The Restored Land (Chs. 35, 36). 

        Though Ezekiel is undoubtedly speaking about the land in a literal sense, it should be obvious that he uses it symbolically as well. Jehovah’s ownership of the mountains of Israel is stressed, for His attitude toward them symbolizes His attitude toward all that is peculiarly His.

        First, God’s punishment on Edom is announced (ch. 35). Edom symbolizes all who hate (vers. 5, 11; cf. Amos 1:11; Obad. 10-12; Ps. 137:7) that which is God’s. Edom’s sin was the worse because, unlike Assyria (Isa. 10:5f), and Baby­lon (Isa. 47:6), he had never been commissioned by Jehovah to act against Israel. So we can easily see why Edom is singled out (cf. Isa. 34, p. 53). Then Ezekiel proclaims the complete freeing of the land from intrusive nations (36:1-7), and its restoration to the fruitfulness which had been God’s original purpose for it (36:8-15).

        Entirely in line with Isaiah’s use of the transformation of nature, it is then made clear (36:16-38) that even as the deso­lation of the land was due to the sins of its inhabitants, so its restoration involves their transformation. In what is the climax of his prophecy (vers. 24-27) Ezekiel makes clear the implications of Jer. 31:31-34). God’s new people must be one inwardly transformed. As in Jeremiah, great stress is laid on its being God’s action done purely in grace.

The Restored People (Ch. 37).

        Though the language of the vision (vers. 1-14) presupposes a belief in resurrection, it should be clear that it is not the resurrection of dead Israelites that is here under consideration, but the revival of the nation. This is borne out by the gradual reconstruction and resuscitation of the dead bodies. The mention of the opening of their graves (ver. 12f) is explained by “I will bring you into the land of Israel.” An application to a national revival of Israel, which will at the same time be a spiritual one, seems inescapable. While dogmatism is out of place, he would be a bold man who would categorically deny that we are seeing the beginnings of fulfilment to-day.

        The English obscures the fact that the Hebrew uses the same word for “breath” (vers. 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) and “wind” (ver. 9), while in either case it could be rendered by “spirit.”

        National revival presupposes national unity, and in vers. 15-28 this is represented symbolically. The translation “stick” (ver. 16), though linguistically justifiable, misses the meaning. It is the ruler’s staff or rod that is meant. The uniting of the rods means that there will be only one king over them (ver. 22).

        Though “the children of Israel” (which includes Judah) in ver. 21 seems to suggest that Ezekiel is thinking primarily of those from the Northern Kingdom that had gone into exile, the possibility cannot be ruled out that he is referring to those left in the land (cf. ch. XT on Jer. 2:1-4:4). This raises a matter which can only be mentioned, but not discussed, here. There are a number of prophetic passages which foretell the restoration of the Northern tribes, e.g. Hos. 3:4f; 14; Isa. 11:13; Jer. 31:1-9, etc. While we personally are convinced that the Jews of to-day contain within their number repre­sentatives of all the tribes, yet we equally do not feel that this can be regarded in any way as an adequate fulfilment of such prophecies. Unfortunately the topic is normally dealt with either by what seems to us hardly legitimate treatment of both the Scriptures and history, or is virtually ignored. May it be that the conditional element enters in here too? Did Judah in exile make the response God demanded, while the older exiles of the North refused? It may be, for the topic hardly seems to find a mention in the New Testament. This uncertainty shows, however, that much dogmatism on far more abstruse matters is hard to justify.