54 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Ezekiel 37 This chapter contains a prophecy of the Jews' return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; and of the glorious kingdom of Christ among them. Their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive; the place in which they were; the condition they were in; and the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The hand of the Lord was upon me,.... The Spirit of the Lord, a powerful impulse of his upon the prophet; the Targum interprets it a spirit of prophecy; [See comments on Ezekiel 1:3]: and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord: out of the place where he was to another; not really, but visionally, as things appeared to him, and as they were...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
The threatenings of the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem for their sins, which we had in the former part of this book, were not so terrible, but the promises of their restoration and deliverance for the glory of God, which we have here in the latter part of the book, are as comfortable; and as those were illustrated with many visions and...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, God’s servants learn nothing until they have an experience similar to that of Ezekiel. They must be led by the Spirit of the Lord, and they must have their eyes and mouths opened by him, and then they can both see the vision, and tell the vision to others. Eze_37:1....
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And caused me to pass by them round about,.... Round, round (s); several times round, that he might take exact notice of them, of their number, situation, and condition: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; as the Jews were in captivity; and as they will be when they shall be converted; and as the number of Christians will be in...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And caused me to pass by them round about: He had to make a thorough survey of this grim and ghastly charnel -house. Eze_37:2. And, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. They had lain there so long that the wind had dried up the juices of the marrow-bones, and they were turned to dust.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said unto me, son of man, can these bones live?.... Is there any probability of it? is there any reason to believe they shall live? can any ways and means be devised, or any methods taken, to cause them to live? and I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest; the prophet does not pronounce at once that it was improbable and impossible; he knew...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? God did not ask this question for his own information, but for the prophet’s. The Lord wanted him to realize the difficulties of the work to which he was called that he might be driven the more completely to rely upon God, and not upon himself.
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. We have heard of a Romanist who had, as a penance from his priest, to go and water a dry stick. Ezekiel’s task of preaching to dry bones seemed to be as useless as that; yet, if God bids us do...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Again he said unto me, prophesy upon these bones,.... Or, "over these bones" (t); or, "concerning these bones" (u); foretell that they shall live; tell others of it, and them also: and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord; the word of prophecy concerning you, as the Jews did in Babylon: so unconverted sinners may be preached...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones,.... By the prophet, who was sent to prophesy over them: behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live; and none could do this but the living God, who breathed the breath of life into Adam at first, and he became a living soul; to which there seems to be an allusion here; and when the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 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. He had to tell these bones the unconditional purposes and promises of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I will lay sinews upon you, and I will bring up flesh upon you,.... That is, before he should cause breath to enter into them; for though it is first mentioned, it is the last done: this is the orderly process; first sinews are laid to join the bones together; then flesh is laid to cover them, and fill up all vacancies, and form muscles to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So I prophesied as I was commanded,.... The prophet was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; he was right to observe the orders and instructions given, whatever were the issue and success of them; that he was to leave with the Lord, and did. So Gospel ministers prophesy or preach according to the commission given them, and leave their work with...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, A rustle, — Eze_37:7. And behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. Here was divine power bringing the bones to their proper position in the various bodies, and forging the separated anatomy to re-form itself.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,.... And they began to look like men, in the shape of men, and were a body of them, as the Jews did when gathered together: and the skin covered them above; and so looked comely and beautiful, as in the proper form of men; as did the Jews enriched and protected by Cyrus: and this...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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. So there was no very great improvement so far; there were only dead bodies instead of dry bones; there was something more to look at, but nothing more agreeable, and really no more of life than there was before.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said he unto me, prophesy unto the wind,.... Before he had been prophesying to the bones, and over them; and something was done, but not to purpose, breath being wanting; wherefore he is bid to prophesy a second time, and that not to bones, but to the "wind", afterwards rendered "breath"; and may allude to the soul or breath of man reentering...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, “Prophesy unto the wind.” That seems a very absurd thing to do, but there are no absurdities where God gives his commands.
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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. So I prophesied as he commanded me,- Ezekiel was very obedient; he only wanted to know his Lord’s will, and then he raised no question, but did at once just as he was told to do: “So I prophesied as he commanded me.”...