Ezekiel Chapter 37

At a Glance

  • Ezekiel 37 contains the iconic Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • In its exile-era setting, Ezekiel 37 echoes the prophetic hope that exile is not the terminus for Israel.
  • - The Spirit as life-bringer: revival comes through God’s breath, not human effort.
  • - Covenant renewal: restoration of the people to the land and to right relationship with God.

Chapter Overview

Ezekiel 37 contains the iconic Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. The prophet is set in the Spirit in a valley littered with dry bones, symbolizing Israel in deathlike spiritual and national desolation. The question, “Can these bones live?” prompts a profound response: only the Lord’s breath can revive them. Ezekiel proclaims that God will put breath—ruach—into the bones, causing them to live. The bones come together, sinews and flesh cover them, and, finally, life is breathed into them, turning them into a vast army. This revival is more than physical lifeblood; it represents the entire house of Israel being restored from exile, their identity reconstituted, and their land reinhabited.

The vision then broadens: God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath, declaring, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath.” The result is a revived people who stand in the land, and God declares, “I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” The chapter closes with the vision of the people returning to their land, revering God as life-giver. Theologically, the passage powerfully links revival to the Spirit’s work and to God’s initiative—restoration flows from divine action, not merely human reform.

Historical & Literary Context

In its exile-era setting, Ezekiel 37 echoes the prophetic hope that exile is not the terminus for Israel. The vision is a dramatic act of God’s presence, using a tactile, sensory prophecy to convey spiritual reality. The dry bones symbolically represent the people’s hopelessness and the nation’s spiritual death. The narrative sits within Ezekiel’s broader program of communicating judgment and eventual renewal, part of the larger arc toward restored worship, land, and life under God’s rules.

Key Themes

- The Spirit as life-bringer: revival comes through God’s breath, not human effort.

- Covenant renewal: restoration of the people to the land and to right relationship with God.

- God’s initiative and sovereignty: revival is God’s work from start to finish.

- Hope amid desolation: even the most defeated circumstances can become the locus of divine action.

Modern Application

For today, Ezekiel 37 speaks to communities and individuals who feel spiritually dry or strategically dead. It invites us to place hope in the Spirit’s power to revive what is lifeless—relationships, churches, or communities strained by crisis. It also underscores that restoration requires alignment with God’s breath—obedience, prayer, repentance, and openness to God’s unconventional work. Practically, the chapter encourages faith communities to pursue renewal through prayerful discernment, collaborative ministry, and a renewed sense of mission rooted in the Spirit’s empowerment.

Cross-References

- Ezekiel 34 (shepherds and care leading to restoration)

- Joel 2:28–29 (Spirit poured out on all flesh)

- John 3:5–8 (rebirth by the Spirit)

- Romans 8:11 (life in the Spirit)

Recommended Personas

- Jesus (as the one who gives life and the Spirit)

- Paul (theology of life in the Spirit and corporate renewal)

- Moses (leadership amid wilderness and renewal)

- Elijah (prophetic renewal in the face of spiritual dryness)

Chapter Text

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 to his 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 GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, 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 unto them, Thus saith 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.

15

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

16

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17

And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20

And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22

And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

23

Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

24

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25

And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27

My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28

And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

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