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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Ezekiel 36:25–38. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The people of God might be discouraged in their hopes of a restoration by the sense not only of their unworthiness of such a favour (which was answered, in the foregoing verses, with this, that God, in doing it, would have an eye to his own glory, not to their worthiness), but of their unfitness for such a favour, being still corrupt and sinful; and that is answered in these verses, with a promise that God would by his grace prepare and qualify them for the mercy and then bestow it on them. And this was in part fulfilled in that wonderful effect which the captivity in Babylon had upon the Jews there, that it effectually cured them of their inclination to idolatry. But it is further intended as a draught of the covenant of grace, and a specimen of those spiritual blessings with which we are blessed in heavenly things by that covenant. As (ch. 34) after a promise of their return the prophecy insensibly slid into a promise of the coming of Christ, the great Shepherd, so here it insensibly slides into a promise of the Spirit, and his gracious influences and operations, which we have as much need of for our sanctification as we have of Christ's merit for our justification.
I.God here promises that he will work a good work in them, to qualify them for the good work he intended to bring about for them, Eze 36:25-27. We had promises to the same purport, Eze 11:18-20.
1.That God would cleanse them from the pollutions of sin (Eze 36:25): I will sprinkle clean water upon you, which signifies both the book of Christ sprinkled upon the conscience to purify that and to take away the sense of guilt (as those that were sprinkled with the water of purification were thereby discharged from their ceremonial uncleanness) and the grace of the Spirit sprinkled on the whole soul to purify it from all corrupt inclinations and dispositions, as Naaman was cleansed from his leprosy by dipping in Jordan. Christ was himself clean, else his blood could not have been cleansing to us; and it is a Holy Spirit that makes us holy: From all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. And (Eze 36:29) I will save you from all your uncleannesses. Sin is defiling, idolatry particularly is so; it renders sinners odious to God and burdensome to themselves. When guilt is pardoned, and the corrupt nature sanctified, then we are cleansed from our filthiness, and there is no other way of being saved from it. This God promises his people here, in order to his being sanctified in them, Eze 36:23. We cannot sanctify God's name unless he sanctify our hearts, nor live to his glory, but by his grace.
2.That God would give them a new heart, a disposition of mind excellent in itself and vastly different from what it was before. God will work an inward change in order to a universal change. Note, All that have an interest in the new covenant, and a title to the new Jerusalem, have a new heart and a new spirit, and these are necessary in order to their walking in newness of life. This is that divine nature which believers are by the promises made partakers of.
3.That, instead of a heart of stone, insensible and inflexible, unapt to receive any divine impressions and to return any devout affections, God would give a heart of flesh, a soft and tender heart, that has spiritual senses exercised, conscious to itself of spiritual pains and pleasures, and complying in every thing with the will of God. Note, Renewing grace works as great a change in the soul as the turning of a dead stone into living flesh.
4.That since, besides our inclination to sin, we complain of an inability to do our duty, God will cause them to walk in his statutes, will not only show them the way of his statutes before them, but incline them to walk in it, and thoroughly furnish them with wisdom and will, and active powers, for every good work. In order to this he will put his Spirit within them, as a teacher, guide, and sanctifier. Note, God does not force men to walk in his statutes by external violence, but causes them to walk in his statutes by an internal principle. And observe what use we ought to make of this gracious power and principle promised us, and put within us: You shall keep my judgments. If God will do his part according to the promise, we must do ours according to the precept. Note, The promise of God's grace to enable us for our duty should engage and quicken our constant care and endeavour to do our duty. God's promises must drive us to his precepts as our rule, and then his precepts must send us back to his promises for strength, for without his grace we can do nothing.
II.God here promises that he will take them into covenant with himself.
The sum of the covenant of grace we have, Eze 36:28. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. It is not, "If you will be my people, I will be your God" (though it is very true that we cannot expect to have God to be to us a God unless we be to him a people), but he has chosen us, and loved us, first, not we him; therefore the condition is of grace, is by promise, as well as the reward; not of merit, not of works: "You shall be my people; I will make you so; I will give you the nature and spirit of my people, and then I will be your God." And this is the foundation and top-stone of a believer's happiness; it is heaven itself, Rev 21:3, Rev 21:7.
