God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 37:4
4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the Lord’s word.
Ezekiel 37:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
Context of Ezekiel 37:4
2He led me all around them. I saw that there were very many bones at the bottom of the valley, and they were very dry. 3Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Only you know, Almighty Lord.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the Lord’s word. 5This is what the Almighty Lord says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. 6I will put ligaments on you, place muscles on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Read all of Ezekiel 37Ezekiel 37:4 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י הִנָּבֵ֖א עַל־הָעֲצָמ֣וֹת הָאֵ֑לֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם הָעֲצָמוֹת֙ הַיְבֵשׁ֔וֹת שִׁמְע֖וּ דְּבַר־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 37:4
- Ezekiel 37:11The Lord also said to me, “Son of man, all the people of Israel are like these bones. The people say, ‘Our bones are dry, and our hope has vanished. We are completely destroyed.’
- Numbers 20:8“Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.”
- 1 Kings 13:2By a command of the Lord, this man condemned the altar. “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: There will be a son born in David’s family line. His name will be Josiah. Here on you Josiah will sacrifice the priests from the illegal worship sites who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.”
- Matthew 21:21Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.
- John 2:5His mother told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
- Ezekiel 36:1⌞The Lord said,⌟ “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Tell them, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the Lord’s word.
- Isaiah 26:19Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. Those who lie dead in the dust will wake up and shout for joy, because your dew is a refreshing dew, and the earth will revive the spirits of the dead.
- Isaiah 42:18Listen, you deaf people. Look, you blind people, so that you can see.
- Jeremiah 22:29O land, land, land! Listen to the Lord’s word.
- Micah 6:2Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit, you mountains. Listen, you strong foundations of the earth. The Lord has filed a lawsuit against his people. He is arguing his case against Israel.
- John 5:25“I can guarantee this truth: A time is coming (and is now here) when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who respond to it will live.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 37:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Prophesy upon these bones - Declare to your miserable countrymen the gracious designs of the Lord; show them that their state, however deplorable, is not hopeless.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Prophesy - Not in the sense of predicting what was to come to pass, but simply in that of speaking under the inspiration of God. In Ezekiel 37:5, not “I will cause,” but I cause or am causing.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6God wanted these bones to live. He communicated this through the message that Ezekiel was to deliver to the bones. Ezekiel declared they would become living, breathing bodies again, with flesh, muscles, and breath. The word translated as breath can also mean "spirit" or "wind," a wordplay that continues throughout this chapter.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Prophesy--Proclaim God's quickening word to them. On account of this innate power of the divine word to effect its end, prophets are said to do that which they prophesy as about to be done (Jr 1:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 37:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 37
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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