הָיְתָה עָלַי יַד־יְהוָה וַיֹּוצִאֵנִי בְרוּחַ יְהוָה וַיְנִיחֵנִי בְּתֹוךְ הַבִּקְעָה וְהִיא מְלֵאָה עֲצָמֹות׃   37:1

Ezek. 37:1   The “hand” of the Lord was upon me, and the Lord brought me out with a breath and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones.

Is this another dream or vision?  I believe it is.  There is little question that this famous chapter is about the resurrection of the Jews.  It raises two unanswerable questions, though:  One question is whether this vision is about the end times or sooner.  The other question, is this prophecy literal or a metaphor.  Are the bones a metaphor for the remnant of Israel?  Decide for yourself.

וְהֶעֱבִירַנִי עֲלֵיהֶם סָבִיב סָבִיב וְהִנֵּה רַבֹּות מְאֹד עַל־פְּנֵי הַבִּקְעָה וְהִנֵּה יְבֵשֹׁות מְאֹד׃   37:2

Ezek. 37:2   And He made me pass over them around, around and behold.  And a great many were on the surface of the valley and behold, they were very dry.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם הֲתִחְיֶינָה הָעֲצָמֹות הָאֵלֶּה וָאֹמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ׃   37:3

Ezek. 37:3   And He said to me, “Human, can these bones live?”  And I said, “Master, Lord, You know.”

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הִנָּבֵא עַל־הָעֲצָמֹות הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם הָעֲצָמֹות הַיְבֵשֹׁות שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־יְהוָה׃   37:4

Ezek. 37:4   Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and you shall say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!’

כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה לָעֲצָמֹות הָאֵלֶּה הִנֵּה אֲנִי מֵבִיא בָכֶם רוּחַ וִחְיִיתֶם׃   37:5

Ezek. 37:5   ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord, to these bones:  Behold, I am bringing breath into you, so you will live.’

וְנָתַתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם גִּדִים וְהַעֲלֵתִי עֲלֵיכֶם בָּשָׂר וְקָרַמְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם עֹור וְנָתַתִּי בָכֶם רוּחַ וִחְיִיתֶם וִידַעְתֶּם   37:6         כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה׃

Ezek. 37:6   ‘And I will put flesh on you and spread skin over you and put breath in you, and you shall live and know that I am the Lord.’”

וְנִבֵּאתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צֻוֵּיתִי וַיְהִי־קֹול כְּהִנָּבְאִי וְהִנֵּה־רַעַשׁ וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמֹות עֶצֶם אֶל־עַצְמֹו׃   37:7

Ezek. 37:7   So I prophesied as I was commanded, and a noise occurred when I prophesied and behold, a shaking!  Then the bones came together, bone to its bone.

וְרָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה־עֲלֵיהֶם גִּדִים וּבָשָׂר עָלָה וַיִּקְרַם עֲלֵיהֶם עֹור מִלְמָעְלָה וְרוּחַ אֵין בָּהֶם׃   37:8

Ezek. 37:8   So I watched and behold, sinews were over them, and flesh arose, and skin was spread over them on top, but there was no breath in them.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הִנָּבֵא אֶל־הָרוּחַ הִנָּבֵא בֶן־אָדָם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל־הָרוּחַ כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחֹות   37:9 בֹּאִי הָרוּחַ וּפְחִי בַּהֲרוּגִים הָאֵלֶּה וְיִחְיוּ׃

Ezek. 37:9   Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath!  Prophesy, human, and you shall say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe into these slain so they will live!’”

וְהִנַּבֵּאתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנִי וַתָּבֹוא בָהֶם הָרוּחַ וַיִּחְיוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל־רַגְלֵיהֶם חַיִל גָּדֹול מְאֹד־מְאֹד׃   37:10

Ezek. 37:10   So I prophesied as He had commanded me and the breath came into them and they were alive; then they stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

יֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם הָעֲצָמֹות הָאֵלֶּה כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה הִנֵּה אֹמְרִים יָבְשׁוּ עַצְמֹותֵינוּ וְאָבְדָה   37:11       תִקְוָתֵנוּ נִגְזַרְנוּ לָנוּ׃

Ezek. 37:11   Then He said to me, “Human, these bones are the entire house of Israel; behold, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is vanished; our destruction is ours.’”

לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנֵּה אֲנִי פֹתֵחַ אֶת־קִבְרֹותֵיכֶם וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם   37:12     מִקִּבְרֹותֵיכֶם עַמִּי וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Ezek. 37:12   “Therefore prophesy, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  Behold, I am opening your graves, and I will cause you to rise from your graves, My people, and I will bring you to the soil of Israel.’

וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה בְּפִתְחִי אֶת־קִבְרֹותֵיכֶם וּבְהַעֲלֹותִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרֹותֵיכֶם עַמִּי׃   37:13

Ezek. 37:13   ‘And you shall know that I am the Lord by My opening your graves and by My causing you to rise from your graves, My people.’

וְנָתַתִּי רוּחִי בָכֶם וִחְיִיתֶם וְהִנַּחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם עַל־אַדְמַתְכֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה דִּבַּרְתִּי וְעָשִׂיתִי   37:14         נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃

Ezek. 37:14   ‘And I will put My spirit into you and you shall be alive, and I will give you rest on your own soil, and you shall know when I, the Lord, have spoken, then I will act, declares the Lord.’”

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   37:15

Ezek. 37:15   And the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם קַח־לְךָ עֵץ אֶחָד וּכְתֹב עָלָיו לִיהוּדָה וְלִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (חֲבֵרֹו) [חֲבֵרָיו] וּלְקַח עֵץ   37:16      אֶחָד וּכְתֹוב עָלָיו לְיֹוסֵף עֵץ אֶפְרַיִם וְכָל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל (חֲבֵרֹו) [חֲבֵרָיו]׃

Ezek. 37:16   “And you, human, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’  Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and of all the house of Israel, his companions.’”

