Ezekiel 36:34 (GNV)

Passage

And the desolate land shalbe tilled, whereas it lay waste in the sight of all that passed by.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:32 Be it knowen vnto you that I do not this for your sakes, sayth the Lord God: therefore, O ye house of Israel, be ashamed, and confounded for your owne wayes.

Ezekiel 36:33 Thus sayth the Lord God, What time as I shall haue clensed you from all your iniquities, I will cause you to dwel in the cities, and the desolate places shalbe builded.

Ezekiel 36:34 And the desolate land shalbe tilled, whereas it lay waste in the sight of all that passed by.

Ezekiel 36:35 For they sayd, This waste land was like the garden of Eden, and these waste and desolate and ruinous cities were strong, and were inhabited.

Ezekiel 36:36 Then the residue of the heathen that are left round about you, shall know that I the Lord builde the ruinous places, and plant the desolate places: I the Lord haue spoken it, and wil do it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "desolate", "land", "shalbe", "tilled", "whereas", "waste", "sight", and "passed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "desolate" and "land", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 33's "Thus sayth the Lord God What time..." into verse 35's "For they sayd This waste land was...", so "desolate" 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 "desolate" and "land" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.