Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 36:33
Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built.
33. The order stated here is of course a necessity: as the sins of the people caused them to be cast out of their land, their forgiveness must precede their restoration to it. In the prophets events are not events merely, they are exhibitions of moral principles. So in Isaiah 40-66. the restoration of Israel to Canaan is preceded by the atonement of their sins by the servant of the Lord (Isa 40:2).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
33 36. The prophet returns to the lessons which Israel’s history, the author of which is their God, will read to the nations of the world. When they behold the desolated land of Israel become like the garden of Eden they shall form another judgment regarding Jehovah, and know that which he is, and the meaning of the history of his people.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Committed sin, that deserveth, and imputed sin, that doth bring down, judgments on the sinner, so did the Jews sins, and continued the punishment in those judgments, until a pardon take away guilt, and then judgments will be removed; so here, pardoned captives return to and dwell in their own cities. Sin unpardoned wasted the country, but sinners repenting and pardoned shall build the wastes. Sin unpardoned leaves the land untilled and barren, but pardoned ones shall plough, sow, reap, and eat.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Thus saith the Lord God, in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities,…. By the free and full pardon of them; by sprinkling clean water on them, the blood of Christ on their consciences; and by applying the righteousness of Christ to them for their justification; as well as by creating clean hearts in them, for their sanctification; and enabling them by grace to escape and abstain from the pollutions of the world:
I will also cause you to dwell in the cities; that is, of Judea, which, as well as Jerusalem, shall be rebuilt and inhabited, as follows:
and the wastes shall be builded: such cities and towns as lay in ruins: temporal prosperity shall go along with or follow spiritual blessings to the people of the Jews at their conversion; or they shall dwell in the churches of Christ, which are as cities compact together, well regulated, and where Jews and Gentiles at this time will be fellow citizens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Thus says the Lord Yahweh, In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the waste places will be built. And the land that was desolate will be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘The land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fenced and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left about you will know that I Yahweh have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate. I Yahweh have spoken it and I will do it.”
One significance of this passage is that the nations who had observed the fall of Israel would also observe her rise. This again confirms that there is here a near fulfilment of the prophecy. Note that the cleansing is connected with the restoration. There can be no restoration without cleansing. Then the land and its cities would be restored, and the land be fruitful ‘like the Garden of Eden’. It is an idealistic picture.
But mention of the restoration of the Garden of Eden may also be seen as taking us on to the end of time and the heavenly land. It is there that there will be the tree of life (Rev 22:2) and no more curse (Rev 22:3). It is there that the true and better Garden of Eden will flourish.
Note.
There are those who argue that this whole passage refers solely to the end times, and to the Jews as ‘Israel’. They seek a literal fulfilment in the last days. They claim that what is described here was never literally fulfilled as described because they look for fulfilment to the letter. But that claim is two-edged. There is the problem for those who would apply it to the ‘end days’ that this, a return and a building of cities and restoration of desolation following exile, is promised to take place AFTER Israel’s cleansing, while in the present day the return of the Jews to Palestine and the buidling of their cities has already taken place before Israel is cleansed. Thus we could argue equally that the current return to Israel cannot be in mind here. Nor are cities now fenced. Or are they suggesting that Israel will need to exiled yet again awaiting a further restoration?
These are not problems for a combined interpretation, for it reasonable to accept that there was a purifying of the remnant of Israel before they returned to the land. That was indeed why they were so desirous of returning. But they are a problem for a literal one applied to one situation. Furthermore it is inconceivable that God would speak through Ezekiel to these people in exile and have nothing to say about their own future. We may happily take great chunks of the Old Testament and apply it to what we see from our perspective as the end days, ignoring the past, but to these people Ezekiel was declaring a message of hope for their future and we do him an injustice if we transfer most of what he said to ‘the end days’ ignoring all that has gone between.
End of note.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
One might have concluded, that after such a string of the richest promises as we have just reviewed in the preceding verses, the next account might have been of Israel’s thankfulness. But the Lord hath not done with promises. He is not only rich in mercy, but we meet with the exceeding riches of his grace, and the abundant overflowing goodness of our God. The Lord, so delighteth in rejoicing over his people for good, that when he hath cleansed his people and brought them home, he will cause them to dwell in their own land. And the land shall be fenced, yea, the Lord himself will be a wall of fire round about to keep it. Nothing of desolation shall anymore take place. The very heathen shall be constrained to acknowledge the Lord’s hand is in the mercies of the Lord’s people. It shall be a delightsome land, like that of Eden. And all shall plainly prove and testify, that it is the Lord’s doing, and the Lord is blessed in his people, and his people made everlastingly blessed in the Lord. One sweet point more is insisted upon in summing up this blessed scripture, and that is, the Lord saith, that for these mercies he will be enquired of to do it for them. Reader! do not overlook this. The Lord’s people are a praying people. They are the praying seed of Jacob. And as the Lord loves to hear his children speak to him, the Lord will give them holy errands to his throne. Sweet encouragement to every praying soul. Jesus makes a gracious improvement of it. Luk 18:1 , etc.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 36:33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
Ver. 33. I shall have cleansed you. ] See on Eze 36:29 .
I will also cause you to dwell.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 36:33-36
33’Thus says the Lord GOD, On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it.
Eze 36:33-36 This is a repeat of Eze 36:10-15.
Eze 36:36 the nations that are left round about you What nations are these? Does it refer to the surrounding nations addressed in Ezekiel 25-32? If so, then the call to take prophecy literally must be questioned here. If it refers to future unnamed nations, what is the purpose of their knowing that I am the LORD? Are these Gentile nations just to recognize His blessing on Israel or come to know her God also?
All of us who believe, honor, respect, and cherish God’s Word struggle with the relationship between the Old and New Covenants. If the NT is the fulfillment of the OT and the specific fulfillment of Gen 3:15, then the scope of God’s love must be expanded to all nations because of Gen 1:26-27; Gen 3:15; and Gen 12:3 (see Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan )! This does not minimize Israel, but recognizes that the biblical focus is on YHWH, not Israel. The focus of the gospel is not Israel, but the redemption and restoration of all mankind. Jesus, not Israel, is the key thrust of the NT. If He is Messiah and if the NT writers are inspired (esp. Paul and the author of Hebrews), then a new day has come, a universal offer has been made, a once-for-all sacrifice has been given! The original purpose of creation has been fulfilled, not in Israel, but in fellowship between God and His highest creation, mankind. Salvation is the restoration of the image of God in humanity damaged in the fall of Genesis 3.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
In the day that = When. See App-18.
cause you to dwell, &c. = cause the cities to be inhabited.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
cause: Zec 8:7, Zec 8:8
wastes: Eze 36:10, Isa 58:12, Jer 32:43, Jer 33:10, Jer 50:19, Jer 50:20, Amo 9:14, Amo 9:15
Reciprocal: Lev 26:42 – and I will Psa 86:5 – unto all Isa 44:26 – that saith Isa 61:4 – General Jer 33:8 – General Eze 36:4 – desolate Eze 36:38 – the waste Eze 38:12 – the desolate Hos 11:11 – and I Zec 1:17 – My cities
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 36:33. The bearing of this verse is that Israel would not be permitted to reinhabit the cities of Palestine until they were cured of the chief evil of idolatry.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The results of Israel’s return 36:33-38
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Future cleansing from sin and restoration of the Jews to the land and restoration of the land to fruitfulness would all occur at the same time. This shows that the Jews’ present occupation of the Promised Land does not fulfill these promises; they have not yet experienced God’s cleansing for their sins, which comes with regeneration (cf. Rom 11:26-27).