Ezekiel 36:1

1 "And now, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to God's Message.

Ezekiel 36:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 36:1

Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel,
&c.] The land of Judah, which was very mountainous, at least one part of it, called the hill country, ( Luke 1:39 Luke 1:65 ) and now the country being cleared of men through the captivity, and other desolating judgments, there were none but bare mountains to speak unto: or, "prophesy concerning the mountains of Israel" F4; the inhabitants of them, or those that should be restored to them, concerning their future happiness and comfort: some render it, "against the mountains of Israel" F5; but the later prophecies of them are in their favour, and not against them: and say, ye mountains of Israel,
hear the word of the Lord; concerning the destruction of their enemies, and concerning the temporal blessings that should be bestowed on them.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 (larvy yrh la) "de montibus Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus.
F5 "Contra montes Israelis", Vatablus.

Ezekiel 36:1 In-Context

1 "And now, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to God's Message.
2 God, the Master, says, Because the enemy crowed over you, "Good! Those old hills are now ours!"
3 now here is a prophecy in the name of God, the Master: Because nations came at you from all sides, ripping and plundering, hauling pieces of you off every which way, and you've become the butt of cheap gossip and jokes,
4 therefore, Mountains of Israel, listen to the Message of God, the Master. My Message to mountains and hills, to ditches and valleys, to the heaps of rubble and the emptied towns that are looted for plunder and turned into jokes by all the surrounding nations:
5 Therefore, says God, the Master, now I'm speaking in a fiery rage against the rest of the nations, but especially against Edom, who in an orgy of violence and shameless insolence robbed me of my land, grabbed it for themselves.'
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.