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“Son of man, prophesy concerning the mountains of Israel, and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD!
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Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the enemy has said concerning you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.’
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Therefore prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because, yes indeed because, they have made you desolate and have longed for you on every side, so that you might become a possession of the rest of the nations, and because you have become the talk of the lips and the subject of much gossip,
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therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities, which have become plunder and a mockery to the rest of the nations around them;
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therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who with all their joy and contempt have appointed My land as their own possession, so that they might take hold of it and plunder it completely.
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Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken in My jealous wrath, because you have borne the disgrace of the nations.
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Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the nations around you shall themselves bear their disgrace.
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But you, O mountains of Israel, shall put forth branches again and bear fruit for My people Israel, for they shall soon return.
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For I will turn toward you, and you shall be worked and sown.
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I will multiply people upon you, all the house of Israel in its entirety; the cities shall again be inhabited, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.
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I will multiply upon you both people and animals, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as in former times, and will do good to you more than at the beginning. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
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I will cause people to walk upon you, even My people Israel; they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer deprive them of children.
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Thus says the Lord GOD: Because people say of you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation of children’ —
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therefore you shall no longer devour people, and you shall no longer make your nation perish, declares the Lord GOD.
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I will no longer let people hear the reproach of the nations against you, and you shall no longer bear the scorn of the nations, and you shall no longer make your nation perish, declares the Lord GOD.”
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Then the word of the LORD came to me:
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“Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct; their way of life was like the uncleanness of a cloth before Me.
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So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed in the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.
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I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the lands; I judged them according to their conduct.
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Wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land.’
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But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
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Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am acting, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
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I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before their eyes.
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For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the lands and bring you back to your own land.
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I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; from all your uncleanness and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
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I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart that obeys.
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And My Spirit I will put within you, and I will cause you to walk in My statutes and to keep My rules and do them.
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And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
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I will deliver you from all the uncleanness of your sins, and I will call for the grain and make it abundant, and I will no longer bring famine upon you.
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I will also multiply the fruit of your trees and the produce of your fields, so that you shall no longer bear the disgrace of famine among the nations.
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Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves because of your iniquities and your abominations.
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Not for your sake do I act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and be confounded because of your ways, O house of Israel.
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Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited again, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.
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The desolate land shall be worked again, instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.
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And they will say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the cities that were ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now inhabited and fortified.
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Then the nations that are left around you shall know that I am the LORD, who rebuilds the ruined places and replants that which was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.
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Thus says the Lord GOD: In this also I will be sought by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with people like a flock.
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Like the flock for holy offerings, like the flock of Jerusalem at her appointed feasts, so shall the ruined cities be filled with a flock of people. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
🌄🌱🕊️ Summary of Ezekiel 36 – The Restoration of Israel’s Land and Heart by God’s Grace
Ezekiel 36 is a hopeful prophecy of restoration after the earlier chapters of judgment. God declares that the land of Israel, once made desolate and shamed, will be restored. Yet this restoration is not only outward — God also promises to give a new heart and a new spirit. This is the spiritual foundation for the new covenant and a prophecy of inner transformation by the Holy Spirit.
📌 1. Promise of Restoration for the Mountains of Israel (verses 1–15)
➡️ God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the land of Israel that had been seized by other nations
➡️ “The mountains of Israel will again be inhabited and plowed” — a sign of restoration
➡️ The nations that mocked and seized God’s land will receive their due
🎯 God defends His inheritance and will restore it even after long disgrace.
📌 2. The Lord Does Not Restore Because They Deserve It, But for His Name’s Sake (verses 16–21)
➡️ Israel had defiled the Lord’s land by the way they lived
➡️ The Lord drove them out among the nations
➡️ Yet for the sake of His holy name, the Lord will restore them so that the nations may know Him
🎯 The Lord’s grace is not because we deserve it, but because He is faithful to His promise.
📌 3. The Promise of a New Heart and a New Spirit (verses 22–32)
➡️ “I will pour out clean water… I will give you a new heart and a new spirit.”
➡️ The Lord will remove the heart of stone and replace it with a heart that obeys
➡️ The Spirit of the Lord will cause the people to live according to His statutes
🎯 True repentance is not merely an outward change of behavior, but an inward transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit.
📌 4. The Fertile Land Restored and the City Raised Up (verses 33–38)
➡️ The barren land will become like the garden of Eden
➡️ The cities will be rebuilt and filled with people
➡️ People will know that the Lord Himself has built and replanted His people
🎯 The sign of true spiritual restoration is a life that grows, is blessed, and glorifies the Lord.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord restores His people and His land for the glory of His name, not because of human merit
- The Lord’s forgiveness is always followed by inward transformation and obedience
- A heart of stone can only be changed by the Holy Spirit — this is the basis of a true relationship with God
- The Lord’s restoration is comprehensive: heart, life, community, and land
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 John 3:5–6
“If a person is not born of water and the Spirit…”
➡️ In line with clean water and a new spirit in Ezekiel 36.
📖 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation…”
➡️ A new heart = a life renewed in Christ.
📖 Titus 3:5
“…reborn through the renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
➡️ Restoration does not come from human effort, but from divine work.
📖 Ephesians 2:8–9
“For by grace you have been saved… it is not the result of your works.”
➡️ Just as Israel’s restoration was for the Lord’s name, not because it was deserving.
🕊️ “I will pour clean water on you…” – Ezekiel 36:25
🕊️ “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit…” – Ezekiel 36:26
🕊️ “Not because of you, but for the sake of My holy name…” – Ezekiel 36:22
🕊️ “The desolate land will become like the garden of Eden…” – Ezekiel 36:35
