371 There hath been upon me a hand of Jehovah, and He taketh me forth in the Spirit of Jehovah, and doth place me in the midst of the valley, and it is full of bones, 2 and He causeth me to pass over by them, all round about, and lo, very many 'are' on the face of the valley, and lo, very dry. 3 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, do these bones live?' And I say, 'O Lord Jehovah, Thou—Thou hast known.' 4 And He saith unto me, 'Prophesy concerning these bones, and thou hast said unto them: O dry bones, hear a word of Jehovah: 5 Thus said the Lord Jehovah to these bones: Lo, I am bringing into you a spirit, and ye have lived, 6 and I have given on you sinews, and cause flesh to come up upon you, and covered you over with skin, and given in you a spirit, and ye have lived, and ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah.' 7 And I have prophesied as I have been commanded, and there is a noise, as I am prophesying, and lo, a rushing, and draw near do the bones, bone unto its bone. 8 And I beheld, and lo, on them 'are' sinews, and flesh hath come up, and cover them doth skin over above—and spirit there is none in them. 9 And He saith unto me: 'Prophesy unto the Spirit, prophesy, son of man, and thou hast said unto the Spirit: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: From the four winds come in, O Spirit, and breathe on these slain, and they do live.' 10 And I have prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit cometh into them, and they live, and stand on their feet—a very very great force. 11 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; lo, they are saying: Dried up have our bones, And perished hath our hope, We have been cut off by ourselves. 12 Therefore, prophesy, and thou hast said unto them, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am opening your graves, And have brought you up out of your graves, O My people, And brought you in unto the land of Israel. 13 And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah, In My opening your graves, And in My bringing you up out of your graves, O My people. 14 And I have given My Spirit in you, and ye have lived, And I have caused you to rest on your land, And ye have known that I Jehovah, I have spoken, and I have done 'it', An affirmation of Jehovah.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 37:1-14
Commentary on Ezekiel 37:1-14
(Read Ezekiel 37:1-14)
No created power could restore human bones to life. God alone could cause them to live. Skin and flesh covered them, and the wind was then told to blow upon these bodies; and they were restored to life. The wind was an emblem of the Spirit of God, and represented his quickening powers. The vision was to encourage the desponding Jews; to predict both their restoration after the captivity, and also their recovery from their present and long-continued dispersion. It was also a clear intimation of the resurrection of the dead; and it represents the power and grace of God, in the conversion of the most hopeless sinners to himself. Let us look to Him who will at last open our graves, and bring us forth to judgment, that He may now deliver us from sin, and put his Spirit within us, and keep us by his power, through faith, unto salvation.