Ezekiel – Chapter 36

Old Testament38 Verses

Chapter Summary

Ezekiel 36 opens with the words: "And thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:" Across its 38 verses, two threads run through the text: holiness and God's covenant promises. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:

2Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said to you: Aha, the everlasting heights are given to us for an inheritance.

3Therefore prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Because you have been desolate, and trodden under foot on every side, and made an inheritance to the rest of the nations, and are become the subject of the talk, and the reproach of the people:

4Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the brooks, and to the valleys, and to desolate places, and ruinous walls, and to the cities that are forsaken, that are spoiled, and derided by the rest of the nations round about.

5Therefore thus saith the Lord God: In the fire of my zeal I have spoken of the rest of the nations, and of all Edom, who have taken my land to themselves, for an inheritance with joy, and with all the heart, and with the mind: and have cast it out to lay it waste.

6Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and to the hills, to the ridges, and to the valleys: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I have spoken in my zeal, and in my indignation, because you have borne the shame of the Gentiles.

7Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I have lifted up my hand, that the Gentiles who are round about you, shall themselves bear their shame.

8But as for you, O mountains of Israel, shoot ye forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel: for they are at hand to come.

9For I, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be ploughed and sown.

10And I will multiply men upon you, and all the house of Israel: and the cities ball be inhabited, and the ruinous places shall be repaired.

11And I will make you abound with men and with beasts: and they shall be multiplied, and increased: and I will settle you as from the beginning, and will give you greater gifts, than you had from the beginning: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

12And I will bring men upon you, my people Israel, and they shall possess thee for their inheritance: and thou shalt be their inheritance, and shalt no more henceforth be without them.

13Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy say of you: Thou art a devourer of men, and one that suffocatest thy nation:

14Therefore thou shalt devour men no more nor destroy thy nation any more, saith the Lord God.

15Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the nations any more, nor shalt thou bear the reproach of the people, nor lose thy nation any more, saith the Lord God.

16And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

17Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it with their ways, and with their doings: their way was before me like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman.

18And I poured out my indignation upon them for the blood which they had shed upon the land, and with their idols they defiled it.

19And I scattered them among the nations, and they are dispersed through the countries: I have judged them according to their ways, and their devices.

20And when they entered among the nations whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when it was said of them: This is the people of the Lord, and they are come forth out of his land.

21And I have regarded my own holy name, which the house of Israel hath profaned among the nations to which they went in.

22Therefore thou shalt say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I will do this, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations whither you went.

23And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them: that the Gentiles may know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord of hosts, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols.

26And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.

27And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them.

28And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for corn, and will multiply it, and will lay no famine upon you.

30And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you bear no more the reproach of famine among the nations.

31And you shall remember your wicked ways, and your doings that were not good: and your iniquities, and your wicked deeds shall displease you.

32It is not for your sakes that I will do this, saith the Lord God, be it known to you: be confounded, and ashamed at your own ways, O house of Israel.

33Thus saith the Lord God: In the day that I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities, and shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and shall repair the ruinous places,

34And the desolate land shall be tilled, which before was waste in the sight of all that passed by,

35They shall say: This land that was untilled is become as a garden of pleasure: and the cities that were abandoned, and desolate, and destroyed, are peopled and fenced.

36And the nations, that shall be left round about you, shall know that I the Lord have built up what was destroyed, and planted what was desolate, that I the Lord have spoken and done it.

37Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover in this shall the house of Israel find me, that I will do it for them: I will multiply them as a flock of men,

38As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Important Verses in Ezekiel 36

Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said to you: Aha, the everlasting heights are given to us for an inheritance.

Ezekiel 36:2

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I have lifted up my hand, that the Gentiles who are round about you, shall themselves bear their shame.

Ezekiel 36:7

Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy say of you: Thou art a devourer of men, and one that suffocatest thy nation:

Ezekiel 36:13

As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 36:38

Historical Context

Ezekiel belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for the exiles in Babylon, moved from despair to hope of restoration. Chapter 36 of 48 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a prophetic oracle addressed to Israel in a moment of covenant crisis or renewal with 38 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The passage starts with these words: "And thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:" It concludes: "As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men:…" The wider setting of Ezekiel is this: Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in 597 BC and prophesied among the exiles through astonishing visions: God's throne-chariot, the departure of His glory from the Temple, the valley of dry bones brought to life, and a new… Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Ezekiel around About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

Who Wrote It

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile

When It Was Written

About 593-571 BC, in Babylon

Catholic Commentary

The prophetic discourse in this chapter speaks to a community facing the consequences of its choices before God. A pivotal line is verse 2: "Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said to you: Aha, the everlasting heights are given to us for an inheritance." The passage repeatedly touches on holiness before God.

Catholic exegesis reads Ezekiel 36 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. Ezekiel's visions inform Catholic understanding of heaven and liturgy (CIC 1137). St. Thomas Aquinas and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 436).

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that God will give His people a new heart. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, Ezekiel 36 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • 'Be holy, for I am holy': God calls His people to be set apart for Him in every area of life.
  • God binds Himself to His people by covenant, and He never breaks His word.
  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.

Reflection for Today

Catholic exegesis approaches Ezekiel Chapter 36 with reverence, seeking both the literal sense and the spiritual meaning ordered to Christ.

Catholic theology recognizes that judgment, restoration, and God's glory is not an abstract idea but a reality encountered in prayer, sacraments, and charity. This chapter contributes to that vision by stressing the call to holiness in ordinary life.

Let Ezekiel Chapter 36 deepen your love for the Eucharist, where the Word made flesh continues to feed His people. The same Christ who speaks in Scripture offers Himself sacramentally on the altar.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ezekiel Chapter 36 about?

Ezekiel 36 contains 38 verses. It opens with "And thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:" and closes with "As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men:…". The book as a whole is prophetic visions and oracles.

What is a key verse in Ezekiel 36?

One of the most significant verses is verse 2: "Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said to you: Aha, the everlasting heights are given to us for an inheritance." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who wrote Ezekiel and when?

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile. About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

Deepen your understanding with these related articles