Ezekiel 36:33 (ASV)

Passage

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Ezekiel 36:32 Nor for your sake do I [this], saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

Ezekiel 36:33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded.

Ezekiel 36:34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by.

Ezekiel 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iniquities", "thus", "saith", "lord", "jehovah", "cleanse", "cause", and "cities". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iniquities" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 32's "Nor for your sake do I this..." into verse 34's "And the land that was desolate shall...", so "iniquities" and "thus" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "iniquities" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.