were brought back, and they themselves were obedient to the Medes and Persians, and subsequently served the Macedonians, Egyptians, and Romans, and even to this day they serve various kings of different nations, such as Titus and Vespasian. Therefore, this prophecy at the end cannot possibly be fulfilled: 'And you will no longer bear the reproach of the nations, and you will not lose your people anymore.' And because it is now lengthy against the Jewish doctrine, and the blessedness serving the stomach and throat of the Jews, who desire all earthly things, and say: Let us eat and drink, of which the Apostle also speaks: Food for the stomach and the stomach for food: but God will destroy both it and them (I Cor. VI, 13), let us now briefly explain: let us now pass on to spiritual understanding, according to which we have also interpreted the extreme parts of Isaiah. For we do not expect Jerusalem to be adorned and golden from heaven, according to the Jewish fables which they call 'second books', nor will we suffer the injury of circumcision, nor will we offer sacrifices of bulls and rams, nor will we sleep in the idleness of the Sabbath. Many of our people, especially in Tertullian's book titled 'On the Hope of the Faithful', and in Lactantius' seventh volume of 'Institutions', and in the frequent explanations of Bishop Victorinus of Pettau, and recently in our own Severus' dialogue called 'The Rooster', have also said this. And that I may mention the Greeks, and unite the first and the last, Irenaeus and Apollinarius. Therefore, we will say that the mountains of Israel are the prophets and apostles, who hear the word of God, and to whom the enemy devil insulted, saying: 'Well done, once lofty mountains, about which it is written: The mountains are round about it, and the Lord is round about His people' (Ps. 124:2), have been given to me as a possession, when they were desolated by the narrowness of persecution, and trodden down round about, and have become an inheritance to the rest of the nations, and have been blasphemed by all. Therefore the Lord speaks, having trampled upon the mountains and desolated them, not only the mountains but also the lower parts and through every step on the land of Judea, that is, on the mountain of the Church which is written: A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14); and on the hills and torrents, whose faith is increased in the winter of persecutions and in the storm of trials. Also on these valleys, which have been brought low by humility, and on the deserted Churches and walls, and on the whole world, on the gatherings of Churches that have been abandoned, such as the persecution that took place throughout the world under Diocletian and Maximian, by which Churches were proscribed and devastated: when all the nations of the Gentiles and the heretical nations mocked the Church, because it spoke in the fire of its zeal and especially against Edom, which wanted to carry the image of the earthly, having cast aside the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15). For they indeed have taken the land of God as their inheritance, and with their whole heart and soul they have persecuted the Church of the Lord, and they have cast it out from its seats, and have laid it waste. But what has it profited the nations, what has it benefited the heretical peoples to insult the land of the Lord: when the Lord speaks to it, and to its hills, and mountains, and wooded places, which were flourishing with the beauty of paradise: and to the hills of which we have spoken above, he has spoken in his zeal and fury: and he lifts his hand against the adversaries, who have persecuted the Church, to bring about their confusion and disgrace? Then, with the persecutors killed and peace restored to the Church, the mountains of Israel, namely the Apostles and Apostolic men, will bring forth their trees and extend their branches, and they will produce grapes to be trodden in the winepress of the Lord, from which new wine is poured, which will intoxicate the peoples of the believers, and the wine that brings joy to the heart of man will be pressed out (Psalm 103): so that all the fruits of the mountains, from which the bread that comes down from heaven is made, may be eaten by the people of the God of Israel. And let us not despair in persecutions, it is added: The time is near for it to come. For he will come, coming indeed, and will not delay (Hab. 2:3). From there he promises his coming to the mountains, and to those who have endured in tribulations, and he promises that after the heat of persecution the earth, previously gleaned by the ploughshare of Christ, will be cultivated, and will receive every seed of virtue, from which men will be born and multiplied, and all the house of Israel. And when the cities, that is, the churches of the believers, were inhabited again by returning crowds, not only the men who were knowledgeable in the Scriptures will be there, but also the animals, and the simple believers will multiply and grow, and the churches will be inhabited as in the beginning, that is, before the persecution arose, and they will flourish with greater blessings than they had from the beginning, crowned by the victories of the martyrs. And then they will know that He is the Lord, who restores His people to their former state, which possesses the Churches, and that the Churches themselves are the inheritance of the Churches, and no longer without children, whom He had lost in persecution. Hence the prophet is commanded to speak to the land of the gentle, the land of the living, or to the mountains of Israel, and to say: You shall no longer suffer the reproach of persecutors, nor will they insult your slaughtered people, like sheep for slaughter. With peace being restored, all reproaches will cease, and you will no longer endure confusion and disgrace among various wanderings, but you will have your nation and your people, for the truth of the promise, spoken by the Lord, has been confirmed.