The two errors in the sets of parentheses are identical (and also identical to the error in v. 37:19).  Singular spelling translatable as his companion is corrected to plural in the sets of brackets.

וְקָרַב אֹתָם אֶחָד אֶל־אֶחָד לְךָ לְעֵץ אֶחָד וְהָיוּ לַאֲחָדִים בְּיָדֶךָ׃   37:17

Ezek. 37:17   “Now bring them near one to the other to you to be one stick, that they should be as one in your hand.”

וְכַאֲשֶׁר יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ בְּנֵי עַמְּךָ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹוא־תַגִּיד לָנוּ מָה־אֵלֶּה לָּךְ׃   37:18

Ezek. 37:18   “And when the children of your people will speak to you saying, ‘Will you not tell to us what these are to you?’

דַּבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנֵּה אֲנִי לֹקֵחַ אֶת־עֵץ יֹוסֵף אֲשֶׁר בְּיַד־אֶפְרַיִם וְשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל   37:19 חֶבְרֹו) [חֲבֵרָיו] וְנָתַתִּי אֹותָם עָלָיו אֶת־עֵץ יְהוּדָה וַעֲשִׂיתִם לְעֵץ אֶחָד וְהָיוּ אֶחָד בְּיָדִי׃

Ezek. 37:19   say to them, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  Behold, I am taking the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions, and with him, I will put them together with the stick of Judah, and I will make them for one stick, and they shall be one in My ‘hand.’”

Refer back to my remarks on v. 37:16 for the story of the error before the left parenthesis here.

וְהָיוּ הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר־תִּכְתֹּב עֲלֵיהֶם בְּיָדְךָ לְעֵינֵיהֶם׃   37:20

Ezek. 37:20   “And the sticks shall be as you shall have written on them in your hand for their eyes.”

וְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנֵּה אֲנִי לֹקֵחַ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֵּין הַגֹּויִם אֲשֶׁר הָלְכוּ־שָׁם   37:21     וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֹתָם מִסָּבִיב וְהֵבֵאתִי אֹותָם אֶל־אַדְמָתָם׃

Ezek. 37:21   “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  Behold, I am taking the children of Israel from the midst of the nations where they went, and I will gather them from all around and bring them to their own soil,

וְעָשִׂיתִי אֹתָם לְגֹוי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ בְּהָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמֶלֶךְ אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּם לְמֶלֶךְ וְלֹא (יִהְיֶה) [יִהְיוּ   37:22      לִשְׁנֵי גֹויִם וְלֹא יֵחָצוּ עֹוד לִשְׁתֵּי מַמְלָכֹות עֹוד׃

Ezek. 37:22   and make them for one nation in the land, on the mountains, of Israel, and one king shall be to all of them for a king, and they shall not be for two nations any more, so they would not be divided at all into two kingdoms again,

The error in the parentheses in this verse also requires a change from singular to plural.  The ending heh is replaced by a vav in the corrected word after the right bracket.  Please ignore that the left bracket is missing.

וְלֹא יִטַמְּאוּ עֹוד בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶם וּבְשִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וּבְכֹל פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם וְהֹושַׁעְתִּי אֹתָם מִכֹּל מֹושְׁבֹתֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר   37:23 חָטְאוּ בָהֶם וְטִהַרְתִּי אֹותָם וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃

Ezek. 37:23   and they shall not defile themselves any more with their idols, or with their abominations, or with all their transgressions as I liberate them from all their dwelling-places in which they had sinned, and cleanse them, and they shall be for a people for Me and I shall be for God for them.’

וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם וְרֹועֶה אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּם וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי יֵלֵכוּ וְחֻקֹּתַי יִשְׁמְרוּ וְעָשׂוּ אֹותָם׃   37:24

Ezek. 37:24   ‘And My servant, of David, shall be king over them, and one shepherd shall be for all of them, and they shall walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.’

See Ezek. 34:24 for my explanation regarding my translation of the first two Hebrew words,  See also the same irregular translation of the same words in the next verse as well.

וְיָשְׁבוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְעַבְדִּי לְיַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ־בָהּ אֲבֹותֵיכֶם וְיָשְׁבוּ עָלֶיהָ הֵמָּה וּבְנֵיהֶם   37:25 וּבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם עַד־עֹולָם וְדָוִד עַבְדִּי נָשִׂיא לָהֶם לְעֹולָם׃

Ezek. 37:25   ‘And they shall dwell on the land that I gave to My servant, to Jacob, on which your ancestors dwelled, and they shall dwell upon it, they and their children and the children of their children forever; and My servant, of David, shall be their prince forever.’

וְכָרַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית שָׁלֹום בְּרִית עֹולָם יִהְיֶה אֹותָם וּנְתַתִּים וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֹותָם וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁי   37:26        בְּתֹוכָם לְעֹולָם׃

Ezek. 37:26   ‘And I will make a covenant of peace for them; it shall be a covenant forever with them, and I will establish them and multiply them and set My sanctuary in their midst forever.’

וְהָיָה מִשְׁכָּנִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם׃   37:27

Ezek. 37:27   ‘And My dwelling place shall be by them, and I will be for God for them and they shall be for a people for Me.’

וְיָדְעוּ הַגֹּויִם כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּהְיֹות מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתֹוכָם לְעֹולָם׃   37:28

Ezek. 37:28   ‘And the nations shall know that I am the Lord sanctifying Israel by My sanctuary being in their midst forever.’”

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