Ezekiel 37:4 kjv
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Ezekiel 37:4 nkjv
Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Ezekiel 37:4 niv
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Ezekiel 37:4 esv
Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Ezekiel 37:4 nlt
Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD!
Ezekiel 37 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 37:4 | "Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones..." | Direct command in the vision |
| Isaiah 43:2 | "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you..." | God's presence with His people |
| Jeremiah 31:33 | "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel..." | God's promise of restoration and new life |
| Romans 8:11 | "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you..." | The Spirit's power for resurrection |
| John 3:3 | "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again...' | The necessity of spiritual rebirth |
| 1 Corinthians 15:55 | "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" | Christ's victory over death |
| Revelation 20:6 | "Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection." | Future resurrection |
| Psalm 30:2 | "O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me." | God's healing power |
| Isaiah 11:1 | "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse..." | Messianic prophecy of restoration |
| Acts 2:33 | "Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are now seeing and hearing." | The outpouring of the Spirit |
| Romans 6:4 | "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." | Analogy to spiritual resurrection |
| Galatians 6:15 | "For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but a new creation." | Emphasis on spiritual transformation |
| Ephesians 2:1 | "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins..." | Humanity's fallen state |
| Ezekiel 11:19 | "I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them..." | God's promise of internal renewal |
| Ezekiel 18:31 | "Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed..." | Call to repentance |
| Isaiah 44:3 | "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground..." | God's life-giving promises |
| Jeremiah 23:5 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch..." | Messianic lineage and restoration |
| John 11:25 | "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life." | Jesus' declaration of power over death |
| Acts 4:33 | "And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus..." | Apostolic witness to resurrection |
| Joel 2:28 | "Then afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all people..." | Prophecy of Spirit's widespread outpouring |
Ezekiel 37 verses
Ezekiel 37 4 Meaning
This verse describes the prophet Ezekiel's supernatural act of prophesying to a valley filled with dry, lifeless bones. The act itself symbolizes God's power to bring life to the spiritually dead and to restore a scattered and broken people, represented by the bones.
Ezekiel 37 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 37 describes a vision given to the prophet Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile. The people of Israel felt abandoned and their hope was dim, like a valley full of dry, brittle bones. God commissions Ezekiel to deliver a message of hope and restoration to these seemingly hopeless circumstances. The chapter vividly illustrates God's power to revive His people, both spiritually and nationally, symbolizing their return from exile and the future reunification of Israel.
Ezekiel 37 4 Word Analysis
Prophesy (Hebrew: q-w-h n-b-') - To speak forth God's message. Here, it implies a command to proclaim life and divine intervention to the dead bones.
Bones (Hebrew: q-r-o-th) - Refers to skeletal remains, emphasizing utter lifelessness and hopelessness.
Dry (Hebrew: y-b-w-sh) - Signifies desiccation, indicating the completeness of their death and decay.
Valley (Hebrew: g-y') - A geographical low-lying area, often a place of destruction or judgment, but here a scene for divine renewal.
To these bones (Hebrew: h-l-'-dq q-r-o-th) - Directing the prophecy specifically to the dry bones, underscoring the targeted nature of God's restorative power.
Hear the word of the LORD (Hebrew: sh-m-'-th d-b-r-y-h-w-h) - Emphasizes the divine origin of the message and the necessity for the bones (and by extension, the people) to receive God's spoken word.
Ezekiel 37 4 Bonus Section
The act of prophesying to dry bones prefigures God's ultimate act of raising Jesus from the dead. Just as the bones receive life through the spoken word of prophecy and the accompanying divine breath (as seen in later verses of Ezekiel 37), believers are brought to spiritual life through the Gospel, the word of Christ. This imagery resonates with the New Testament teachings on resurrection and the new life found in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The completeness of the dryness of the bones highlights the extent of sin and spiritual death from which God saves.
Ezekiel 37 4 Commentary
The command to prophesy to dry bones is a powerful metaphor for spiritual regeneration. God directs Ezekiel to speak life into a situation defined by absolute death. This signifies that God's power is not limited by the apparent hopelessness of a situation; He can revive what is utterly dead. This vision serves as a foundational promise of resurrection and national restoration for Israel, assuring them that their nation, though seemingly finished, will be made alive again by God's sovereign word and Spirit.