Ezekiel 36:36 (KJV)

Passage

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate 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 become fenced, and are inhabited.

Ezekiel 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Ezekiel 36:37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired 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 holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heathen", "left", "round", "shall", "lord", "build", "ruined", and "places". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heathen" and "left", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "And they shall say This land that..." into verse 37's "Thus saith the Lord GOD I will...", so "heathen" and "left" 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 "heathen" and "left" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.