Ezekiel 37:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In this context, the psalmist encouraged belief in God’s promises, proclaiming, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). Other prophets expressed similar sentiments, including Isaiah, who declared: “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord! Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn” (Isaiah 51:1). He continued, “Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone and blessed him, and multiplied him” (Isaiah 51:2).

These words convey a profound message: Was not Abraham a wanderer, old and without a son? Did he not have a wife who, due to her advanced age, was unable to bear children? Was his situation not utterly hopeless? Yet, from this childless, elderly man, I have filled the entire earth. Why do you despair? If I could bring forth nations from one person, how much more will I restore Jerusalem from you, though few in number? Thus, the prophet urges, “Look to the rock from which you were cut,” referring to Abraham, and “to the quarry from which you were hewn,” referencing Sarah. Just as a cliff does not produce water on its own but relies on rains from above, so too did Sarah receive the gift of motherhood from God; and as a stone does not bear fruit, Abraham too was initially incapable of doing so. Yet, I have brought forth from him and populated many lands. Consequently, God led Ezekiel into a field, revealing a pile of dry bones. He breathed life into them, prophesying, and pointing to the bones, He declared that if He can raise the dead, then surely He can restore the living to their homeland.

If, as some suggest, the Lord spoke of a general resurrection, then why specify, I will bring you out into the land of Israel, given that the dead worldwide will rise from their burial places? When He proclaims, I will bring you out of your graves and put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, He intends to restore you in your land, so that once revived in the land of Israel, you may recognize that I the Lord have truly kept My Word. Therefore, those interpreting this as a reference to the general resurrection connect the seemingly doubtful phrase, these bones are the whole house of Israel, to the resurrection of the saints, referenced by the Apostle in Revelation (Rev. 20:6): Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over such the second death has no power, indicating that there exists a resurrection for the saints and another for the unrighteous. Likewise, Psalm 1 (Psalm 1:5) states that the wicked will not stand in judgment among the sinners in the congregation of the righteous. The land of Israel, which the Lord promises to those resurrected, relates to what is written: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and: I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 114:8). This is the view of those who assume Ezekiel wrote about a general resurrection. However, those who interpret it this way should not criticize us for seemingly denying the resurrection by offering a different explanation. We acknowledge that there are far stronger and unambiguous testimonies in Sacred Scripture, such as from Job (Job 19:26): And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, and from Daniel (Dan. 12:2): Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. In the Gospel, it is stated: do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). The Apostle Paul writes: He will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you (Rom. 8:11) along with many other affirmations. Thus, it is evident that we do not deny the resurrection; rather, we assert that this passage pertains not to the resurrection itself, but symbolically conveys a prophecy regarding the restoration of Israel, which was in captivity in Babylon at that time. Furthermore, we do not create an opportunity for heretics by denying that a general resurrection is implied here. For a resurrection image would not be employed to represent the restoration of Israel if the reality of the resurrection were not already accepted, as one cannot assert the nonexistent. Our understanding of this is that, just as it seems unthinkable that a future resurrection could be promised to bones that are dry and frail due to age, yet it will indeed be fulfilled; so too, the restoration of Israel, taken captive and scattered, appears incredible to those who know of God’s might, yet it will be realized because I, the Lord, have declared it, and will fulfill My promises. In the preceding prophecy, regarding the former condition of the mountains of Israel, the Lord says: I will turn to you, and you will be tilled and sown, and I will multiply upon you man and all the house of Israel (Ezekiel 36:9-10). The house of Israel, once desolate, will dwell in its land, transformed into a garden of delight, with desolate cities rebuilt and the house of Israel increasing upon them like a flock, with the rest following suit, echoing the same meaning expressed allegorically as dried bones lacking life-giving moisture, in fulfillment of what is written in the Gospel: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). They were released from their graves, from the tombs of captivity, and from the bonds of their Babylonian imprisonment. Some Jews claim these events were fulfilled during Zerubbabel's time, amidst a great upheaval as the Chaldean kingdom transitioned to the Medes and Persians, or they will happen with the coming of their Messiah. We maintain, however, that this was realized after the crucifixion of our Savior and continues to occur daily, particularly in those who, like Lazarus (John 11), bound by their sins, respond to the Lord’s call and ultimately serve as the house of Israel, once hopeless and lost but, when the spirit of grace rejuvenates them and the Lord extends His hand, are rescued from the depths of despair. Those who once said: Lord God, You know this, upon their deliverance hear: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31).