Ezekiel 37 · Verse 9

Ezekiel 37:9

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Ezekiel 37:9, King James Version

Ezekiel 37:9 in other translations

BSBThen He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”
WEBThen he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’”
ASVThen said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
YLTAnd He saith unto me: ‘Prophesy unto the Spirit, prophesy, son of man, and thou hast said unto the Spirit: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: From the four winds come in, O Spirit, and breathe on these slain, and they do live.'
DARBYAnd he said unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
BBEAnd he said to me, Be a prophet to the wind, be a prophet, son of man, and say to the wind, The Lord has said: Come from the four winds, O wind, breathing on these dead so that they may come to life.
WebsterThen said he to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

What does Ezekiel 37:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. wind--rather, the spirit of life or life-breath (Margin). For it is distinct from "the four winds" from which it is summoned. from the four winds--implying that Israel is to be gathered from the four quarters of the earth (Is 43:5, 6; Jr 31:8), even as they were "scattered into all the winds" (Eze 5:10; 12:14; 17:21; compare Re 7:1, 4).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 Prophesy unto the wind - רוח ruach. Address thyself to the soul, and command it to enter into these well-organized bodies, that they may live. Come from the four winds - Souls, come frown all parts where ye are scattered; and reanimate these bodies from; which ye have been so long separated. The four winds signify all parts - in every direction. Literally it is, "Souls, come from the four souls;" "Breath, come from the four breaths;" or, "Wind, come from the four winds." But here רוח ruach has both of its most general meanings, wind or breath, and soul.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 37:1-14

God restores dried bones to life. (Ezek 37:1-14) The whole house of Israel is represented as enjoying the blessings of Christ's kingdom. (Ezek 37:15-28) Verses 1-14 No created power could restore human bones to life. God alone could cause them to live. Skin and flesh covered them, and the wind was then told to blow upon these bodies; and they were restored to life. The wind was an emblem of the Spirit of God, and…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 37:1-14 →

Ezekiel 37:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֵלַ֔י'e.Laito meH413
הִנָּבֵ֖אhi.na.Ve'prophesyH5012
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הָר֑וּחַha.Ru.achthe breathH7307
הִנָּבֵ֣אhi.na.Ve'prophesyH5012
בֶן\־ven-O son ofH1121
אָ֠דָם'A.domhumankindH120
וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הָר֜וּחַha.Ru.achthe breathH7307
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר\׀'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3069
מֵאַרְבַּ֤עme.'ar.Ba'from fourH702
רוּחוֹת֙ru.chOtwindsH7307
בֹּ֣אִיBo.'icomeH935
הָר֔וּחַha.Ru.achO breathH7307
וּפְחִ֛יu.fe.Chiand blowH5301
בַּהֲרוּגִ֥יםba.ha.ru.Gimon the killed onesH2026
הָאֵ֖לֶּהha.'E.leh<the> theseH428
וְיִֽחְיֽוּ\׃ve.Yich.Yuso they may liveH2421

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 37:9

  • John 3:8

    The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

  • Song of Solomon 4:16

    Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

  • Ezekiel 37:14

    And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

  • Ezekiel 37:5

    Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

  • Psalms 104:30

    Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
wind. or, breath. Come.
5,14; So 4:16; Joh 3:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 37:8

    And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

  • Ezekiel 37:9

    Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

  • Ezekiel 37:10

    So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Read all of Ezekiel 37

Ezekiel 37:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y díjome: Profetiza al espíritu, profetiza, hijo del hombre, y di al espíritu: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Espíritu, ven de los cuatro vientos, y sopla sobre estos muertos, y vivirán.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il me dit: Prophétise au souffle, prophétise, fils d’homme, et dis au souffle: Ainsi dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Esprit, viens des quatre vents, et souffle sur ces tués, et qu’ils vivent.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er sprach zu mir: Weissage dem Odem, weissage, Menschensohn, und sprich zu dem Odem: So spricht der Herr, Jehova: Komm von den vier Winden her, du Odem, und hauche diese Getöteten an, daß sie lebendig werden!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et dixit ad me: Vaticinare ad spiritum: vaticinare, fili hominis, et dices ad spiritum: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: A quatuor ventis veni, spiritus, et insuffla super interfectos istos, et reviviscant.