Ezekiel 36 is the structural reversal of chapter 6, where the mountains of Israel were cursed. Now the same mountains receive a restoration oracle. The chapter moves in three stages: (1) the mountains will be restored because the nations — especially Edom — have plundered and mocked them (vv. 1-15); (2) Israel's exile was caused by its own defilement of the land through bloodshed and idolatry, and God scattered them among the nations where they profaned his holy name (vv. 16-21); (3) God will restore Israel not because they deserve it but for the sake of his holy name — and that restoration will include cleansing with water, a new heart, a new spirit, and the indwelling of God's own Spirit (vv. 22-38). Verses 25-27 are the theological climax of Ezekiel's restoration vision.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
This chapter contains the most concentrated statement of divine grace in the prophetic literature. The repeated insistence 'Not for your sake do I act... but for my holy name' (vv. 22, 32) strips away any possibility of Israel earning restoration through merit. The new heart and new spirit passage (vv. 25-27) moves from external cleansing (sprinkling water) to internal transformation (heart transplant) to divine indwelling (my Spirit in you) — a three-stage renewal that forms the theological foundation for later Christian sacramental theology (baptism, regeneration, the gift of the Spirit) and for Jewish concepts of inner teshuvah. The language of heart-of-stone replaced by heart-of-flesh reverses the hardening imagery that runs through the prophets. We gave full expanded_rendering treatment to ruach, lev, and the sprinkling imagery because these verses are the theological center of the entire restoration section.
Translation Friction
The key term lev ('heart') must be understood in its Hebrew sense — the seat of will, thought, and decision, not emotion. The sprinkling of 'clean water' (mayim tehorim) in verse 25 uses priestly purification vocabulary (tahor) and must not be softened into metaphor — Ezekiel the priest is describing ritual cleansing that accomplishes actual purification. The word ruach in verses 26-27 shifts from 'spirit' (the new inner disposition God gives) to 'my Spirit' (God's own Spirit indwelling the person), and this transition must be carefully rendered. The phrase lo lema'ankhem ('not for your sake') in verses 22 and 32 is a direct challenge to any theology of merit-based restoration.
Connections
This chapter reverses Ezekiel 6 (curse on the mountains becomes blessing). The new heart promise connects to Jeremiah 31:31-34 (the new covenant), to Deuteronomy 30:6 (God will circumcise your heart), and to Joel 2:28-29 (the outpouring of the Spirit). The sprinkling imagery connects to the priestly purification rituals of Numbers 19 (the water of purification). In Christian reading, the water-Spirit sequence anticipates John 3:5 (born of water and Spirit) and Titus 3:5 (the washing of regeneration). The 'not for your sake' theology connects to Deuteronomy 9:4-6 where Moses tells Israel their inheritance of the land is not because of their righteousness.
"And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
KJV Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The address to the mountains of Israel directly reverses the oracle against the mountains of Israel in chapter 6. There, the mountains were summoned to hear judgment; here, they are summoned to hear restoration. The literary structure is deliberate — the same addressee receives the opposite message.
This is what the Lord GOD says: Because the enemy said about you, 'Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession!' —
KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:
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Translator Notes
The exclamation he'ach ('Aha!') is a taunt expressing gloating satisfaction. The phrase bamot olam ('ancient/eternal heights') refers to Israel's hill country, which the nations now claim as their own. The enemy is not specified here, though Edom is the primary referent given chapter 35.
Therefore prophesy and say: This is what the Lord GOD says — Because they devastated you and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you were taken up on the lips of gossips and became the slander of the peoples —
KJV Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:
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Translator Notes
The doubled ya'an beya'an ('because, because') intensifies the causal connection. The phrase sfat lashon ('lip of tongue') means malicious talk — the mountains of Israel have become the subject of contemptuous gossip among the nations. The word dibbat ('slander, infamy') indicates hostile speech that damages reputation.
therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities that have become plunder and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around —
KJV Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;
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Translator Notes
The comprehensive address — mountains, hills, ravines, valleys, ruins, cities — encompasses every feature of the landscape. The land itself is the audience. The words baz ('plunder') and la'ag ('mockery') describe both the physical and reputational damage done to the land by surrounding nations.