III.He promises that he will bring about all that good for them which the exigence of their case calls for. When they are thus prepared for mercy,
1.Then they shall return to their possessions and be settled again in them (Eze 36:28): You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. God will, in bringing them back to it, have an eye not to any merit of theirs, but to the promise made to the fathers; for therefore he gave it to them at first, Deu 7:7, Deu 7:8. Therefore he is gracious, because he has said that he will be so. This shall follow upon the blessed reformation God would work among them (Eze 36:33): "In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, and so shall have made you meet for the inheritance, I will cause you to dwell in the cities, and so put you in possession of the inheritance." This is God's method of mercy indeed, first to part men from their sins, and then to restore them to their comforts.
2.Then they shall enjoy a plenty of all good things. When they are saved from their uncleanness, from their sins which kept good things from them, then I will call for the corn and will increase it, Eze 36:29. Plenty comes at God's call, and the plenty he calls for shall be still growing; and when he speaks the word the fruit both of the tree and of the field shall multiply. As the inhabitants multiply the productions shall multiply for their maintenance; for he that sends mouths will send meat. Famine was one of the judgments which they had laboured under, and it had been as much as any a reproach to them, that they should be starved in a land so famed for fruitfulness. But now I will lay no famine upon you; and none are under that rod without having it laid on by him. Then they shall receive no more reproach of famine, shall never be again upbraided with that, nor shall it ever be said that God is a Master that keeps his servants to short allowance. Nay, they shall not only be cleared from the reproach of famine, but they shall have the credit of abundance. The land that had long lain desolate in the sight of all that passed by, that looked upon it, some with contempt and some with compassion, shall again be tilled (Eze 36:34), and, having long lain fallow, it will now be the more fruitful. Observe, God will call for the corn and yet they must till the ground for it. Note, Even promised mercies must be laboured for; for the promise is not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage our industry and endeavour. And such a blessing will God command on the hand of the diligent that all who pass by shall take notice of it, with wonder, Eze 36:35. They shall say, "See what a blessed change here is, how this land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, the desert turned again into a paradise," Note, God has honours in reserve for his people to be crowned with sufficient to counterbalance the contempt they are now loaded with, and in them he will be honoured. This wonderful increase both of the people of the land and of its products is compared (Eze 36:38) to the large flocks of cattle that are brought to Jerusalem, to be sacrificed at one of the solemn feasts. Even the cities that now lie waste shall be filled with flocks of men, not like the flocks with which the pastures are covered over (Psa 65:13), but like the holy flock which is brought to the courts of the Lord's house. Note, Then the increase of the numbers of a people is honourable and comfortable indeed when they are all dedicated to God as a holy flock, to be presented to him for living sacrifices. Crowds are a lovely sight in God's temple.
IV.He shows what shall be the happy effects of this blessed change.
1.It shall have a happy effect upon the people of God themselves, for it shall bring them to an ingenuous repentance for their sins (Eze 36:31): Then shall you remember your own evil ways and shall loathe yourselves. See here what sin is; it is an abomination, a loathsome thing, that abominable thing which the Lord hates. See what is the first step towards repentance; it is remembering our own evil ways, reflecting seriously upon the sins we have committed and being particular in recapitulating them. We must remember against ourselves not only our gross enormities, our own evil ways, but our defects and infirmities, our doings that were not good, not so good as they should have been; not only our direct violations of the law, but our coming short of it. See what is evermore a companion of true repentance, and that is self-loathing, a holy shame and confusion of face: "You shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, seeing how loathsome you have made yourselves in the sight of God." Self-love is at the bottom of sin, which we cannot but blush to see the absurdity of; but our quarrelling with ourselves is in order to our being, upon good grounds, reconciled to ourselves. And, lastly, see what is the most powerful inducement to an evangelical repentance, and that is a sense of the mercy of God; when God settles them in the midst of plenty, then they shall loathe themselves for their iniquities. Note, The goodness of God should overcome our badness and lead us to repentance. The more we see of God's readiness to receive us into favour upon our repentance the more reason we shall see to be ashamed of ourselves that we could ever sin against so much love. That heart is hard indeed that will not be thus melted.
