Ezekiel 36:38 (ASV)

Passage

As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it.

Ezekiel 36:37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.

Ezekiel 36:38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flock", "sacrifice", "jerusalem", "appointed", "feasts", "shall", and "waste". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flock" and "sacrifice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah For this...", giving immediate footing for "flock" and "sacrifice". In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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