Ezekiel 37:1-14, Valley of Dry Bones

The fantastical vision of a valley full of dry bones that come to life with flesh on them and God’s breath in them has captured the imagination of many. A spiritual was written called “Dem Bones” and performed by many (here’s one example). Video depictions have been made. Artists have sought to render it.

1 The hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Yahweh, you alone know.”

Yahweh’s heavy hand is upon Ezekiel and He leads Ezekiel in a vision to a valley filled with dry bones through which He has Ezekiel walk back and forth through, which we might imagine could be quite stressful. His question of Ezekiel evokes the correct response.

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh! 5 This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Ezekiel is prophesying, but it is Yahweh’s words that he is speaking. As Yahweh spoke and the light came into existence and the earth was ordered and filled (Genesis 1), so His words here create life.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I Yahweh have spoken, and I have done it, declares Yahweh.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Yahweh interprets the vision. It is a depiction of the restoration of dispersed nation of Israel back to her own land, a miracle, we might say, unparalleled historically. Yahweh describes it as a resurrection, though it is not the case that the dead of Israel were resurrected and returned to the land. The survivors of God’s judgment who were exiled to other lands, were allowed to return to their homeland by their captors (see Ezra and Nehemiah) and allowed to rebuild their capital and the temple. 

There has been another exile and dispersion of Israel that took place in A.D. 70 and another restoration as a nation nearly two thousand years later in 1948.

“After the flow of a civilization has reached its high point, we see it slowly ebb and ultimately sink into the depths of historical oblivion. And we see the Jews in that civilization go down with it. But whereas each sunken civilization remains submerged, the Jews emerge time and again from seeming doom, riding the crest of a new civilization rolling in where the old one once flowed” (The Indestructible Jews, Max I. Dimont). Israel’s restoration as a nation is evidence of the truth of Scripture and of the everlasting covenant Yahweh made with Israel.