2.It shall have a happy effect upon their neighbours, for it shall bring them to a more clear knowledge of God (Eze 36:36): "Then the heathen that are left round about you, that spoke ignorantly of God (for so all those do that speak ill of him) when they saw the land of Israel desolate, shall begin to know better, and to speak more intelligently of God, being convinced that he is able to rebuild the most desolate cities and to replant the most desolate countries, and that, though the course of his favours to his people may be obstructed for a time, they shall not be cut off for ever." They shall be made to know the truth of divine revelation by the exact agreement which they shall discern between God's word which he has spoken to Israel and his works which he has done for them: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. With us saying and doing are two things, but they are not so with God.
V.He proposes these things to them, not as the recompence of their merits, but as the return of their prayers.
1.Let them not think that they have deserved it: Not for your sakes do I this, be it known to you (Eze 36:22, Eze 36:32); no, be you ashamed and confounded for your own ways. God is doing this, all this which he has promised; it is as sure to be done as if it were done already, and present events have a tendency towards it. But then,
(1.)They must renounce the merit of their own good works, and be brought to acknowledge that it is not for their sakes that it is done; so, when God brought Israel into Canaan the first time, an express caveat was entered against this thought. Deu 9:4-6, It is not for thy righteousness. It is not for the sake of any of their good qualities or good deeds, not because God had any need of them, or expected any benefit by them. No, in showing mercy he acts by prerogative, not for our deserts, but for his own honour. See how emphatically this is expressed: Be it known to you, it is not for your sakes, which intimates that we are apt to entertain a high conceit of our own merits and are with difficulty persuaded to disclaim a confidence in them. But, one way or other, God will make all his favourites to know and own that it is his grace, and not their goodness, his mercy, and not their merit, that made them so; and that therefore not unto them, not unto them, but unto him, is all the glory due.
(2.)They must repent of the sin of their own evil ways. They must own that the mercies they receive from God are not only not merited, but that they are a thousand times forfeited; and therefore they must be so far from boasting of their good works that they must be ashamed and confounded for their evil ways, and then they are best prepared for mercy.
2.Yet let them know that they must desire and expect it (Eze 36:37): I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel. God has spoken, and he will do it, and he will be sought unto for it. He requires that his people should seek unto him, and he will incline their hearts to do it, when he is coming towards them in ways of mercy.
(1.)They must pray for it, for by prayer God is sought unto, and enquired after. What is the matter of God's promises must be the matter of our prayers. By asking for the mercy promised we must give glory to the donor, express a value for the gift, own our dependence, and put honour upon prayer which God has put honour upon. Christ himself must ask, and then God will give him the heathen for his inheritance, must pray the Father, and then he will send the Comforter; much more must we ask that we may receive.
(2.)They must consult the oracles of God, and thus also God is sought unto and enquired after. The mercy must be, not an act of providence only, but a child of promise; and therefore the promise must be looked at, and prayer made for it with an eye of faith fastened upon the promise, which must be both the guide and the ground of our expectations. Both these ways we find God enquired of by Daniel, in the name of the house of Israel, when he was about to do those great things for them; he consulted the oracles of God, for he understood by books, the book of the prophet Jeremiah, both what was to be expected and when; and then he set his face to seek God by prayer, Dan 9:2, Dan 9:3. Note, Our communion with God must be kept up by the word and prayer in all the operations of his providence concerning us and in both he must be enquired of.
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.
