Ezekiel 37:1–6
In the valley of dry bones, God says he will put spirit in them and they will live
Study it word by word1The hand of YHWH was upon me, and he brought me out in the spirit of YHWH and set me down in the midst of the plain; and it was full of bones.
2And he made me pass by them all around; and look, they were very many on the face of the plain; and look, they were very dry.
3And he said to me, “Son of man, will these bones live?” And I said, “Adonai YHWH, you know.”
4And he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of YHWH.
5Thus says Adonai YHWH to these bones: Look, I am bringing spirit into you, and you will live.
6And I will put sinews on you, and I will bring up flesh on you, and I will cover you with skin, and I will put spirit in you, and you will live; and you will know that I am YHWH.’”
In its context
…
7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and there was a sound as I prophesied, and look, a rumbling, and the bones drew near, bone to its bone.
8And I looked, and look, on them were sinews, and flesh had come up, and skin covered them from above; but spirit there was none in them.
Its words in the original
- הָיְתָהhayta· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- יַדyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- יּוֹצִאֵyotsie· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".
- רוּחַruach· spirit, wind, breath
The basic idea is "air in motion". The same word can be "wind"; "breath", the air that is breathed and keeps life; or "spirit": the mood or inner strength of a person, or the Spirit of God, his presence and power at work.
- יְנִיחֵyeniche· rest, settle
Rest, settle, come to rest, stay still; also set down, leave. Noah's name is from the same root.
- תוֹךְtoch· midst
The middle, the center of something; "in the midst of", "among".
- בִּקְעָהbika· plain, valley
Broad plain between mountains; wide valley.
- מְלֵאָהmelea· full
Full, complete. "Full silver" is the full price.
- עֲצָמוֹתatsamot· bone
Bone. "Bone of my bones" is the Hebrew way of saying "of my own family", "like me". It also means "very", "self" ("that very day").
- הֶעֱבִירַheevira· pass, cross over
Pass by, pass through, cross over; also go beyond, transgress (a command). In the causative form, make pass, bring across, take away.
- סָבִיבsaviv· around
Around, on every side; the surroundings.
- רַבּוֹתrabot· many, great
Many, much, abundant, great; also "elder" or "chief".
- מְאֹדmeod· very, much
Very, greatly, exceedingly; a word that strengthens what goes with it. As a noun, strength, might.
- פְּנֵיpene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- יְבֵשׁוֹתyeveshot· dry
Dry.
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- בֶּןben· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- אָדָםadam· human being, man, Adam
The Hebrew word "adam". It has three uses: (1) humanity in general, men and women alike: "human beings" (Genesis 1:27); (2) a particular man; in Genesis 2-4, the first man, "the man"; (3) the personal name of that first man, "Adam". In Hebrew "adam" sounds like "adamah", the ground he was formed from (Genesis 2:7).
- תִחְיֶינָהtichyena· live
Live, have life; recover. In the causative form, give life, keep alive, revive.
- אֲדֹנָadona· Adonai, Lord
"Adonai": "my Lord", said only to God. It is a title of respect that acknowledges his authority. It is not another god besides YHWH: often it goes with his name, "Adonai YHWH", Lord YHWH.
- יְהוִהyehvi· YHWH (with Adonai)
The four letters of God's name, YHWH (see "YHWH"). They almost always go with "Adonai"; then Jews, when reading, said "Elohim" so as not to repeat "Adonai".
- יָדָעְתָּyadata· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- הִנָּבֵאhinave· prophesy
Prophesy: speak moved by the spirit of God. It is not always foretelling the future; it is saying what God gives to say.
- שִׁמְעוּshimu· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- דְּבַרdevar· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- מֵבִיאmevi· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- נָתַתִּיnatati· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- גִּדִיםgidim· sinew
Sinew, tendon.
- הַעֲלֵתִיhaaleti· go up, offer up
Go up, ascend, climb. It is also used for "offering" a sacrifice (making it go up), and for coming up from Egypt.
- בָּשָׂרbasar· flesh
Flesh: the body, and the person as weak and mortal. "One flesh" is the union of husband and wife; "my flesh" can mean "my family". "All flesh" is every living being. In the Old Testament it does not mean something bad in itself.
- קָרַמְתִּיkaramti· cover
To cover (with skin).
- עוֹרor· skin, leather
Skin, hide; leather.