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against all of Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted glee and utter contempt, so they could seize its pastureland as plunder.
KJV Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
God calls it artsi ('my land') — the land belongs to God, not to any nation, reinforcing the theological point from 35:10. The phrase simchat kol levav ('joy of all the heart') paired with she'at nefesh ('contempt of soul') describes nations that took Israel's land with both delight and disdain. Edom is singled out by name from among the nations, confirming the connection to chapter 35.
Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord GOD says — Look, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the disgrace of the nations.
KJV Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:
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Translator Notes
The word kelimmat ('disgrace, humiliation, shame') describes the mocking contempt the nations have heaped on the land. God responds with qin'ah ('jealousy') — the passionate possessiveness of a covenant partner who will not tolerate rivals claiming what is his.
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I have raised my hand in an oath — the nations around you will themselves bear their disgrace.
KJV Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
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Translator Notes
The gesture nasa yadi ('I have raised my hand') is a formal oath gesture — God swears by himself that the disgrace will be reversed. The measure-for-measure principle continues from chapter 35: the nations that heaped disgrace on Israel's mountains will bear disgrace themselves.
But you, mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and bear your fruit for my people Israel, for they are about to come home.
KJV But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.
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Translator Notes
The reversal is dramatic: the desolate mountains will flourish again with vegetation. The phrase qervu lavo ('they are near to come') announces the imminent return of the exiles. We render 'come home' rather than simply 'come' to capture the restoration context — this is a homecoming, not merely an arrival.
For I am for you. I will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.
KJV For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The declaration hineni aleikhem ('I am for you') is the exact reversal of hineni elekha ('I am against you') from 35:3. Same formula, opposite direction. The agricultural verbs ne'evadtem ('tilled') and nizra'tem ('sown') personify the mountains as fields ready for cultivation — the land will return to productive use.
I will multiply people on you — the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.
KJV And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:
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Translator Notes
The phrase kol beit Yisra'el kullo ('the whole house of Israel, all of it') is emphatic — not just Judah but the entire people, including the northern tribes. This anticipates the two-sticks oracle of 37:15-28. The contrast between inhabited cities and rebuilt ruins describes a complete reversal of the desolation described in chapter 35.
I will multiply people and animals on you. They will increase and be fruitful. I will settle you as in your former times, and I will do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
KJV And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verbs ravu ufaru ('increase and be fruitful') echo the creation blessing of Genesis 1:28, connecting restoration to the original divine intention for human flourishing. The promise hetivoti merishotekhem ('I will do better than at your beginnings') means the restoration will surpass the original settlement — the future will exceed the past.
I will cause people to walk on you — my people Israel. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer bereave them of their children.
KJV Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.
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Translator Notes
The verb shakkelem ('bereave them') personifies the land as a mother who has consumed her own children — a reference to the common ancient Near Eastern perception that the land of Canaan devoured its inhabitants (cf. Numbers 13:32). God promises that this reputation will end.
This is what the Lord GOD says: Because they say to you, 'You devour people and you have bereaved your nation of children' —
KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;
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Translator Notes
The accusation okelet adam ('devourer of people') echoes the evil report of the spies in Numbers 13:32, where the land of Canaan was called 'a land that devours its inhabitants.' The land's reputation as a place of death and loss will be overturned.
therefore you will no longer devour people, and you will no longer bereave your nation of children — declares the Lord GOD.
KJV Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.
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Translator Notes
The land is directly addressed and directly acquitted of the charge. The feminine verb forms (to'khli, teshakkeli) maintain the personification of the land as a woman — specifically a mother accused of consuming her offspring. God overturns the accusation by divine decree.
I will not let you hear the disgrace of the nations any longer. You will no longer bear the reproach of the peoples, and you will no longer cause your nation to stumble — declares the Lord GOD."
