Is a future resurrection of the dead part of the teaching of the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament? This may seem like an obscure question for Christians living in the twenty-first century. What does a major Israelite prophet from hundreds of years ago have to do with us? When we understand Ezekiel’s vision of resurrection, we not only understand God’s word better, but we have hope for the future because we see that sin and death are not ultimate. But first, let’s establish some ground rules. After establishing what genre we are in, I’ll explain briefly the two kinds of resurrection that we see in Ezekiel chapters 37 and 40–48, and then I’ll briefly apply the text.
What Genre Are We In?
In order to interpret the text of Ezekiel properly, we must ask first, what kind of literature are we reading? The genre of literature can determine if we ought to interpret a text literally or symbolically. If we don’t establish the genre, then it’s as if we are playing a sports game but don’t know what the rules are; do we kick the ball, hit it with a club, or throw it? Chapters 37 and 40–48, which contribute to the teaching on resurrection, must be recognized in the genre of symbolic prophetic visions.
Three features in Ezekiel 40:1-4, characterize this kind of literature. First, note the expression “the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) was upon me.” This phrase is found precisely seven times in Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:3; 3:14; 3:22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1). The first three instances mark the beginning and ending of the first vision in 1–3. The fourth occurrence marks the beginning of the second vision in Ezekiel 8–11. The fifth occurrence marks the end of Ezekiel’s muteness and the fulfillment of all his prophecies concerning the fall of Jerusalem. The sixth instance is at the beginning of the vision of the dry bones. Lastly, the seventh occurrence is at the beginning of the final vision of the restored City/Temple in Ezekiel 40–48. All are key points in the plot structure of Ezekiel.
The second feature that marks Ezekiel 37, 40–48 as symbolic visions is the movement of Ezekiel by the Spirit of God.
- Ezek. 3:12 “the Spirit lifted me up”
- Ezek. 3:14 “the Spirit lifted me up and took me away”
- Ezek. 8:3 “the Spirit lifted me between earth and heaven … and … he took me”
- Ezek. 11:1 “then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me”
- Ezek. 11:24 “the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God”
- Ezek. 37:01 “he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me in … a valley”
- Ezek. 43:05 “he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain”
In Ezekiel 40:1 the text says, “and he brought me there” (i.e., by the Spirit). This, in combination with the instance in Ezekiel 43:5 shows that Ezekiel 40–48 belongs in genre to the same visions we have in Ezekiel 1–3, 8–11, and 37.
The third reason why Ezekiel 37, 40–48 are symbolic visions is in Ezekiel 40:2. It states, “he brought me in visions of God to the land of Israel.” With abstract nouns, the plural in Hebrew often refers to a characteristic or condition.[1] Moreover, in Ezekiel, ’ĕlōhîm is an appellative or common noun and not a name or proper noun.[2] So the phrase is best translated “a divine vision.” As Ezekiel scholar Drew N. Grumbles explains, “one better understands the genitive not in terms of content (“I saw God”), but in terms of genre (“I saw a divine vision”).[3]
1. Christo H. J. van der Merwe, Jacobus A. Naudé, and Jan H. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 2nd ed. (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017), § 24.3.3 (6).
2. Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel 2: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapters 25–48, trans. James D. Martin (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983), 557–58.
3. Drew N. Grumbles, YHWH is There: Ezekiel’s Temple Vision as a Type (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2021), 57.
The expression “in visions of God” is found elsewhere only in Ezekiel 1:1 and 8:3. We must, therefore, interpret the vision in Ezekiel 40–48 consistently with the visions in Ezekiel 1–3 and 8–11. These are prophetic visions. In a dream at night or vision the prophet is shown something which addresses all of his senses, experienced primarily in terms of sound and sight. Colourful images, metaphors and symbols characterise the divine communication. This genre establishes that the visions are future-oriented, and that we ought to interpret the figures as pointing to something beyond themselves.
What Does the Text Mean?
Having established the genre, we can now interpret Ezekiel 37 and 40–48 by asking three questions:
(1) what is described by the prophet?
