“Bones Began to Come Together”

10. (a) What development regarding God’s people was foretold at Ezekiel 37:7, 8? (b) What factors must have gradually restored the faith of God-fearing exiles?

¹⁰ In ancient times, Jehovah foretold that his people would experience a progressive restoration to life. (Ezek. 37:7, 8) So, what were some of the factors that gradually restored to God-fearing exiles the faith that their hope of returning to Israel would be fulfilled? One source of hope must have been the prophetic statements made by earlier prophets. For example, Isaiah had foretold that a remnant, “a holy seed,” would return to the land. (Isa. 6:13; Job 14:7-9) Also, the many prophecies of restoration that Ezekiel had written down no doubt kept that hope alive. Further, the presence in Babylon of such faithful men as the prophet Daniel​—as well as the amazing fall of the city of Babylon in 539 B.C.E.​—must have bolstered the exiles’ hope of return.

1-3. What causes a change of mood among the Jews in Babylon? (See opening picture.)

HOW the mood among the Jews in Babylon has changed! For some five years, Ezekiel hammered at their armor of false hopes, but his efforts barely made a dent. No matter what signs he acted out, what illustrations he spoke, what messages he proclaimed, the exiles refused to believe that Jehovah would allow Jerusalem to be destroyed. Even when they learned that the city had come under siege by the Babylonian army, they were still confident that its inhabitants would be safe.

² But now, two years after the start of the siege, a refugee from Jerusalem has just arrived in Babylon, bringing the report: “The city has been struck down!” That news devastates the exiles. They struggle to grasp its full significance: the beloved city, the holy temple, the cherished land​—all gone! Their long-held hope gives way to despair.​—Ezek. 21:7; 33:21.

³ However, at this moment of desperation, Ezekiel receives a powerful vision of hope. What message does the vision contain for the shattered exiles? How does this vision relate to God’s people today, and how can we personally benefit from it? To find out, let us examine what Jehovah reveals to Ezekiel.

“Prophesy Over These Bones” and “Prophesy to the Wind”

4. What stood out to Ezekiel in the vision he received?

⁴ Read Ezekiel 37:1-10. In a vision, Ezekiel is set down in a valley plain that is covered with bones. As if to make sure that Ezekiel felt the full impact of the vision, Jehovah ordered the prophet to “pass all around” those widely scattered bones. As Ezekiel walked on the valley plain, two things about the bones especially stood out to him: their number and their condition. “There were very many,” he observed, and “they were very dry.”

5. What two commands did Jehovah give to Ezekiel, and what happened after Ezekiel carried them out?

⁵ Then Jehovah gave Ezekiel two commands that would set in motion a progressive restoration. The first command was: “Prophesy over these bones,” telling them to “come to life.” (Ezek. 37:4-6) As soon as Ezekiel prophesied, “there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones began to come together,” after which “sinews and flesh” came on the bones, “and skin covered over them.” (Ezek. 37:7, 8) The second command was: “Prophesy to the wind,” telling it to “blow upon” the bodies. When Ezekiel prophesied, “breath came into them, and they began to live and to stand on their feet, an extremely large army.”​—Ezek. 37:9, 10.

“Our Bones Are Dry, and Our Hope Has Perished”

6. What words of Jehovah helped Ezekiel to understand the vision?

⁶ Jehovah next revealed to Ezekiel how the vision was to be understood, saying: “These bones are the whole house of Israel.” Indeed, after the exiles had learned of Jerusalem’s destruction, they felt that they were as good as dead. Therefore, they lamented: “Our bones are dry, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.” (Ezek. 37:11; Jer. 34:20) Then in response to their lament, Jehovah revealed that this gloomy vision of bones actually contained a bright message of hope for Israel.

7. What did Jehovah reveal to Ezekiel, as recorded at Ezekiel 37:12-14, and what assurance did this give His exiled people?

⁷ Read Ezekiel 37:12-14. Through this vision, Jehovah assured the exiles that he would bring them to life, lead them back to their land, and let them settle there. Moreover, Jehovah addressed them again as “my people.” How uplifting those words must have been for the despondent exiles! Why could they be certain that this promise of restoration would come true? Because Jehovah himself stood behind it. He declared: “I myself, Jehovah, have spoken and I have done it.”

8. (a) How was “the whole house of Israel” in a deathlike condition? (b) How does Ezekiel 37:9 indicate the cause of Israel’s symbolic death? (See footnote.)

⁸ How had the ancient nation of Israel experienced the fulfillment of the gloomy part of this prophetic vision? The symbolic demise of Israel had already begun in 740 B.C.E. with the fall and exile of the ten-tribe kingdom. Some 130 years later, when the people of Judah were also deported, “the whole house of Israel” was in captivity. (Ezek. 37:11) Symbolically speaking, the whole group of exiles were then as dead as the bones seen in Ezekiel’s vision.a Also recall that Ezekiel saw not just bones but “very dry” bones, which indicated that their deathlike condition continued for a long time. And, indeed, for Israel and Judah combined, it lasted over 200 years, from 740 to 537 B.C.E.​—Jer. 50:33.

“They Began to Live and to Stand on Their Feet”

13. (a) Beginning in 537 B.C.E., how did the words found at Ezekiel 37:10, 14 see fulfillment? (b) What scriptures indicate that some members of the ten-tribe kingdom returned to Israel?

¹³ Beginning in 537 B.C.E., the Jews in Babylon saw the fulfillment of the vision. How? Jehovah brought them to life and made them “stand on their feet” by delivering them from captivity and letting them return to Israel. A group of 42,360 Israelites and some 7,000 non-Israelites left Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple and to settle on the soil of Israel. (Ezra 1:1-4; 2:64, 65; Ezek. 37:14) Then, some 70 years later, about 1,750 exiles joined Ezra when he returned to Jerusalem. (Ezra 8:1-20) So, in total, over 44,000 Jews returned​—indeed, a “large army.” (Ezek. 37:10) In addition, God’s Word indicates that members of the ten-tribe kingdom, whose forefathers had been deported by the Assyrians during the eighth century B.C.E., also returned to Israel to assist in rebuilding the temple.​—1 Chron. 9:3; Ezra 6:17; Jer. 33:7; Ezek. 36:10.