KJV Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.
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Translator Notes
Three promises close this section: no more disgrace, no more reproach, no more stumbling. The transition from kelimmat ('disgrace') to cherpat ('reproach') to takhshili ('cause to stumble') moves from verbal abuse to physical failure — the land will no longer be a source of shame or a cause of ruin for its people.
Ezekiel 36:16
וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
The word of the LORD came to me:
KJV Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
A new reception formula marks the transition to the second major section of the chapter. The focus shifts from the land to the people and their defilement.
"Son of man, when the house of Israel lived on their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their deeds. Their conduct before me was like the uncleanness of a woman's menstrual impurity.
KJV Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
טָמֵאtamei
"defiled"—to make unclean, to defile, to pollute, to render ritually impure
Priestly purity vocabulary. In Ezekiel's framework, the land itself can be rendered tamei by the behavior of its inhabitants, causing God's presence to withdraw.
Translator Notes
The simile of niddah ('menstrual impurity') draws on priestly purity law (Leviticus 15:19-30). The comparison is not misogynistic but ritual — menstrual impurity is a temporary state of ritual uncleanness that prevents access to the sanctuary. Israel's behavior made the land ritually inaccessible to God's presence. The priestly vocabulary reflects Ezekiel's Zadokite training.
So I poured out my wrath on them for the blood they had shed on the land and for the idols with which they had defiled it.
KJV Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:
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גִּלּוּלִיםgillulim
"idols"—idols, dung-idols, worthless things
Ezekiel's signature term of contempt for idols. The etymology is debated but likely related to gelal ('dung') — it reduces foreign gods to excrement. The term appears almost exclusively in Ezekiel within the prophetic literature.
Translator Notes
Two causes of defilement: bloodshed (dam) and idolatry (gillulim). The word gillulim ('idols') is Ezekiel's preferred term for foreign gods — it derives from a root meaning 'dung pellets' and is deliberately contemptuous. Ezekiel uses it approximately 39 times, far more than any other biblical author.
I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. I judged them according to their conduct and their deeds.
KJV And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb hafits ('I scattered') describes the exile as an active divine act — God himself dispersed Israel as judgment. The phrase kederekham ukha'alilotam ('according to their conduct and deeds') establishes that the exile was proportionate justice, not arbitrary punishment.
When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name, because people said about them, 'These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave his land.'
KJV And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said of them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
חִלְּלוּchillelu
"profaned"—to profane, to desecrate, to make common, to treat as unholy
The opposite of qadosh ('holy'). To profane God's name is to reduce it from the set-apart, weighty reality it is to something common and dismissible. Israel's exile profaned God's name by making him appear impotent.
Translator Notes
The profanation of God's name (chillelu et shem qodshi) is not blasphemy by Israel but the natural conclusion the nations draw: if Israel is God's people and God expelled them from God's land, then God is either powerless to protect them or faithless to his own covenant. Israel's exile makes God look weak or unreliable in the eyes of the nations. This is the core theological problem that drives the restoration.
But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.
KJV But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb chamol ('to have concern, to have compassion, to spare') is directed at God's own name, not at Israel. This is a crucial distinction: God's motive for restoration is the vindication of his own name among the nations. The verb can mean 'to pity' or 'to spare,' but here the sense is protective concern — God acts to safeguard the reputation of his name.
Therefore say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord GOD says — It is not for your sake that I am about to act, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.
KJV Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
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Translator Notes
This verse introduces the theological engine of the entire restoration: God acts for the sake of his name, not for Israel's sake. The phrase is repeated in verse 32 to bracket the new heart promise, ensuring that even the most intimate divine gift — the new heart and new spirit — is understood as grace, not reward.
I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations — which you profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD — declares the Lord GOD — when I demonstrate my holiness through you before their eyes.