(Verse 16 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel have dwelt (or dwells) in their own land, and they have defiled it with their ways and their idols: according to the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity, their way has become before me. And I poured out my indignation (or fury) upon them, for the blood they have shed upon the land: they have defiled it with their idols, and I scattered them among the nations, and dispersed them in the lands (or regions) according to their ways, and judged them for their inventions (or sins), and they entered into the nations to which they came, and defiled my holy name, when it was said of them, This is the people of the Lord, and they have come out of his land. And I spared my holy name (that is, I spared them for the sake of my holy name) which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to whom you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. Indeed, I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in your midst (or give it to you), and I will make you walk in my precepts (or my justifications), and keep my judgments, and do (or make) them ((Vulg. is silent on them)). And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be to me a people, and I will be to you a God. And I will save you ((Al. I will save you)) from all your defilements (or impurities), and I will call forth grain, and multiply it, and I will not give (or give) you famine, and I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the produce of the field, so that you will no longer bear the reproach of famine among the nations. And you shall remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and your iniquities, and your abominations. And I will not do for your sake, saith the Lord God, let it be known unto you. Be ye confounded, and ashamed at your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God: In the day that I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities, and shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and shall repair the ruinous places, And the desolate land shall be tilled, which before was waste in the sight of all that passed by, They shall say: This land that was untilled (or desolate) is become as a garden of pleasure; and the cities that were uninhabitable, and deserted, and ruined, are now fenced, and inhabited. And the nations shall know that those who were left all around you, who were scattered, I the Lord have rebuilt. I have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken and I will do it. Thus says the Lord God: In this I will be found by the house of Israel, and I will act for them. I will multiply them like a flock of people, like a holy flock, like the flock of Jerusalem in its appointed feasts. The cities shall be inhabited again, and the waste places rebuilt with flocks of people. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. The things that are said are clear, and the whole sense of the mountains of Israel, which were previously desert, and afterwards restored, is now more clearly revealed. And God explains why He handed over the people of Israel to captivity, and promises, due to His mercy, to bring them back to the land of Judah and to give them much greater things than He had taken away. Some Jews refer this to the times of Zerubbabel, when, with Cyrus, the king of the Persians releasing their captivity, many were brought back from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin to Judah. But others refer it to a kingdom of a thousand years, when under Christ, whom they suppose to be coming, the city of Jerusalem is to be built, and the temple to be constructed, concerning which temple we shall speak in the interpretation of the last part of the book. Meanwhile, let us pass briefly through the remaining portion of this chapter, and consider what seems to be said to us according to the understanding of the Church. The house of Israel, that is, the people of the Jews, once dwelt in their land, that is, in the land of Judah, when they were brought out of Egypt. But they defiled it with their ways and pursuits, or their idols, and they became so polluted that they were compared to the filth of a menstruating woman. Because of this, God poured out his indignation upon them, for the blood of the prophets and the righteous, which they had shed on the earth, as the Savior says in the Gospel: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you (Matthew 23:37). And again (Verse 35): Amen, amen I say to you: the blood of Abel, the just, shall be required of this generation from the blood of Zacharias, the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the altar and the temple. Amen, I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. Therefore, behold I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them you will put to death and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, that upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the altar and the temple. Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not? Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate! For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! When I saw this, he said, not for their sake, but for the sake of my holy name (for I am the Creator of all), I spared them and sanctified them, and I restored them to their former glory, so that I might pour out clean water of saving Baptism upon those who believe and have turned away from error, and cleanse them from their abominations and from all the errors in which they were occupied, and give them a new heart to believe in the Son of God and a new spirit, of which David speaks: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Ps. 50:21). And it is to be considered that a new heart and a new spirit are given through the effusion and sprinkling of water. When, however, a new heart and a new spirit are given, then all hardness, which is compared to stone, will be removed from the Jewish heart, so that the heart may be a fleshy, soft, and tender one, which can receive the spirit of God within itself and be inscribed with saving words. Then they will walk in the precepts of the Lord and keep His judgments, and they will dwell in the land of confession, which He had given to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all the holy ones and prophets, and they will become the people of God, and the Lord will be their God, as is proven in the present time. And when they are saved, the Lord will call the grain and multiply it. For unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone (John 12:24). And they will not endure hunger (Amos 8:11): not hunger for bread and thirst for water, but hunger for hearing the word of God, which he who came from the Father, having received all substance, scattered: when in the necessity of hunger, he fed on the pods of swine (Luke 15). Then the fruit of the tree, that is, wisdom, will be multiplied, of which it is written: The tree of life is to all who seek it (Prov. III, 18): and the produce of the field will be like Jacob, whose scent was like the scent of a full field, to whom the Lord blessed (Genes. XXVII, 27). They will no longer bear the reproach of famine among the nations, which the unbelief of the Jews suffers to this day: but after they have attained blessedness, they will imitate the Apostle who says: I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God (I Cor. XV, 9). And they will remember their worst ways and their non-good pursuits, by which they offended God. And their iniquities and their crimes, by which they previously erred, will displease them. But the Lord will attribute all these things, not for the sake of those who perished by their own error, but for the sake of his holy name. Therefore, he provokes the house of Israel to be confused and ashamed about their past vices, and to understand their Creator. But after he will have cleansed the people of the believers from their iniquities, and he will have made the cities of the Church to be inhabited, and he will have restored the ruined things that had fallen in the synagogues, and the land of confession will have been cultivated with the ceremonies of God, which once seemed desolate to all the saints who pass by the works of earthly conversation: then all will say: How does the land of Judah, which once was uncultivated, now have the likeness of the paradise of God; and the cities of Judah, which were deserted and abandoned, and buried by their unbelief, now stand upright and fortified in confession, and in the name of the Lord and Savior? So that every creature may know, and the multitudes of Angels, which surround the land of Israel, that the Lord has built up the desolate cities and planted the barren regions, and that He has fulfilled what He had promised through the prophets. And this will not be the extent of His generosity towards the people He has saved, but He will provide even greater things. For indeed, He will be found by the house of Israel, who had been sought for a long time and was not found. And after he finds him, he will multiply them like sheep: not of brute animals, but of sheep of men, which are full of reason and confession, like holy sheep and flocks of Jerusalem, in which the worship of God proper and the vision of peace is, in its solemnities when we eat the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5), and we feed on the flesh of the Lamb and drink its blood, and in the seven weeks, and in the tabernacles of this present age we celebrate the Lord's Day festivals, so that the once desolate cities may become full of flocks of men, and by this means they may know that he himself is the Lord, who has provided all things. According to the truth of history, or rather according to the faith of prophecy, it suffices to say briefly how the people of Israel are restored to their original state, and how the remnant of the people of Judah, as the Apostle Paul teaches (Rom. IX, 11), are saved in the Apostle and in all those who initially believed from the Jews and continue to return to the Church even today. Now, the same sense must be opened in this brief tropology. Whoever is from the house of Israel and perceives the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, dwells in his own land, that is, the Church, or in the temporary dwelling of the flesh, which has been given to him by God. But if he pollutes both lands with his wicked ways, and is compared to the impurity of a menstruating woman: God will pour out his indignation upon him, for the blood, either his own or those whom he has scandalized, and will pour it out upon the land, and with perverse thoughts he pollutes it. Then he will be scattered among the nations, to be leveled with the unbelievers, and will be tossed about on the earth like chaff, to be separated from the grain of the Church, and judged according to his ways. But if they have not perceived their sin in this way, but have defiled His holy name, then all those among whom they have lived will say: Behold the people of God, behold those who have come forth from their land, or rather have been cast out. But if they repent and I am sanctified in their midst, then all the multitude of the nations will know that I will remove them from the lands where they were dispersed and bring them back to the land of the Church, and I will pour out upon them not the waters of saving Baptism, but the waters of teaching and the word of God; and I will cleanse them from all their uncleannesses, and from all the idols and errors which they had secretly conceived in their hearts. And I will give them a new heart, which they had lost through sin, and I will renew a right spirit within their hearts. And I will remove the stony heart, that is, the unbelieving heart; and I will give them a fleshy heart, soft and tender; that they may receive the commandments of God; so that they may walk in my commandments, and observe my judgments; which they had previously neglected, and they shall dwell in the land which I had given to their fathers, namely, the masters and teachers; and once again, they shall be the people of God, and the Lord shall be turned to them as God, whom they had previously offended. Then they will be saved from all their sins, and their grain will multiply, from which heavenly bread is made; and they will no longer suffer from hunger for the word of God; and the tree of wisdom will multiply in them, and their hearts will be filled with offspring. They will no longer be a reproach among the nations; but after God has shown them mercy, they will remember their wicked ways and know where they have been, and they will be disgusted by their iniquities. What the Lord says is not for them, but for his own mercy. Therefore, he encourages those who are straying to be confounded and ashamed in their ways, and to be restored to the cities of the Church, which will be inhabited by them again and all that have fallen in them will be rebuilt. And they will return to the ancient ceremonies, and the once deserted land, which appeared desolate to its inhabitants and to passing strangers, will return to its former state; and all will marvel and say: This uncultivated land, this deserted land, in which all virtues once perished, has now become like a garden of pleasure and a paradise of God; and the once deserted cities, which did not have God as their guest, and were deprived of the Holy Spirit, and were buried in unbelief, will be fortified by the faith of Christ, so that all around may know that the Lord has built up scattered souls, and has planted and nurtured in them the trees of all virtues; and he himself has fulfilled the things he promised in his words. And again the prophetic word exhorts the repentant, that even when they have returned to the Church, they should always seek the Lord, and find Him: so that the flocks of the Lord may multiply with the multitude of those who return: not of horses and brute animals, but of flocks of men, who are full of faith and reason, the holy flocks, the flocks of the city of Jerusalem, on all the solemnities, which they have received through the mercy of God; so that when the multitude of such flocks has filled the cities of the Lord, then all may know that He is the Lord.
