Bible Strands
Ezekiel 37:3
Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD addresses Ezekiel in a valley filled with scattered, dry bones, asking whether they can be restored to life. Ezekiel responds by deferring the answer to God alone.
The words — The phrase הֲ/תִחְיֶ֖ינָה (ha./tich.Yei.nah) translates literally to "will they live," framing the scene as a direct inquiry about the possibility of revival.
The thread — The theme of God's exclusive authority over life and death appears in Deuteronomy 32:39, John 5:21, and John 11:25. These passages trace the same theological line from Israel's covenant history to the New Testament revelation of Christ.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that restoration beyond human capacity belongs solely to God. It asks the reader to stop relying on visible conditions and submit the impossible to divine knowledge and power.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.
Cross-references
- John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
- John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
- Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
- Hebrews 11:19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.
- 1 Samuel 2:6 The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
- Acts 26:8 Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
- John 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”
- Deuteronomy 32:29 If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.