| Geneva Study Bible The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of {a} bones, (a) He shows by a great miracle that God has power and will deliver his people from their captivity, in as much as he is able to give life to the dead bones and bodies and raise them up again. Wesley's Notes 37:1 And set me down - So it seemed to me in the vision. Which is a lively representation of a threefold resurrection: Of the resurrection of souls, from the death of sin, to the life of righteousness: The resurrection of the church from an afflicted state, to liberty and peace: The resurrection of the body at the great day, especially the bodies of believers to life eternal. Scofield Reference Notes [1] bones Having announced Ezek 36:24-38 the restoration of the nation, Jehovah now gives in vision and symbol the method of its accomplishment. Ezek 37:11 gives the clue. The "bones" are the whole house of Israel who shall then be living. The "graves" are the nations where they dwell. The order of procedure is: (1) the bringing of the people out Ezek 37:12-14,19-27 (2) the bringing of them in (Ezek 37:12); (3) their conversion (Ezek 37:13) (4) the filling with the Spirit (Ezek 37:14). The symbol follows. The two sticks are Judah and the ten tribes; united, they are one nation (Ezek 37:19-21). Then follows (Ezek 37:21-27) the plain declaration as to Jehovah's purpose, and Ezek 37:28 implies that then Jehovah will become known to the Gentiles in a marked way. This is also the order of Acts 15:16,17 and the two passages strongly indicate the time of full Gentile conversion. See also Isa 11:10. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary CHAPTER 37 Eze 37:1-28. The Vision of Dry Bones Revivified, Symbolizing Israel's Death and Resurrection. Three stages in Israel's revival present themselves to the prophet's eye. (1) The new awakening of the people, the resurrection of the dead (Eze 37:1-14). (2) The reunion of the formerly hostile members of the community, whose contentions had affected the whole (Eze 37:15-28). (3) The community thus restored is strong enough to withstand the assault of Gog, &c. (Eze 38:1-39:29) [Ewald]. 1. carried . in the spirit-The matters transacted, therefore, were not literal, but in vision. the valley-probably that by the Chebar (Eze 3:22). The valley represents Mesopotamia, the scene of Israel's sojourn in her state of national deadness. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 37:1-14 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 represented his quickening powers. The vision was to encourage the desponding Jews; to predict both their restoration after the captivity, and also their recovery from their present and long-continued dispersion. It was also a clear intimation of the resurrection of the dead; and it represents the power and grace of God, in the conversion of the most hopeless sinners to himself. Let us look to Him who will at last open our graves, and bring us forth to judgment, that He may now deliver us from sin, and put his Spirit within us, and keep us by his power, through faith, unto salvation. | 