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Summary
Ezekiel 36:34 delivers a powerful prophetic promise of divine restoration for the land of Israel, which had suffered profound desolation as a direct consequence of the people's sin and subsequent exile. This verse anticipates a future where the barren landscape, once a public testament to judgment and abandonment, will be diligently cultivated and made abundantly fruitful once more. It vividly illustrates God's sovereign power to reverse ruin, transforming utter desolation into vibrant life and productivity, thereby serving as a tangible sign of His faithfulness to His covenant people.
Context
Literary Context
Ezekiel 36 marks a profound turning point within the book of Ezekiel. The preceding chapters meticulously detail God's severe judgments against Israel for their persistent idolatry and rebellion (e.g., the parable of the worthless vine in Ezekiel 15 and the history of Israel's rebellions in Ezekiel 20), as well as oracles against surrounding nations (see Ezekiel 25-32). This chapter dramatically shifts to an extensive and glorious oracle of hope, renewal, and restoration. It commences with a direct address to the "mountains of Israel" (Ezekiel 36:1), promising their vindication, fruitfulness, and repopulation. Verse 34 specifically integrates into this broader vision of the land's physical transformation, which runs in parallel with and complements the spiritual renewal of the people described in verses like Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises a new heart and spirit. Thus, the verse functions as a concrete manifestation of God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant promises, showcasing His ability to restore both the people and their dwelling place.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecies recorded in Ezekiel 36 were delivered during the traumatic period of the Babylonian exile (approximately 593-571 BC). During this time, the land of Judah had been utterly devastated by successive Babylonian invasions, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the deportation of a significant portion of its population. The land lay fallow, uncultivated, and overrun, serving as a stark and painful symbol of God's judgment for Israel's chronic idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness (cf. the warnings in Leviticus 26:33-35). In the ancient Near East, a desolate, unproductive land was universally understood as a clear sign of divine disfavor, a curse, and a public disgrace. Conversely, a fertile, productive land signaled divine blessing, prosperity, and the presence of the gods. The phrase "in the sight of all that passed by" refers to the surrounding nations, traders, and travelers who would have witnessed the utter desolation of Judah, interpreting it as evidence that Israel's God was either powerless or had abandoned His people. Ezekiel's prophecy, therefore, directly challenges and reverses this perception, promising a restoration that would powerfully demonstrate Yahweh's unparalleled power and faithfulness to the entire world.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching theological and narrative themes found throughout Ezekiel and the broader prophetic corpus. The theme of Divine Restoration is paramount, emphasizing God's sovereign initiative in reversing the devastating consequences of sin and judgment, not through human effort, but solely by His mighty hand. The dramatic transformation from "desolate" to "tilled" underscores the theme of Reversal of Fortune, where what was once a symbol of curse and abandonment becomes a vibrant sign of blessing, renewal, and divine favor. This physical restoration of the land is intrinsically linked to the spiritual restoration and cleansing of the people, highlighting the profound Covenant Faithfulness of God to His promises, even when His people have been profoundly unfaithful. Furthermore, the emphasis on the land's desolation being "in the sight of all that passed by" highlights the crucial theme of God's Glory Among the Nations. Israel's restoration is not merely for their own benefit; it is intended to serve as a public, undeniable testimony to the nations of Yahweh's unique power, holiness, and sovereignty, as further elaborated in Ezekiel 36:23 and Ezekiel 36:36.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
From the verb H8074 (shâmêm), meaning "to stun," "devastate," or "stupefy," and the noun H8077 (shᵉmâmâh), meaning "devastation" or "astonishment." This word conveys a profound sense of utter ruin, abandonment, and a state of being laid waste, often as a direct result of divine judgment or prolonged neglect. It emphasizes an uninhabitable, unproductive, and awe-inspiringly ruined condition. The repetition of "desolate" in the verse (as an adjective describing the land and then as a state it lay in) powerfully intensifies the imagery of complete ruin, underscoring the severity and public nature of the land's former condition.
