Ezekiel 37:8 (DRB)

Passage

And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to grow over you, and will cover you with skin: and I will give you spirit and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 37:7 And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a commotion: and the bones came together, each one, its joint.

Ezekiel 37:8 And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.

Ezekiel 37:9 And he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus saith the Lord God: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, and let them live again.

Ezekiel 37:10 And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "behold", "sinews", "flesh", "came", "upon", "skin", and "stretched". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "behold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And I prophesied as he had commanded..." into verse 9's "And he said to me Prophesy to...", so "Spirit" and "behold" 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 "Spirit" and "behold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.