Passage
The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
Ezekiel 36:34 (LSB)
Nearby Context
Ezekiel 36:32 I am not doing this for your sake,” declares Lord Yahweh, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and feel dishonor for your ways, O house of Israel!”
Ezekiel 36:33 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt.
Ezekiel 36:34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
Ezekiel 36:35 And they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’
Ezekiel 36:36 Then the nations that remain all around you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, Yahweh, have spoken and will do it.”
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "desolate", "land", "cultivated", "instead", "desolation", "sight", "everyone", and "passes". 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 says Lord Yahweh On the day..." into verse 35's "And they will say This desolate land...", 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.