(2) what is the historical / physical reality referred to in the vision? and
(3) how do the images / metaphors / symbols in the vision communicate?
What is Described?
In American newspapers, an editorial cartoon may portray a donkey and an elephant. These beasts represent the Democratic and Republican parties respectively (just as the beasts in Daniel 7 or Revelation 13 represent political powers). But the way they are portrayed is the means used by the cartoonist to shape our perspective.
Two visions in Ezekiel address the question of resurrection, one directly and one indirectly. In chapter 37 Ezekiel sees a valley of dry bones. As he prophesies, the bones are connected together by tendons; flesh and skin are added to the skeletons, and finally breath is breathed into them and they live again. Then Ezekiel is given the interpretation of the symbolic vision in Ezekiel 37:11–14:
11 Then he [the Lord] said to me:
“Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say,
‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them:
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,
declares the Lord.’” (NIV)
What is the Historical / Physical Reality?
The bones represent the people of Israel in exile. The resurrection portrays return from exile to live in their own land. This interpretation is confirmed by the second section in Ezekiel 37:15-28. Here Ezekiel is told to join sticks representing Ephraim and Judah:
20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. (NIV)
As the author goes around the same topic a second time according to the familiar pattern of Hebrew literature, it is absolutely clear that resurrection is a metaphor for full return from exile, and the divided kingdom will be one kingdom once more.
The final vision in the book of Ezekiel is chapter 40–48 and this vision addresses the doctrine of resurrection indirectly. Elsewhere I have given much space to show that this is a picture portrayal of the new creation.[4] Almost all of the citations or allusions to Ezekiel 40–48 are in Revelation 21–22 where John is describing the new creation:
4. See Peter J. Gentry, “Ezekiel 40–48 — A Fantastic Vision,” Perichoresis 22, no. 2 (2024): 4–17.
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Table 1: Some Allusions to Ezekiel 40–48 in Revelation | |
|
Ezekiel |
Revelation |
|
40:2 |
21:10 |
|
40:3, 5 |
21:15 |
|
47:1 |
22:1 |
|
47:12 |
22:2, 14, 19 |
|
48:16-17 |
21:16-17 |
|
48:30-35 |
21:12-13 |
The imagery of the river of life and the tree of life (Ezek. 47:1–12) also point to a description of the New Jerusalem in the new heavens and earth. So here, the symbolic portrayal of the city / temple in the final section of Ezekiel implies not only return from exile but also resurrection from the dead in a future physical sense.
How do the Images / Metaphors / Symbols in the Vision Communicate?
Ezekiel’s prophecy employs resurrection as a metaphor for the full restoration of God’s people from exile as one kingdom under one Davidic king. Then he paints a symbolic picture of the new creation, the new heavens and earth where the city of God and the temple of God are one and the same and all living therein are completely holy or devoted to God. The Apostle John in Revelation interprets this text as referring to the new heavens and earth established after a physical resurrection from the dead. Thus, even though there is no one explicit verse in the book foretelling the resurrection, the larger storyline of the book of Ezekiel—and especially chapters 37 and 40–48—looks forward to resurrection.
Conclusion
Ezekiel’s vision can communicate powerfully to us today just as it did to the exiles of Judah. The circumstances of their lives looked like a huge mess of dead bones. In the midst of their sin and the consequences thereof, life seemed without hope. But death was not the last word for them, and it is not for us. God promised a resurrection, not only a future bodily resurrection, but a resurrection from spiritual death. He promised his people new life and a new covenant in which the Spirit of God energizes the believer from within to walk in ways pleasing to God (see 1 Thess. 4:8, a direct allusion to Ezekiel 37). Sin and death don’t have the last word. There is hope. Not only do we become new creation in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), but in Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile become living stones in the restored Temple (2 Cor. 3:3, 1 Pet. 2:5) where God is there. The game is still being played, but the outcome has already been determined. God wins. Death will die, and sin will cease. And because we’re on his team, the victory is ours.
