Ezekiel 36

King James Version

Full text for Ezekiel Chapter 36

1¶ Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

2Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:

3Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have 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:

4Therefore, 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;

5Therefore 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.

6Prophesy 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:

7Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that [are] about you, they shall bear their shame.

8But 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.

9For, behold, I [am] for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

10And 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:

11And 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.

12Yea, 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].

13Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou [land] devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;

14Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.

15Neither 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.

16¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

17Son 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.

18Wherefore 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:

19And 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.

20And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These [are] the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.

21But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22Therefore 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.

23And 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.

24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25¶ 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.

26A 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.

27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

28And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29I 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.

30And 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.

31Then 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.

32Not 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.

33Thus 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.

34And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

35And 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.

36Then 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].

37Thus 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.

38As 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Ezekiel 36 foretells the restoration of the land of Israel and its people. God declares His intent to act not for Israel's merit, but for the sanctification of His holy name, which was profaned among the heathen. He promises to gather Israel, cleanse them spiritually, give them a new heart and spirit, and bring them back to a prosperous land, where they will dwell as His people.

Medium Summary

The chapter begins with a prophecy to the desolate mountains of Israel, promising their restoration from the reproach of surrounding nations who rejoiced in their ruin. The Lord God declares His jealousy against these heathen and vows to punish them, while Israel's land will again be fertile and inhabited. God explains that Israel's exile was due to their defilement of the land with idols and bloodshed, which also led to the profaning of His holy name among the heathen. Therefore, He will gather Israel from all countries and bring them back, not for their sake, but to sanctify His name. He promises a profound spiritual cleansing, sprinkling them with clean water, removing their stony heart, and giving them a new heart and His Spirit to enable obedience to His statutes. The land will be rebuilt and become like the Garden of Eden, filled with people, demonstrating God's power and faithfulness to the surrounding nations.

Long Summary

Ezekiel 36 opens with a divine message to the desolate mountains of Israel, addressing the scorn and possession by surrounding heathen nations, particularly Idumea. The Lord God expresses His intense jealousy and fury against these adversaries, promising they will bear their shame, while Israel's land will be restored to fruitfulness, tilled, sown, and abundantly populated. He assures that the land, once accused of devouring its inhabitants, will no longer suffer such reproach, but will flourish beyond its former state. The prophecy then shifts to explain the reason for Israel's scattering: their defilement of the land through idolatry and bloodshed, which was an abomination to God. During their exile among the heathen, Israel further profaned God's holy name, causing the nations to question His power and presence. Consequently, God declares His intention to act, not out of Israel's merit, but solely for the vindication and sanctification of His great name before all nations. He promises to gather the house of Israel from all the countries where they were dispersed and bring them back to their own land. This physical restoration will be accompanied by a profound spiritual renewal: God will sprinkle them with clean water to cleanse them from all their filthiness and idols. He will remove their stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh, implanting His Spirit within them, enabling them to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments. As a result, they will dwell in the land given to their fathers, and the covenant relationship will be renewed, with God as their God and Israel as His people. Prosperity will abound, with increased corn, fruit, and no more famine. Israel will remember their past evil ways and loathe themselves, recognizing that God's actions are not for their righteousness. Finally, the chapter reiterates the physical rebuilding of cities and cultivation of desolate lands, transforming them into a "garden of Eden," so that the surrounding heathen will acknowledge the Lord's power to restore and build. The Lord will multiply the people like a holy flock, demonstrating His sovereignty and faithfulness.

Core Concepts

  • Restoration of the LandGod promises to restore the physical land of Israel from its desolation, making it fertile, inhabited, and prosperous, reversing the shame brought by surrounding nations.
  • Sanctification of God's NameThe primary motivation for God's actions is to vindicate and glorify His holy name, which was profaned by Israel's exile and their conduct among the heathen.
  • Spiritual Cleansing and New HeartGod will cleanse Israel from their idolatry and uncleanness, replacing their "stony heart" with a "heart of flesh" and putting His Spirit within them to enable obedience.
  • Gathering of IsraelGod pledges to gather the scattered house of Israel from all the countries where they were dispersed and bring them back to their ancestral land.
  • Divine Jealousy and FuryThe Lord expresses His strong emotional response, including jealousy and fury, against the heathen nations who mocked and exploited Israel's desolation.
  • Covenant RenewalThe chapter outlines a future state where Israel will dwell in the promised land, be God's people, and He their God, signifying a renewed and strengthened covenant relationship.
  • Abundant ProsperityThe restored land will yield abundant crops, and the population will multiply, leading to a state better than their beginnings, removing the reproach of famine.