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Summary
Ezekiel 36:13 presents a powerful divine declaration from the Lord GOD, quoting the scornful accusations leveled against the land of Israel by surrounding nations. These nations perceived the land as inherently destructive, metaphorically "devouring" its inhabitants and "bereaving" its communities, leading to perpetual loss and depopulation. This divine reiteration of the reproach highlights the profound shame and desolation Israel experienced during its exile, setting a crucial backdrop for God's subsequent, emphatic promises of future restoration, cleansing, and vindication for His people and His holy name.
Context
Literary Context
Ezekiel 36:13 is strategically placed within a pivotal section of Ezekiel's prophecy, specifically Ezekiel 36, which marks a dramatic and hopeful shift from pronouncements of judgment to glorious promises of restoration for Israel. The preceding verses (Ezekiel 36:1-12) detail God's indignation against the surrounding mountains and nations that gloated over Israel's desolation and sought to claim its territory. God promises to bless the mountains of Israel, making them fruitful again for the returning exiles. Verse 13, however, interrupts this positive trajectory by directly quoting the reason for the land's desolation and the depth of Israel's humiliation: the specific accusations of other nations. This verse serves as a direct articulation of the reproach, which God then explicitly promises to remove in the subsequent verses (Ezekiel 36:14-15), ensuring the land will no longer "devour" or "bereave" its people. This stark portrayal of shame sets the stage for the grand promises of spiritual renewal, physical return, and the vindication of God's name that follow in the remainder of the chapter.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecy of Ezekiel was delivered during the Babylonian exile, a period of profound national humiliation and theological crisis for Israel. The northern kingdom had fallen to Assyria centuries earlier, and now the southern kingdom of Judah had been conquered by Babylon, its temple destroyed, and its people deported. The land of Israel, once a vibrant symbol of God's blessing and covenant faithfulness, lay desolate and ruined. Surrounding nations, often hostile, would have viewed this desolation as undeniable evidence of Israel's God being weak or abandoning His people. The accusation that the land "devours" its inhabitants reflects the grim reality of repeated cycles of warfare, famine, pestilence, and exile that had decimated the population and left the land barren. Such a perception would have been a source of immense shame in the ancient Near East, where a nation's prosperity, population, and the fertility of its land were seen as direct indicators of its god's power and favor. The land itself was considered integral to the national identity and covenant relationship, so its desolation was a deep theological, cultural, and existential wound.
Key Themes
Ezekiel 36:13 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the book of Ezekiel:
Divine Sovereignty and Glory
Even in judgment, God remains utterly sovereign, and His ultimate purpose is to vindicate His holy name among the nations (as powerfully declared in Ezekiel 36:23). The reproach against the land is a direct challenge to God's glory, which He promises to address with decisive action.
Consequences of Sin
The "devouring" and "bereaving" are not inherent characteristics of the land but are direct, painful consequences of Israel's persistent idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness, which led to God's disciplinary judgment (Leviticus 26:33). The land's desolation vividly reflects the people's spiritual barrenness and rebellion.