A primitive root meaning "to work," "to serve," or specifically in this context, "to cultivate" or "to till." This word refers to purposeful, active agricultural labor—plowing, planting, dressing, and tending the land. It evokes the idea of transforming barrenness into fruitfulness, signifying productivity, sustenance, and active engagement with the earth to bring forth life. The promise that the land "shall be tilled" stands in stark contrast to its previous desolate state, indicating a divinely initiated reversal from neglect and barrenness to active cultivation and abundant yield.
A primitive root meaning "to cross over" or "to pass through." In this context, it refers to travelers, observers, or surrounding nations who journeyed through or witnessed the land of Judah. Coupled with the implicit "sight" (from H5869, ʻayin, "eye"), it underscores the public, visible nature of the land's desolation. The fact that "all that passed by" witnessed its ruin means that the promised restoration will also be a public spectacle, serving as a powerful, undeniable sign of God's intervention, faithfulness, and power to the surrounding world.
Verse Breakdown
"And the desolate land shall be tilled"
This opening clause immediately presents the core promise of radical transformation. The land, previously characterized by profound "desolation"—a state of utter ruin and abandonment—is now destined for active cultivation and productivity. This is not a natural recovery but a divinely orchestrated reversal, implying God's direct intervention to restore vitality and fruitfulness to what was barren. The passive voice ("shall be tilled") subtly yet powerfully points to God as the ultimate agent of this miraculous change, even as human hands will participate in the physical labor.
"whereas it lay desolate"
This phrase serves as a poignant and emphatic contrast, highlighting the stark difference between the past and the promised future. It serves as a somber reminder to the audience of the land's recent, painful history—a prolonged period of abandonment, uncultivated waste, and ruin, which was a direct consequence of Israel's persistent sin and God's righteous judgment. The repetition of "desolate" reinforces the depth of its former ruin, making the impending restoration all the more miraculous, significant, and a testament to divine grace.
"in the sight of all that passed by"
This final clause underscores the public and universally observable nature of both the land's desolation and its impending restoration. The land's ruin was not a private matter; it was conspicuously visible to surrounding nations, passing merchants, and travelers, serving as a public testament to Israel's disgrace and the perceived weakness or absence of their God. Consequently, its future cultivation and flourishing will also be a public spectacle, a powerful and undeniable witness to the nations of Yahweh's unparalleled power, unwavering faithfulness, and His unique ability to restore His people and their land, thereby vindicating His holy name.
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 36:34 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of hope and divine transformation. Contrast is the most prominent device, vividly setting the "desolate land" against the promise that it "shall be tilled." This stark opposition emphasizes the radical and miraculous nature of the change God promises, moving from utter barrenness and ruin to vibrant fertility and productivity. The land itself functions as a powerful Symbolism or Metaphor for the people of Israel. Just as the physical land was laid waste due to the people's sin and then promised a miraculous restoration, so too the exiled people, spiritually barren and scattered, are promised a profound spiritual renewal and a return to their covenant relationship with God. The phrase "in the sight of all that passed by" introduces the device of Public Witness or Theophany, where God's actions concerning Israel and their land are explicitly intended to be a visible, undeniable demonstration of His power, holiness, and glory to the surrounding nations, thereby vindicating His name and proving His absolute sovereignty over all creation.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Ezekiel 36:34 stands as a profound testament to God's redemptive power and unwavering faithfulness, illustrating that His restorative work extends even to the physical landscape. It powerfully underscores the biblical principle that sin inevitably brings desolation and judgment, but God's sovereign grace brings miraculous restoration, fruitfulness, and new life. This promised physical transformation of the land is inextricably linked to the spiritual renewal of the people, signifying a holistic restoration of God's covenant relationship with Israel. The vision of the land being tilled and fruitful again speaks directly to God's ultimate desire for His creation to flourish and for His people to live in abundance under His blessing, thereby reversing the curse and consequences of sin. It is a deeply hopeful prophetic vision, demonstrating definitively that no state of ruin, no matter how profound or seemingly irreversible, is beyond God's infinite capacity to redeem, transform, and bring to glorious fruition for His own purposes.
