Passage
“Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children,”
Ezekiel 36:13 (LSB)
Nearby Context
Ezekiel 36:11 I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will multiply and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.
Ezekiel 36:12 And I will cause men—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’
Ezekiel 36:13 “Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children,”
Ezekiel 36:14 therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares Lord Yahweh.
Ezekiel 36:15 I will not let you hear dishonor from the nations anymore, nor will you bear reproach from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to stumble any longer,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "thus", "says", "lord", "yahweh", "devourer", "bereaved", "nation", and "children". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And I will cause men My people..." into verse 14's "therefore you will no longer devour men...", so "thus" and "says" 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 "thus" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.