Ezekiel 37:11-12 NIV

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ezekiel 37:10-11

Ezekiel 37:10-11. An exceeding great army— This vision itself, in the first place, affords a very lively image of the resurrection; next, they who are raised to life again, are said to be an exceeding great army; the Hebrew is still more emphatical, and even labours for expression: מאד מאד meod meod, A very very great army; like that of all nations and kindreds and people, which no man could number, Revelation 7:9. It is yet farther observable, that these dry bones, so miraculously raised to... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ezekiel 37:12-14

Ezekiel 37:12-14. Behold, O my people— That is, you who are truly such: for this most gracious appellation seems evidently taken from the words of the covenant so often mentioned; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. There would be no difficulty in this passage, if we only take the land of Israel, Eze 37:12 and your own land, Eze 37:14 as meant of that land of promise, or that better country, which the faithful all along believed in, and hoped for, Heb 11:16 that land, in short,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 37:11

11. Our bones are dried— ( :-), explained by "our hope is lost" ( :-); our national state is as hopeless of resuscitation, as marrowless bones are of reanimation. cut off for our parts—that is, so far as we are concerned. There is nothing in us to give hope, like a withered branch "cut off" from a tree, or a limb from the body. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 37:12

12. my people—in antithesis to "for our parts" ( :-). The hope that is utterly gone, if looking at themselves, is sure for them in God, because He regards them as His people. Their covenant relation to God ensures His not letting death permanently reign over them. Christ makes the same principle the ground on which the literal resurrection rests. God had said, "I am the God of Abraham," c. God, by taking the patriarchs as His, undertook to do for them all that Omnipotence can perform: He, being... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 37:1-14

An illustration of Israel’s restoration 37:1-14This well-known apocalyptic vision of the valley of dry bones pictures the manner in which Yahweh would restore His people. [Note: For a review of apolcalyptic as a literary genre, of which this passage is an example, see the Introduction section of these notes, or Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 924.] This may be the best-known section of the Book of Ezekiel."Few other passages have suffered more from the extremes of interpreters who see either too much... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 37:11-13

The Lord explained to Ezekiel that the bones represented the whole house of Israel (cf. Ezekiel 36:10). The Israelites were saying that they were like dry bones: they had been dead for a very long time spiritually as well as physically. They had no hope of life in the future; they had lost all hope of becoming a nation again or of seeing God’s promises to them fulfilled literally. The Lord had cut them off completely; the bones were separated from each other, and the Israelites were scattered... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 37:1-28

The Revival and Reunion of IseaelFrom the future of the land Ezekiel now turns to that of the nation, long ago divided by the revolt of the Ten Tribes, and now seemingly extinct. The exiles feel themselves to be but its scattered bones (Ezekiel 37:11). In a striking and beautiful vision, suggested no doubt by this current saying, Ezekiel predicts that the dead nation will come to life again (Ezekiel 37:1-14), and by a symbolic action he represents the coming reunion of the rival kingdoms of... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Ezekiel 37:11

(11) Are the whole house of Israel.—This Divine interpretation of the vision leaves no doubt of its meaning. Whatever other sense might possibly be attached to its language, there can be no uncertainty as to that which the Spirit intended. The last clause of the verse, “cut off for our parts,” is obscure in the English, but in the original is simply for us—i.e., “as for us, we are cut off.” read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Ezekiel 37:12

(12) Open your graves.—In Ezekiel 37:2 it is said that the bones were “in the open valley,” literally, upon the face of the valley. This was a necessity of the vision, in order that they might be seen; now the people, whom the bones represented, are spoken of as in graves, since this was the normal and proper place for the dead. read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Ezekiel 37:1-28

Ezekiel 37:2 Dean Stanley, in the introduction to his Eastern Church, observes: 'It is sometimes said, that of all historical studies that of Ecclesiastical History is the most repulsive. We seem to be set down in the valley of the Prophet's vision strewn with bones, and behold they are very many and very dry: skeletons of creeds, of churches, of institutions; trodden and traversed by the feet of travellers again and again; craters of extinct volcanoes, which once filled the world with their... read more