KJV And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
Notes & Key Terms
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קִדַּשְׁתִּיqiddashti
"sanctify"—to make holy, to set apart, to treat as sacred, to demonstrate holiness
God sanctifies his own name — he restores it to its proper status as set-apart, weighty, and utterly distinct. The act of restoration is itself the act of sanctification.
Translator Notes
The verb qiddashti ('I will sanctify') means God will restore the holy status of his own name by acting decisively. The phrase behiqqadshi vakhem ('when I am sanctified in you') means God will demonstrate his holiness through what he does with and for Israel — their restoration becomes the proof of God's power and faithfulness. The audience is the nations: le'eineihem ('before their eyes').
I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.
KJV For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
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Translator Notes
Three verbs in sequence — laqachti ('I will take'), qibbatsti ('I will gather'), heve'ti ('I will bring') — describe the physical restoration: extraction from exile, assembly from dispersion, and return to the land. This is the prelude to the spiritual transformation that follows in verses 25-27.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
KJV Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
מַיִם טְהוֹרִיםmayim tehorim
"clean water"—pure water, ritually clean water, water of purification
Priestly purification vocabulary. Tahor ('clean') is the opposite of tamei ('unclean') — this water restores ritual purity. The image connects to the purification rites of Numbers 19 and anticipates Christian baptismal theology.
Translator Notes
The verb zaraqti ('I will sprinkle') is a technical priestly term for the ritual sprinkling of blood or purification water (cf. Leviticus 1:5, 11; Numbers 19:18-19). This is not metaphorical washing but the language of cultic purification applied to the entire nation. God acts as both priest and purifier. The sequence from external cleansing to internal transformation in the following verses creates a progression from the priestly to the prophetic to the pneumatological.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.
KJV A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
The Hebrew heart is the seat of cognition, volition, and moral judgment — closer to 'mind' than to the English emotional 'heart.' A new lev is a new capacity for thought, choice, and obedience.
רוּחַ חֲדָשָׁהruach chadashah
"a new spirit"—spirit, breath, wind, disposition, inner drive
Here ruach refers to the human spirit — the inner disposition or animating principle. The 'new spirit' is a renewed capacity for faithfulness, distinct from God's own Spirit promised in the next verse.
Translator Notes
The Hebrew lev ('heart') must be understood as the seat of the will and intellect, not of emotion. A 'new heart' means a new capacity for decision-making and covenantal faithfulness. The metaphor of stone versus flesh is visceral: stone is dead, unresponsive, impenetrable; flesh is alive, soft, capable of feeling and responding. The word basar ('flesh') here is positive — living tissue as opposed to mineral — which contrasts with its negative connotation elsewhere in Ezekiel (e.g., 'flesh' as mortal weakness). The ruach chadashah ('new spirit') here is the person's own renewed spirit, distinct from God's Spirit in verse 27.
I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my judgments and do them.
KJV And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Notes & Key Terms
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רוּחִיruchi
"my Spirit"—spirit, breath, wind — here specifically God's own Spirit
The possessive 'my' makes this unambiguously God's own Spirit, distinct from the 'new spirit' (human disposition) of verse 26. This is the indwelling of divine power that enables covenant faithfulness — the ultimate solution to Israel's chronic disobedience.
Translator Notes
The pronoun ruchi ('my Spirit') is emphatic — this is God's own Spirit, not a general spiritual renewal. The verb ve'asiti is causative: 'I will cause you to walk' — God is the active agent in producing obedience. This resolves the central tension of the entire prophetic tradition: Israel cannot obey, so God will produce obedience in them through his own Spirit. We capitalize 'Spirit' here to distinguish God's Spirit from the human spirit of verse 26.
You will live in the land that I gave to your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
KJV And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
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Translator Notes
The covenant formula vihyitem li le'am va'anokhi ehyeh lakhem le'lohim ('you will be my people and I will be your God') closes the sequence begun in verse 24. The entire passage moves from physical return (v. 24) through purification (v. 25), internal transformation (v. 26), divine indwelling (v. 27), to covenant restoration (v. 28). The word avoteikhem ('your ancestors') replaces the KJV's 'fathers.'
