Ezekiel 36:35 (WEB)

Passage

They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:33 “‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the waste places will be built.

Ezekiel 36:34 The land that was desolate will be tilled instead of being a desolation in the sight of all who passed by.

Ezekiel 36:35 They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

Ezekiel 36:36 Then the nations that are left around you will know that I, Yahweh, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate. I, Yahweh, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

Ezekiel 36:37 “‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "land", "desolate", "become", "like", "garden", "eden", and "waste". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "land" and "desolate", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "The land that was desolate will be..." into verse 36's "Then the nations that are left around...", so "land" and "desolate" 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 "land" and "desolate" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.