Ezekiel 36:35 (DBY)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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

Ezekiel 36:34 And the desolate land 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.

Ezekiel 36:36 And the nations that shall be left round about you shall know that I Jehovah build the ruined places [and] plant that which was desolate: I Jehovah have spoken, and I will do [it].

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "land", "desolate", "become", "like", "garden", "eden", and "waste". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "land", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "And the desolate land shall be tilled..." into verse 36's "And the nations that shall be left...", so "shall" and "land" 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 "shall" and "land" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.