Ezekiel 37:11-21

The Vision Explained

11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the ¹whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our ²bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely ³cut off.'

12 "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and ⁴cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

13 "Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.

14 "I will ⁵put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.' "

Reunion of Judah and Israel

15 The word of the LORD came again to me saying,

16 "And you, son of man, take for yourself ⁶one stick and write on it, 'For ⁷Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions '; then take another stick and write on it, 'For ⁸Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

17 "Then ⁹join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

18 "When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us ¹⁰what you mean by these?'

19 say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."'

20 "The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

21 "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will ¹¹take the sons of Israel from among the nations where * they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

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Ezekiel 37:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 37

This chapter contains a prophecy of the Jews' return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; and of the glorious kingdom of Christ among them. Their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive; the place in which they were; the condition they were in; and the manner in which they were made to live, are described, Eze 37:1-10, the explication and application of this vision to the Jews, Eze 37:11-14, their union is signified by a sign or emblem of two sticks, which became one in the hand of the prophet, Eze 37:15-17, the meaning of this is shown, Eze 37:18-20, then follow promises of their return to their own land, in express words; of their being one kingdom, under one King, Christ, the antitype of David, of their sanctification; of their covenant interest in God, made manifest to them; and of his presence, and dwelling among them, Eze 37:21-28.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Jeremiah 33:24; Ezekiel 36:10; Ezekiel 39:25
2. Psalms 141:7
3. Psalms 88:5; Lamentations 3:54
4. Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; Isaiah 26:19; Isaiah 66:14; Hosea 13:14
5. Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:27; Ezekiel 37:6, 9; Ezekiel 39:29; Joel 2:28, 29; Zechariah 12:10
6. Numbers 17:2, 3
7. 2 Chronicles 10:17; 2 Chronicles 11:11-17; 2 Chronicles 15:9
8. 1 Kings 12:16-20; 2 Chronicles 10:19
9. Isaiah 11:13; Jeremiah 50:4; Ezekiel 37:22-24; Hosea 1:11; Zephaniah 3:9
10. Ezekiel 12:9; Ezekiel 17:12; Ezekiel 20:49; Ezekiel 24:19
11. Isaiah 43:5, 6; Jeremiah 29:14; Ezekiel 36:24; Ezekiel 39:27; Amos 9:14, 15

Footnotes 2

[a]. Lit "cut off to ourselves"
[b]. Or "breath"