Question 1

What does it mean that God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountains of Israel?

Accepted Answer

When God tells His servant to speak to the mountains of Israel, He is talking to the land as if it could hear. The mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys had seen war, ruin, and the people taken away. Enemies had claimed the land and laughed at it. By speaking to the land, God shows He still cares about it and about His promise to His people. The land will not stay empty forever. God will make it fruitful again for Israel when they return.

Question 2

Who are the enemies and Idumea mentioned in this passage, and what did they do?

Accepted Answer

The passage speaks of “the enemy” and “all Idumea,” which points to nations around Israel who took advantage of Israel’s fall, especially Edom. When Israel was judged and the land became empty, these nations were glad. They claimed God’s land for themselves, saying the high places and ancient sites were now theirs. They mocked the land and God’s people, turning their shame into a joke. God says He has seen this and will speak in jealousy and fury against those who tried to make His land their prey.

Question 3

What does God’s jealousy and fury mean in this passage?

Accepted Answer

God’s jealousy here is not like human envy. It is His strong, faithful love for His people and His land. The nations around had treated His land as if it were theirs, rejoicing in Israel’s pain. God says He has spoken in the fire of His jealousy and in His fury against them. This shows He takes it very seriously when others mock or misuse what belongs to Him. His jealousy means He will act to defend His people’s honor and to put shame back on the nations that laughed at them.

Question 4

What restoration does God promise to the land of Israel in these verses?

Accepted Answer

God promises a full change for the land. The empty mountains will shoot forth branches and bear fruit. The land that lay waste will be tilled and sown again. Cities that were ruined will be rebuilt and filled with people. God says He will multiply man and beast, and they will increase and bring fruit. He will settle Israel after their old estates and even do better for them than at their beginnings. The land will again be their inheritance, showing that God has turned back to bless them.

Question 5

Why did people say the land devoured men, and how does God answer this?

Accepted Answer

People around Israel had come to speak of the land as if it destroyed its own people. They said it devoured men and bereaved its nations, likely referring to the many deaths and losses that had happened there under God’s judgment. This became a reproach and a dark name for the land. God responds by promising that this will no longer be its story. He says the land will devour men no more, will not bereave its nations, and will no longer carry the shame and reproach of the nations.

Question 6

What does it mean when God says He will do better than at their beginnings?

Accepted Answer

When God says He will do better for Israel than at their beginnings, He is promising more than just getting back to how things were. Their early days in the land had blessing, but they also fell into sin and idols. Here God promises a richer, more secure future. The land will be more fruitful, the cities rebuilt, the people multiplied, and their shame removed. This points to a deeper renewal in their life with God, so that when they see this mercy, they will know that He is the Lord.

Question 7

How does this passage show God’s care for His people in their shame and exile?

Accepted Answer

This passage meets God’s people in a low place. Their land is ruined, enemies have moved in, and others mock them as a sad story. God does not ignore this. He speaks directly about their shame, the cruel talk of the nations, and the way the land seems cursed. Then He firmly promises that the nations who mocked will bear their own shame, and that Israel will be restored, multiplied, and honored. This shows that God sees both their pain and their public reproach and plans to reverse both.

Question 8

How can this promise of restoring the land encourage believers today?

Accepted Answer

While this promise was first spoken about a real land and a real people, it can still encourage believers who feel ruined, forgotten, or mocked. God did not leave Israel’s land in its broken state. He spoke words of life over what looked finished, saying it would be tilled, sown, and fruitful again. This shows God’s heart to restore what seems beyond repair. When life feels like a desolate field, this passage reminds us that God can rebuild, give new fruit, and remove shame in His time.

Ezekiel 36:1

Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:

A Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

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Ezekiel 36:1

Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:

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A Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

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