Ezekiel 37:4
New International Version
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

New Living Translation
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD!

English Standard Version
Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

King James Bible
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

New King James Version
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

New American Standard Bible
Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘You dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’

NASB 1995
Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’

NASB 1977
Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’

Legacy Standard Bible
Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh.’

Amplified Bible
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’

Christian Standard Bible
He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

American Standard Version
Again he said unto me, Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
He then told me to say: Dry bones, listen to what the LORD is saying to you,

English Revised Version
Again he said unto me, Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD.

Good News Translation
He said, "Prophesy to the bones. Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the LORD.

International Standard Version
Then the LORD told me, "Prophesy to these bones. Tell them: 'You dry bones, listen to the message from the LORD: "

Majority Standard Bible
And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

NET Bible
Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and tell them: 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Again he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, 'You dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Again he said to me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

World English Bible
Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘You dry bones, hear Yahweh’s word.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He says to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones, and you have said to them, O dry bones, hear a word of YHWH!

Young's Literal Translation
And He saith unto me, 'Prophesy concerning these bones, and thou hast said unto them: O dry bones, hear a word of Jehovah:

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say to me, Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said to me, “Prophesy about these bones. And you shall say to them: Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!

New American Bible
Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

New Revised Standard Version
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Again he said to me, Prophesy concerning these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said to me: “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: ‘Dry bones, hear the word of LORD JEHOVAH!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then He said unto me: 'Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them: O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said to me, Prophesy upon these bones, and thou shalt say to them, Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Valley of Dry Bones
3Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.” 4And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life.…

Cross References
John 11:43-44
After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” / The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.

Romans 4:17
As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.

John 5:25
Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Isaiah 26:19
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.

John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

1 Corinthians 15:52
in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Revelation 11:11
But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them.

Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.

Isaiah 40:5
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Matthew 8:8
The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Hosea 6:2
After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:


Treasury of Scripture

Again he said to me, Prophesy on these bones, and say to them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

Prophesy

Ezekiel 37:11,15,16
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts…

Numbers 20:8
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

1 Kings 13:2
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

O ye

Ezekiel 36:1
Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

Isaiah 26:19
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Isaiah 42:18
Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

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Ezekiel 37
1. By the resurrection of dry bones
11. the dead hope of Israel is revived
15. By the uniting of two sticks
18. is shown the incorporation of Israel into Judah
21. The promises of Christ's kingdom














Then He said to me
This phrase indicates a direct communication from God to the prophet Ezekiel. The Hebrew root for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which is often used in the Old Testament to denote divine speech. This highlights the authority and power of God's words. In the context of Ezekiel's vision, it underscores the intimate relationship between God and His prophet, where God entrusts Ezekiel with a message of hope and restoration.

Prophesy over these bones
The command to "prophesy" comes from the Hebrew word "נָבָא" (naba), meaning to speak or sing by inspiration. This is not merely a prediction but a divine declaration that carries the power to effect change. The "bones" symbolize the house of Israel, which was in a state of spiritual death and exile. Historically, this reflects the period of Babylonian captivity, where the Israelites felt cut off and hopeless. The act of prophesying over the bones signifies God's intention to bring life and restoration to His people.

and tell them
The instruction to "tell" or "speak" to the bones emphasizes the power of God's word to bring about transformation. The Hebrew word "אָמַר" (amar) is used again, reinforcing the idea that God's spoken word is active and effective. This phrase suggests that even the most lifeless and hopeless situations can be transformed by the divine word.

Dry bones
The term "dry bones" vividly describes the state of Israel's spiritual and national desolation. In Hebrew, "יָבֵשׁ" (yavesh) means dry, withered, or lifeless. Archaeologically, bones found in ancient burial sites often appear dry and brittle, symbolizing death and decay. This imagery powerfully conveys the depth of Israel's despair and the seeming impossibility of their restoration without divine intervention.

hear the word of the LORD!
The call for the dry bones to "hear" is significant. The Hebrew word "שָׁמַע" (shama) means to listen, obey, or understand. It implies not just passive hearing but an active response to God's command. The "word of the LORD" is a recurring theme in Scripture, representing God's will, power, and presence. In this context, it signifies the life-giving power of God's promises. Historically, this reflects the prophetic hope that God would restore Israel, a hope fulfilled in part by their return from exile and ultimately in the coming of the Messiah. This phrase inspires believers to trust in the transformative power of God's word in their own lives.

(4) Prophesy upon these bones.--"Prophesy" is here used (as frequently) in its original sense of "speak on God's behalf," and does not convey the idea of prediction.

Verse 4. - Prophesy upon (or, over) then bones. This instruction - which shows Jehovah regarded the prophet's answer as equivalent to an admission that the revivification of the bones lay within his (Jehovah's) power - was not a mere command to predict, as in Ezekiel 6:2 and Ezekiel 11:4, but an injunction to utter the Divine word through which the miracle (of creation, as it really was) should be performed. "The significance of the command lies in the fact that it taught the prophet that he was himself to be instrumental in the great work of resuscitation. He who had been so often troubled with the sense of impotence and failure, who had heard the people say of him, 'Both he not speak parables?' who had been to them as the lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and nothing more than that, was at last to learn that the word of the Lord,' spoken by his lips, was mighty, and would not return to him void" (Plumptre).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And He said
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to me,
אֵלַ֔י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“Prophesy
הִנָּבֵ֖א (hin·nā·ḇê)
Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5012: To prophesy, speak, by inspiration

concerning
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

these
הָאֵ֑לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

bones
הָעֲצָמ֣וֹת (hā·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6106: A bone, the body, the substance, selfsame

and tell
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

them:
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

‘Dry
הַיְבֵשׁ֔וֹת (hay·ḇê·šō·wṯ)
Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 3002: Dry, dried

bones,
הָעֲצָמוֹת֙ (hā·‘ă·ṣā·mō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6106: A bone, the body, the substance, selfsame

hear
שִׁמְע֖וּ (šim·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

the word
דְּבַר־ (də·ḇar-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the LORD!
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 37:4 Again he said to me Prophesy over (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 37:3
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