Ezekiel 37

By the vision of the resurrection of the dead, God assureth his people that he will surely deliver them out of the captivity of Babel, where they were now like men that were dead and buried, and will bring them again into their own land, verse 1, c. he prophesieth also under the token of joining two sticks together in one hand, that he will gather his catholick church of Jews and Gentiles, and unite them under one King and shepherd the Messiah Jesus Christ, and will make his everlasting covenant of grace with them, and dwell for evermore among them, 15,16, c.

1. The hand of the Lord was upon me, [see above chapter 1 on verse 3.] and the Lord carried me forth in the spirit, [That is, in a vision or trance. Others it (the hand of the Lord) carried me out by the spirit of the Lord] and set me down [Heb. caused me to rest] in the midst of the valley: the same now was full of bones. [Meaning dry dead bones of men that were deceased, as followeth. By this vision, and the following token of two pieces of wood, God would assure the accomplishing of the promises of grace, which are amply made in the former chapters, both concerning the corporal deliverance from Babel and the spiritual redemption by the Messiah, and the gathering of the universal church out of Jews and gentiles, all which surpassed the capacity and power of man: to teach his people, that it is as easie for him (who is the Almighty God) to perform all these things, as to raise and quicken dead men, (whereof God here representeth a lively pattern for the confirmation of the faith of his church) and to joyn two pieces of wood together

2. And he [Namely the Lord] caused me to pass by them, quite round about: [Heb. Round about round about. Otherwise the prophet might have been naturally afraid of them, and been in the fear of contracting ceremonial pollution thereby] and behold, there were very many upon the ground [Heb. Face of the valley] and lo they were very dry.

3. And he [The Lord] said unto me, child of men, I shall these bones become alive? [As if God should say, is it possible that they should ever grow alive? Dost thou know any natural, conceivable means, counsel, or power for it? Doth it seem a thing possible unto thee to be done by the skill and power of man? Compare this question with Job 6:4,5. Otherwise the article of the future universal resurrection of the dead was a point well known, and without all doubt among the people of God. See Matthew 22:29, &c. Hebrews 11:13, 14, 35.] And I said Lord LORD, thou knoweth (it). [As if the prophet should say; I know thy power well, but what thou at present intendeth hereby these bones, and what thou wilt do to them, that is best known to thee, and is not yet revealed unto me by thee: otherwise the prophet had the general the faith of the godly Patriarchs. See Genesis 23 on verse 4 and 50 on verse 25. Exodus 13:19. Isaiah 26:19, c. without which believers would have been of all men the most miserable, 1 Corinthians 15:19. see further Job 11.24.]

4. Then said he unto me; prophesie upon these bones, and say unto them; ye dry bones, bear the word of the LORD. [Compare this speech with above chapter 36.1 and 14.17 with the Annotat, also Romans 4:17.]

5. Thus saith the Lord LORD unto these bones, behold I will bring the spirit unto you, [That is, the soul into every body. So verse 8.10. See Numbers 16 on verse 22.] And ye shall become alive.

6. And I will lay [Heb. give] sinews upon you, and cause flesh to come upon you, and draw a skin over you, and give spirit in you, and ye shall become alive: and ye shall know that I am Lord LORD.

7. Then I prophesied as I was commanded, and there was a sound when I rophesied, and behold, a stirring; [Or, shaking, trembling, moving. Others, (earth) quake, concerning which the Hebrew word is frequently used: but it is also used to signifie other stirrings. As above chapter 38.19,20. Nahum 3:2. This sound and motion or shaking were tokens and messengers of the present Majesty of God, of his powerful working, as in the sequel the wind was] and the bones approached (every) bone to his bone. [So that the very same bones which in their life-time had been together in every body, came again together in this vision: a lively representation of that which God will work at the resurrection of the dead]

8. And I behold, and lo, they grew sinews upon them, and there came up flesh and he drew a skin over them above but there was no spirit in them. [As above verse 5]

9. And he said unto me, prophesie unto the wind: [That is, declare in my name, that I by my divine power will bring the souls again into these dead bodies, &c. some understand here by the word spirit, the wind; and so in the following words of this verse. Not that the wind can blow life or the soul into those that are dead: but that God is pleased to use the wind as a token and message of his powerful working, because of the likeness that there is in some sort between the working of God and the power or efficacy of the wind; and between the blowing of the wind (whereof in the following words is spoken) and the blast or breath which the soul produceth and causeth in the living. Compare Acts 2:2 and Job 20:22, c.] prophesie, child of man and say unto the spirit, thus saith the Lord LORD; thou spirit, come from the four wids, [that is, from the four corners or parts of the worlds. See above chapter 5 on verse 10.] And blow into these slain, [Or blow upon these slain] that they may become alive.

10. And I prophesied like as he had commanded me: then the spirit [That is, the soul, as above verse 5 came into them, and they became alive; and flood upon their feet, and exceeding great [Heb. very very great] army.