I will save you from all your impurities. I will call for the grain and make it abundant, and I will not bring famine on you.
KJV I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
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Translator Notes
The verb qara'ti ('I will call for') personifies the grain as something summoned by divine command — God calls the harvest into being. The promise of abundance reverses the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:38-40, where grain failure and famine were consequences of disobedience.
I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field, so that you will never again bear the disgrace of famine among the nations.
KJV And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
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Translator Notes
The phrase cherpat ra'av ('reproach of famine') indicates that famine carried not only physical suffering but national humiliation — a starving nation was a disgraced nation in the ancient Near East, evidence of divine disfavor.
Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.
KJV Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
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Translator Notes
The verb niqottem ('you will loathe yourselves') describes visceral self-disgust — not merely regret but a physical revulsion at the memory of past sin. This self-loathing comes after restoration, not before it — it is the response to grace, not the prerequisite for it. The word to'avot ('abominations') is Ezekiel's standard term for practices that defile.
It is not for your sake that I am acting — declares the Lord GOD — let that be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel.
KJV Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
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Translator Notes
The repetition of lo lema'ankhem ('not for your sake') from verse 22 brackets the entire new heart and new spirit passage. Even the most intimate gifts — the new heart, the new spirit, the indwelling of God's Spirit — are given for the sake of God's name, not earned by Israel. The commands boshu vehikkalemu ('be ashamed and humiliated') are not punitive but therapeutic — shame at past sin is the proper response to unmerited grace.
This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will resettle the cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt.
KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase beyom tahari ('on the day I cleanse you') ties physical restoration directly to spiritual purification — the rebuilding of cities follows from the cleansing of sin. The verb vehoshavti ('I will cause to dwell/resettle') is causative — God is the agent of resettlement.
The desolate land will be tilled instead of lying waste in the sight of every passerby.
KJV And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
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Translator Notes
The contrast between neshamah ('desolate') and te'aved ('tilled/worked') reverses the agricultural collapse of exile. The land that shocked travelers with its desolation will now attract them with its cultivation.
People will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the ruined, desolate, and demolished cities are now fortified and inhabited.'
KJV And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
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Translator Notes
The comparison to gan Eden ('the garden of Eden') is extraordinary — the restoration is not merely to pre-exile conditions but to paradise itself. This connects to the river-of-life imagery in chapter 47, where the water flowing from the new Temple creates Edenic fertility. The three adjectives for the cities — hecharevot, haneshammot, haanherasot ('ruined, desolate, demolished') — are reversed by two positive states: betsurot yashavu ('fortified and inhabited').
Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was demolished and replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.
KJV Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.
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Translator Notes
The recognition formula reaches its fullest expression: the nations themselves will recognize that the restoration is the LORD's doing. The final declaration ani YHWH dibbarti ve'asiti ('I the LORD have spoken and I will do it') is a divine signature affirming the certainty of fulfillment — the gap between God's word and God's action is zero.
This is what the Lord GOD says: I will also let the house of Israel ask me to do this for them — I will multiply them with people like a flock.
KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb iddaresh ('I will be sought, I will let myself be inquired of') indicates that God will again be accessible to Israel's prayers — the broken relationship will be restored to the point where Israel can petition God and be heard. The simile katson adam ('like a flock of people') is unusual — 'flock' applied to humans rather than animals, evoking the pastoral imagery of chapter 34 where God is the shepherd of his people.
Like the flocks of holy offerings, like the flocks of Jerusalem during her appointed festivals — so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
KJV As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
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Translator Notes
The image is vivid and specific: during the pilgrimage festivals (mo'adim), Jerusalem was packed with sacrificial animals brought for offering. The ruined cities will be that full — but full of people, not sheep. The phrase tson qodashim ('flocks of holy offerings') refers to animals dedicated for sacrifice, drawing on Ezekiel's priestly vocabulary. The closing recognition formula marks the end of the chapter's oracle.