Reflection and Application
Ezekiel 36:34 offers a profoundly encouraging message of hope and divine intervention that resonates deeply with individuals and communities navigating periods of "desolation." Just as God promised to miraculously restore the physically barren and devastated land of Israel, so too is He infinitely capable of bringing life, fruitfulness, and profound renewal to areas of our lives that feel desolate, broken, unproductive, or beyond repair. This personal desolation can manifest in various forms: spiritual dryness, relational estrangement, professional stagnation, deep emotional wounds, or overwhelming grief. The verse serves as a powerful reminder that even when our circumstances appear utterly lost or irredeemable in the eyes of the world, God's sovereign power can miraculously transform them. Furthermore, our personal or communal experience of God's visible restoration can become a powerful, undeniable testimony to others, much like the restored land of Israel was meant to be a public witness to the surrounding nations. It brings immense glory to God when He takes what was once desolate and makes it vibrant, fruitful, and productive, demonstrating His character as the God of resurrection, new beginnings, and abundant life. We are therefore called to place our unwavering trust in His ability to cultivate even the most barren and neglected parts of our lives, yielding a harvest that brings honor and glory to His magnificent name.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "desolate" mean in the context of Ezekiel 36:34?
In Ezekiel 36:34, "desolate" (derived from the Hebrew terms shâmêm and shᵉmâmâh) refers to the land of Israel lying waste, uninhabited, and uncultivated. This was a direct and severe consequence of the Babylonian exile, during which the land was left barren and unproductive due to the absence of its inhabitants and, more fundamentally, as an act of divine judgment upon Israel's persistent sin and covenant unfaithfulness. It signifies a state of utter ruin, abandonment, and desolation, often evoking a sense of astonishment or horror at its condition. The land's desolation was not a private matter; it was a visible sign of God's displeasure and a public disgrace in the eyes of surrounding nations, as explicitly mentioned in the phrase "in the sight of all that passed by."
How does the tilling of the land relate to the restoration of the people of Israel?
The tilling of the land in Ezekiel 36:34 is profoundly symbolic and intrinsically linked to the holistic restoration of the people of Israel. Just as the physical land was laid waste and became desolate due to the people's sin and their subsequent removal from it, its promised tilling and fruitfulness symbolize the spiritual, moral, and physical renewal of the people themselves. God's promise to restore the land is an integral part of His larger covenant faithfulness to bring His people back from exile, cleanse them from their idolatry, give them a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27), and enable them to dwell securely and prosperously in their land once more. The land's renewed productivity directly reflects the people's restored relationship with God and their flourishing under His blessing, demonstrating that God's restoration is comprehensive, encompassing both the physical environment and the spiritual condition of His covenant people.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While Ezekiel 36:34 speaks directly to the historical and future physical and spiritual restoration of Israel, its ultimate fulfillment and deepest theological resonance are profoundly revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The desolation of the land, a stark consequence of sin, powerfully foreshadows the spiritual barrenness and utter desolation of humanity separated from God. Just as the physical land needed to be "tilled" and cultivated to become fruitful, humanity, dead in trespasses and sins, needs a divine work of cultivation, cleansing, and renewal. Jesus Christ is the ultimate "tiller" of the human heart, taking what is spiritually desolate and making it abundantly fruitful. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection, He decisively breaks the curse of sin, inaugurating a new covenant where hearts of stone are miraculously replaced with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26) and the indwelling Spirit of God empowers believers (Ezekiel 36:27). This profound spiritual transformation, initiated by Christ, enables believers to bear the glorious fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)—thereby transforming lives that were once desolate and unproductive into vibrant, living testimonies of God's boundless grace. The public witness of the restored land in Ezekiel anticipates the global witness of the Church, redeemed and empowered by Christ, demonstrating God's transformative power to all nations "in the sight of all that passed by" (Acts 1:8). Ultimately, the promise of a renewed land points to the eschatological reality of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1) where Christ reigns supreme, and all forms of desolation, curse, and barrenness are banished forever in His glorious presence.