11. Then he said unto me, child of man, these bones they are the whole house of Israel: [That is, they are a token, or representation of the house of Israel, they signifie it, and their present condition in Babel] Behold, they say, our bones are dried, and our expectation s lost, [there is as little hope of our deliverance from Babel, and of our return into our own land as is that dead, buried, and rotten men, and their dry and withered bones should live again. These speeches of unbelief and discomfort were the occasion and shew the scope of the former vision] we are cut off. [Like branches that are cut off, and can draw no jayce from the root, and therefore must necessarily perish]

12. Therefore prophesie, and say unto them, thus saith the Lord LORD; behold, I will open your graves, and will cause you to come up out of your graves. O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. [God executeth here briefly the corporal and spiritual promises that are made at large in the former chapters, using to this end figurative phrases, taken from the former vision, and from their own words]

13. And ye shall now that I am Lord LORD, when I shall have opened your graves, and when I shall have caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people.

14. And I will give my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place your (own) land: and ye shall know that I am the LORD have spoken and done (this [Others, that I (am) the LORD, I have spoken it and will do it.

15. Moreover, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

16. Now thou child of man, take thee one stick, [A little rod, or flat piece of wood. Compare Numb. 17.2, c] and write upon it, for JUDA, and for the children of Israel his companions: [meaning Benjamin and Levi. See 2 Chronicles 11:12, 13.] and take another stick, and write upon it, for JOSEPH, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel [meaning the ten tribes, that had held fast with Ephraim (as the strongest side) and are often understood under that name] his companions.

17. Cause thou them to approach the one to the other, to one stick: and shall become one in thine hand. [That is, bring them near, and to one another, that they may become one]

18. And when the children of thy people [see above chapter 3 on verse 11] shall speak unto thee, saying wilt thou tell us what these things are unto thee? [That is, what they mean or signifie, and what thou intendeth by them, what is hereby meant to be understood. See above chapter 24.19.]

19. Then speak unto them, thus saith the Lord LORD: behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, [that is, Joseph, or the Ephraimites with their adjoined tribes, which were together signified by this stick] which was in the hand of Ephrain, [that is, belonged to the ten tribes, whereof Ephraim had formerly been the head] and of the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will joyn the same with them unto the stick of Juda; and will make them one stick, and they shall become one in mine hand. [As the division and enmity between Juda and Ephraim (whereof Samaria was the chief city) was as it were a representation of the two hostile parts or divisions of men, namely, Jews and Gentiles; so was the uniting of them a representations or figure of the uniting of the universal church, or of all the elect throughout the whole world, both of Jews and Gentiles, by one spirit and one faith, under one head, King and savior, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah: though now indeed some of the ten tribes joined themselves unto Juda, ad so went up together out of Babel, 1 Chronicles 9:3 yet the true spiritual conjunction and uniting began in the time of our Saviour Christ and his Apostle, (see Job 4:9,12,23,35,39,41. Acts 2:9,10,11 and 8.5, 14. And 9.31) and is consequently prosecuted among the Jews and principally among the Gentiles and shall continue to the en of the world, until all the spiritual Israel be called, and be united into one body and one church, and saved; in the hand of God that is, in the Lord Christ, who is herein the father’s servant, into whose hand he hath delivered all things and unto whom he drewth all the elect. See Matthew 28:19. Acts 1:8. Romans 11:25,26. Ephesians 2:13, c.]

20. Now the sticks whereon thou shalt have written shall be in thine hand before their eyes. [As the prophets were often commanded to represent lively, and as it were really set before the eyes of the people, that which was revealed unto them selves by God. Compare above chapter 12.3,4, &c. with the Annotat. Jeremiah 23:2, &c.]

21. Say thou unto them; thou saith the Lord LORD, behold, I will fetch [As above chapte 36.24.] the children of Israel out of the midst [Or, from between] of the heathen, whither they are gone, and will gather them from round about, and bring them into their (own) land. [The spiritual Canaan, Jerusalem, mount Zion; that is, into the Church of God, first the militant and then the triumphant church, (see Galatians 4:25,26. Hebrews 12:22) represented by the earthly Canaan whereinto God first brought again the Jews out of Babel.]

22. And I will make them an onely nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and they shall have all of them together one onely King for (their) King: [The Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ] and they shall be no more two nations, nor be henceforth any more divided [Heb. as if on should say, beloved] into two kingdoms.

23. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their dung-gods, [see Levit. 26 on verse 20.] nor with their detestations, [see above chapter 20 on verse 7] nor with all [or any] their transgressions: and will deliver them out of all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, [namely, in Babel, Egypt, &c. See Jeremiah 44:8. Above chapter 14.3 and 20.30,39, c.] And will cleanse them; shall they are people unto me, and I will be a God unto them.

24. And David my servant [See above chapter 34 on verse 23. Isaiah 40:11. Jeremiah 30:9.] Shall be king over them, and they all shall have on shepherd: [see Job 10:16.] and they shall walk in my judgments, and keep 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: yea they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever, and my servant David shall be their Prince for ever.

26. And I will make a covenant of peace with them; [see above chapter 34.25. Psalms 89:4.] It shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will set them in, [Bring them in, place them, and cause them to abide there in my Church: Heb. give] and will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. [This phrase is taken from the state and condition of the Old Testament (as elsewhere often) signifying the gracious indwelling of God among and in his church, by his word. Spirit, savour and blessing. See Levit. 26.12. 1 Cor 3.16. And 2 Cor. 6.16. Ephe. 2.21, 23. Revelations 21.3.]

27. And my Tabernacle shall be with them, and I will be a God unto them, and they shall be a people unto me. [See above chapter 11.20 and 14.11.]

28. And the heathen shall know that I am the LORD that hallow Israel, [see above chapter 20 on verse 12] when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.