Ezekiel 37

General context

The hand of the Lord carries the prophet in the spirit and sets him in a valley full of bones, very many and very dry. Asked "can these bones live?", he answers, "O Lord God, thou knowest". He is told to prophesy to the bones that the Lord will put sinews, flesh, skin and breath on them. As he prophesies there is a noise and a shaking, and the bones come together, bone to bone, and are covered with flesh and skin, but there is no breath. He is told to prophesy to the wind, calling breath from the four winds to breathe on the slain. The breath enters them, they live and stand up, an exceeding great army. The Lord explains: the bones are the whole house of Israel, who say their bones are dried and their hope is lost. The Lord will open their graves, bring them into the land of Israel and put his spirit in them. A second word tells the prophet to take two sticks, writing on one "For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions" and on the other "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim", and to join them into one stick in his hand. When the people ask what he means, he is to say the Lord will make Joseph's stick and Judah's one in his hand. He will gather Israel from the heathen, make them one nation with one king, no longer two kingdoms, and cleanse them from idols. His servant David will be king and their one shepherd; they will dwell in the land given to Jacob for ever with David as prince for ever. He will make an everlasting covenant of peace and set his sanctuary among them for evermore, so that the heathen know the Lord sanctifies Israel.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 37:1, Ezekiel 37:2, Ezekiel 37:3, Ezekiel 37:6, Ezekiel 37:7, Ezekiel 37:8, Ezekiel 37:9, Ezekiel 37:10, Ezekiel 37:11, Ezekiel 37:12, Ezekiel 37:14, Ezekiel 37:16, Ezekiel 37:17, Ezekiel 37:18, Ezekiel 37:19, Ezekiel 37:22, Ezekiel 37:23, Ezekiel 37:24, Ezekiel 37:25, Ezekiel 37:26, Ezekiel 37:28

Ezekiel 37 (KJV)

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Historical context

The vision is introduced by the prophet's own report that the Lord's hand carried him "in the spirit of the Lord"; the valley is not named and no date is given for either word. The text supplies its own interpretation of the bones: "these bones are the whole house of Israel", together with the saying the vision answers, "our hope is lost". The bones are also called "these slain", but the chapter does not say who killed them or when. The two sticks are labelled for Judah and for Joseph, called "the stick of Ephraim", and the promise ends a division into "two nations" and "two kingdoms" that the chapter names but does not narrate. The people's request for an explanation is anticipated, and the explanation is given in the Lord's words. "David my servant" as king, shepherd and prince repeats the promise of 34:23-24; the chapter does not say how this David is to be understood. The words "for ever" and "for evermore" are used of the dwelling, the prince, the covenant and the sanctuary.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 37:1, Ezekiel 37:11, Ezekiel 37:9, Ezekiel 37:16, Ezekiel 37:22, Ezekiel 37:18, Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 37:24, Ezekiel 37:25

Literary context

The vision is told in stages that match the commands. The prophet is asked a question he declines to answer, "thou knowest", and then made the instrument of the answer. He prophesies once and the bones assemble and are clothed, "but there was no breath in them"; he prophesies a second time and the breath comes. The KJV shifts between "wind", "breath" and "spirit" across these verses, so that the breath from the four winds and "my spirit" in verse 14 belong to one movement. Sound is part of the scene: "a noise, and behold a shaking". The interpretation quotes the people's despair, "our hope is lost", and answers it with graves opened, an image not used in the vision itself. The second word is a sign act with a stated explanation, and it works by piling up the word one: one stick, one hand, one nation, one king, one shepherd, against "two nations" and "two kingdoms". The chapter's ending in "for ever" and "for evermore" and its promise of a sanctuary in the midst of the people lead into the temple vision of the closing chapters.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 37:3, Ezekiel 37:4, Ezekiel 37:8, Ezekiel 37:9, Ezekiel 37:14, Ezekiel 37:7, Ezekiel 37:13, Ezekiel 37:17, Ezekiel 37:22, Ezekiel 37:24, Ezekiel 37:27

Key moments

1. A valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:2). The prophet is set among very many bones, and they are very dry.
2. Can these bones live? (Ezekiel 37:3). Asked whether the bones can live, the prophet answers that the Lord knows.
3. Bone to his bone (Ezekiel 37:7). As he prophesies there is a noise and shaking and the bones come together.
4. Breath from the four winds (Ezekiel 37:10). Breath enters the bodies and they stand up as an exceeding great army.
5. Our hope is lost (Ezekiel 37:11). The bones are identified as the whole house of Israel, who say their hope is lost.
6. Two sticks joined (Ezekiel 37:17). The prophet joins the sticks of Judah and Joseph into one in his hand.
7. One nation, one king (Ezekiel 37:22). The Lord promises one nation on the mountains of Israel with one king, no longer two kingdoms.

For reflection

Asked whether the bones can live, the prophet answers only "thou knowest", and is then told to speak to them anyway. What does it take to address something that looks past hope without first being sure of the outcome?

People in this chapter

• Jacob
• David
• Joseph (OT)
• Judah

Also indexed here:

• Ephraim