Restoration and Renewal
This verse provides the stark, desperate backdrop against which God's magnificent promises of restoration are made. The accusation of the land devouring its people is precisely what God promises to reverse, bringing back the exiles, cleansing them, and making the land fruitful and populous again (e.g., Ezekiel 36:24-28). This theme underscores God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant, even when His people are profoundly unfaithful.
Reproach and Vindication
The profound shame Israel endured due to the land's desolate condition and the taunts of other nations is a central element. God's act of restoration is ultimately for the sake of His holy name, to remove this reproach and demonstrate His unparalleled power and faithfulness to the Gentiles (e.g., Ezekiel 36:15).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root means "to eat" (literally or figuratively), "burn up," "consume," or "devour." In this context, it is used metaphorically to personify the land as an active, malevolent agent of destruction, as if it were literally consuming its inhabitants through relentless cycles of war, famine, and pestilence. This vivid and violent imagery emphasizes the devastating loss of life and the severe depopulation that had tragically befallen Israel.
This term refers to a human being, an individual, or the species, mankind. Here, it specifically signifies the human population of Israel, highlighting the direct and tragic impact of the land's perceived destructive nature on its people. The accusation is not merely about the loss of property or national status, but the profound and tragic loss of human life itself.
This primitive root properly means "to miscarry," "suffer abortion," or "to be childless." By analogy, it means "to bereave" (literally or figuratively), or "to lose children." This word powerfully conveys the profound, repeated, and agonizing loss of life, particularly the loss of offspring, which would have left families, communities, and the nation as a whole "childless" or severely depopulated. It speaks to a deep, generational wound and the cessation of future hope.
Verse Breakdown
"Thus saith the Lord GOD;"
This opening phrase, a solemn and frequently used prophetic formula, establishes the divine authority and absolute truthfulness of the message that follows. It underscores that the subsequent words are not human opinion or speculation but a direct, authoritative revelation from the sovereign God of Israel, Adonai YHWH. This emphasizes the weight and certainty of what is about to be declared.
"Because they say unto you, Thou [land] devourest up men,"
This clause presents the core accusation leveled by the surrounding Gentile nations against the land of Israel. The "they" refers to these hostile nations, and "you" refers to the land itself, which is strikingly personified. The charge is that the land is inherently destructive, metaphorically "eating" or consuming its inhabitants through various calamities like war, famine, and disease, leading to widespread death and a drastic reduction in population. It implies an inherent flaw or curse upon the land itself.
"and hast bereaved thy nations;"
This second part of the accusation powerfully reinforces and deepens the first, emphasizing the tragic and long-lasting outcome. The land is accused of causing its "nations" (referring to its people, its communities, or perhaps its tribes) to be "bereaved" or "childless." This signifies a profound and repeated loss of life, particularly the young, resulting in a diminished and desolate population, unable to sustain itself or grow. It conveys a sense of utter devastation and the extinguishing of future generations.
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 36:13 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with striking impact. Personification is central, as the land of Israel is directly addressed and accused of actions typically attributed to living beings: "devouring" men and "bereaving" nations. This makes the reproach profoundly vivid and impactful, as if the very soil underfoot had turned hostile and actively consumed its inhabitants. The use of hyperbole is also evident in the extreme nature of the accusation; while the land itself doesn't literally consume people, the calamities that befell it (war, famine, exile) were so severe that they created the effect of the land being a death trap. This exaggeration emphasizes the depth of Israel's suffering and the intense scorn of its neighbors. Furthermore, the verse functions as a quotation, presenting the direct, stinging words of Israel's accusers. This technique allows God to explicitly acknowledge the shame and humiliation His people faced, setting the stage for His powerful and direct refutation and reversal of this very reproach in the subsequent verses, thereby magnifying His redemptive intervention.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Ezekiel 36:13 serves as a profound theological pivot, articulating the depth of Israel's humiliation and the perceived failure of their covenant relationship with God, as viewed by the surrounding nations. The accusation that the land itself was a devourer and bereaver directly challenged God's promise of the land as a place of blessing, life, and abundance (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:7-9). This perceived curse was a direct consequence of Israel's persistent sin and idolatry, which led to divine judgment in the form of war, famine, and exile, fulfilling the covenant curses (e.g., Leviticus 26:31-33). By quoting this specific reproach, God acknowledges the shame His people endured, not to condemn them further, but to highlight the magnitude of the restoration He is about to bring for the sake of His holy name, demonstrating His power and faithfulness to all nations, thereby transforming their shame into His glory.
