Ezekiel 36:31

31 Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did.

Ezekiel 36:31 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 36:31

Then shall ye remember your own evil ways
That were of their own choosing; in which they walked, and delighted to walk: and very evil ones they were; opposite to the ways of God; such as open violation of the law of God; neglect of his worship; idolatry, and many other sins, before the captivity; adhering to the traditions of their elders; and setting up their own righteousness as a justifying one afterwards; also their disbelief and rejection of the Messiah; their blasphemy against him, and persecution of his interest and people: now these will all be remembered with shame and confusion when the Lord shall bestow upon them the above blessings, spiritual and temporal; especially when a new heart and spirit shall be given them; the goodness of God will have such an influence upon them as to refresh their memories with former sins, and bring them to repentance for them; as well as to affect their minds, and make them thankful for present mercies: sins, which were before forgotten, or were not thought to be sins, shall now come fresh in their minds, with all their aggravated guilt: and your doings that were not good:
far from being so, they were very evil, contrary to the law of God and Gospel of Christ; as they will at this time appear to themselves to be: and shall loath yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and
for your abominations;
their sins will be abominable to them, as they are in themselves, and to the Lord; and they will not only loath them, but themselves for them, when they shall come to have a true sight of them in their own colours, and a true sense of the evil nature of them; and this shall not be expressed only in the sight of men, and so as to be observed by them; but in their own sight, secretly and within themselves, under a clear and full conviction of their sins. The Syriac version is, "your faces shall be wrinkled"; as men's are when they are displeased with themselves for what they have done. The Targum is,

``and ye shall groan when ye shall see, because of your sins, and because of your abominations;''

which is the case of sensible sinners, ( 2 Corinthians 5:4 ) ( Ezekiel 20:43 ) .

Ezekiel 36:31 In-Context

29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land.

30 I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines.

31 Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did.

32 But remember, says the Sovereign LORD, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!

33 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will repopulate your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt.