Ezekiel 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1-14

[1] The hand  of the LORD  was upon me, and carried me out  in the spirit  of the LORD,  and set me down  in the midst  of the valley  which was full  of bones,  [2] And caused me to pass  by them round about:  and, behold, there were very  many  in the open  valley;  and, lo, they were very  dry.  [3] And he said  unto me, Son  of man,  can these bones  live?  And I answered,  O Lord  GOD,  thou knowest.  [4] Again he said  unto me, Prophesy  upon these bones,  and say  unto them, O ye dry  bones,  hear  the word  of the LORD.  [5] Thus saith  the Lord  GOD  unto these bones;  Behold, I will cause breath  to enter  into you, and ye shall live:  [6] And I will lay  sinews  upon you, and will bring up  flesh  upon you, and cover  you with skin,  and put  breath  in you, and ye shall live;  and ye shall know  that I am the LORD.  [7] So I prophesied  as I was commanded:  and as I prophesied,  there was a noise,  and behold a shaking,  and the bones  came together,  bone  [8] And when I beheld,  lo, the sinews  and the flesh  came up  upon them, and the skin  covered  them above:  but there was no breath  in them. [9] Then said  he unto me, Prophesy  unto the wind,  prophesy,  son  of man,  and say  to the wind,  Thus saith  the Lord  Come  from the four  winds,  and breathe  upon these slain,  that they may live.  [10] So I prophesied  as he commanded  me, and the breath  came  into them, and they lived,  and stood up  upon their feet,  an exceeding  great  army.  [11] Then he said  unto me, Son  of man,  these bones  are the whole house  of Israel:  behold, they say,  Our bones  are dried,  and our hope  is lost:  we are cut off  for our parts. [12] Therefore prophesy  and say  the Lord  GOD;  Behold, O my people,  I will open  your graves,  and cause you to come up  out of your graves,  and bring  you into the land  of Israel.  [13] And ye shall know  that I am the LORD,  when I have opened  your graves,  O my people,  and brought you up  out of your graves,  [14] And shall put  my spirit  in you, and ye shall live,  and I shall place  you in your own land:  then shall ye know  that I the LORD  have spoken  it, and performed  it, saith  the LORD. 

What does Ezekiel 37:1-14 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This well-known apocalyptic vision of the valley of dry bones pictures the manner in which Yahweh would restore His people. [1] This may be the best-known section of the Book of Ezekiel.
"Few other passages have suffered more from the extremes of interpreters who see either too much or too little in both meaning and application of the figures, symbols, and types." [2]
"The New Covenant involves a new heart and a new spirit, to be sure, but it is deeply rooted in history and land. The promise to Abraham was unconditional and included in its benefits a geographical inheritance-indeed, not just any territory but specifically the land of Canaan ( Genesis 12:1; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15-17; Genesis 15:18-19; Genesis 17:8). It is that land that is in view throughout Ezekiel"s historical and eschatological purview, for unless that land is the focus of God"s covenant fulfillment the ancient promises lose their intended significance.
"The coalescence of the New Covenant and the renewed land is nowhere in the Old Testament better explicated than in Ezekiel 37." [3]
"On the surface, New Testament references to the realization of the new covenant in the present era are problematic, for Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke of this covenant being made with Israel, not the Gentiles. Some argue that the church is the new "Israel" through which the Old Testament promise is fulfilled. Others, insisting on a sharp distinction between Israel and the church, propose that the new covenant mentioned in the New Testament is distinct from the one promised in the Old Testament. A better solution is to propose an "already/not yet" model, which sees a present realization of the promises in the church and a future fulfillment for ethnic Israel. Only this mediating view does justice to the language of both the Hebrew prophets and the New Testament. Just because the Hebrew prophets mention only Israel as the recipient of the covenant does not mean that others could not be recipients as well; just because the New Testament focuses on a present realization through the church does not preclude a future fulfillment for Israel." [4]