Reflection and Application
Ezekiel 36:13 offers a powerful mirror for our own lives and communities, reminding us that sin has tangible, often devastating, consequences that can lead to reproach and desolation, both personally and corporately. Just as Israel's land was perceived as "devouring" and "bereaving" due to their unfaithfulness, so too can our own choices, or the collective choices of a community, lead to barrenness, loss, and the scorn of others. This verse teaches us the profound importance of acknowledging the painful realities of our failures and the reproaches that may come our way, rather than denying or minimizing them. However, it is crucial to remember that this is not the end of the story. God's willingness to quote the accusation demonstrates His deep awareness of our shame and suffering, but it is always a prelude to His redemptive action. For us, this means that even when our lives or circumstances seem "bereaved" or "devoured" by consequences, God's ultimate plan is always one of restoration, cleansing, and renewal, not for our merit, but for the vindication of His own holy name and glory. It calls us to lament our fallen state and the consequences of sin, but also to cling to the hope in the God who reverses desolation, brings life out of barrenness, and transforms shame into glory.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did the nations say the land "devoured" its people?
The accusation that the land "devoured" its people stemmed from the visible and devastating cycles of judgment that had befallen Israel. Through repeated wars, famines, and pestilences, and ultimately the Babylonian exile, the population of Israel had been drastically reduced, and the land itself lay desolate and unproductive. From an external, pagan perspective, it appeared as though the land was inherently cursed or incapable of sustaining its inhabitants, constantly losing them through death or forced removal. This was, in fact, a direct consequence of Israel's persistent unfaithfulness to God's covenant, leading to the severe curses outlined in the Law, such as those found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The surrounding nations, however, interpreted this desolation not as divine judgment for sin, but as an inherent flaw in the land itself, or a sign of Israel's God being weak, impotent, or unable to protect His people. Ezekiel 36:13 precisely captures this specific reproach, which God then promises to reverse for the sake of His holy name.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Ezekiel 36:13, with its stark portrayal of a land "devouring" its people and "bereaving" its nations, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the redemptive work of Jesus. The Old Testament land of Israel, meant to be a place of life and blessing, ultimately became a poignant symbol of humanity's fallen state and the devastating consequences of sin—a world that, apart from God, consumes and bereaves. Humanity, in its profound sin, was truly "devoured" by death and "bereaved" by spiritual separation from God, leading to utter spiritual desolation (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ, however, entered this "devouring" world not to be consumed by its destructive power, but to conquer it. He is the true "land" of life, the ultimate source of all blessing, who came to reverse the curse. Through His sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection, He became the ultimate Lamb of God, taking upon Himself the "devouring" judgment of sin, so that all who believe in Him might no longer be "bereaved" but receive abundant and eternal life (John 10:10). He gathers His scattered "nations"—people from every tribe, tongue, and nation—into His body, the Church, where there is no more spiritual desolation or ultimate loss (Ephesians 2:19-22). The promise in Ezekiel 36 that the land would no longer devour its people is ultimately realized in Christ, who ensures that His redeemed people will never perish (John 3:16) and will inherit a new heavens and new earth where there is no more death, sorrow, or crying (Revelation 21:4). He is the one who transforms the barrenness of sin into the glorious fruitfulness of eternal life.