Ezekiel 36:11, commentary and pictures

God himself would gather scattered Israel home to their own land, multiply people and animals to increase and bear fruit, and settle them again in their former estates after the losses of captivity to bless them beyond their beginnings so they would know that he is the Lord. That restoration meant forgiving and cleansing sin, giving new hearts, rebuilding the waste cities, and making them a holy people and holy flock who know Jehovah as God. It was offered as a conditional promise for the return from Babylon that God would have fulfilled quickly and in greater measure if Israel had come to him with the whole heart in faith, obedience, repentance and shame for iniquity. Because they returned half-heartedly and would not obey his voice or forsake their sins, it was fulfilled only feebly and in small part, with fewer than fifty thousand returning short of the promised glory, prosperity and power. It will never be fulfilled in its literal form and original details, but belongs to spiritual Israel under the new covenant and will yet be fulfilled in glorious measure in Revelation 20 and 21 in the new heavens and new earth at the second coming.

Context and Promise

Ezekiel 36:11 stands among the prophecies of restoration, which chiefly bring consolation and promise. It belongs to a prophecy concerning Israel's mountains, land, and people. The chapter promises that God himself will bestow great blessings in Israel's salvation and bring glory to the land, city, and sanctuary.
The prophecy was given in 587 B.C. in connection with Judah's captivity. Jerusalem's full restoration came later under the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C.

The verse means that God himself will gather Israel rather than Israel gathering themselves. He will bring them back from where they are scattered, multiply them, and settle them again in their old estates to do better for them than at their beginnings. The multiplication is of man and beast, with increase and fruit, a resettling after their old estates following the losses of captivity, and a greater prosperity than before, so that the people will know the Lord. The blessings are what God would have given Israel if they had been faithful: to increase them, restore them to their former place, make their future better than their beginnings, cleanse them from sin, and make them great, so they would know that he is the Lord.

The promised restoration is a gathering of scattered Israel home to their own land. It includes forgiveness of sins, cleansing from sin, and the giving of new hearts. It includes the rebuilding of waste cities and the multiplying of people and animals with increase and fruitfulness. Those gathered and restored are made a holy people and a holy flock who know that Jehovah is God.

Conditional Offer Unfulfilled

Ezekiel 36:11 belongs to the conditional promises of Ezekiel 36-48 offered to Israel for the restoration from Babylon, which God would have fulfilled then, in a short time and in greater measure, if Israel had come to Him with all their hearts, yielded wholly to Him, and met His conditions of faith and obedience. That fulfillment depended on their truly repenting, turning from sins, being ashamed of iniquities, and putting away iniquities. Because they returned only half-heartedly, mingling with other nations and doing their deeds as seen in Ezra and Nehemiah, and would not obey His voice, God could not fulfill the promise to them as given. The prophecy would have been fulfilled if God's people had heeded the prophet, but it was never literally fulfilled in its full form.

In its full scope the promise meant increase of man and beast with resettlement in old estates, blessing beyond beginnings, and subduing of enemies in the detail of chapters 38 and 39. It included calling back the wandering ones scattered among the nations into their own land, dividing the land on a different plan, and building the new glorious temple with God's presence and great glory among His people. It included His dwelling among them, displaying His glory before the nations, giving victory over enemies, and conquering all the northern foes. Because Israel failed to meet God's requirements and was not ashamed of sins, the fullness of victory and temple could be only partial and small.

The promised increase, renewal, prosperity, glory, victory, and temple were therefore not fulfilled as described but only in small part, feebly and partially. The glorious temple was not built, and Zerubbabel's temple was only a lesser reflection. The feeble fulfillment is seen in that fewer than fifty thousand returned, and the restoration did not reach the promised glory, prosperity, and power beyond what had been known. That small return with the lesser temple, with forgiveness, new hearts, rebuilt waste cities, multiplied people and animals, increased fruitfulness, and a holy flock who would know that Jehovah is God, was the feeblest fulfillment because Israel failed to comply with the conditions. The limited return is also reckoned as only about forty thousand returning from captivity, so the promises were not fulfilled in their fullness.

Interpretation and Future Hope

The promise may be fulfilled in Israel's past national history, in Israel as the faithful people of faith, or in the natural descendants of Jacob in the future, but it is not to be reserved for the natural descendants and belongs with the new-covenant promises to spiritual Israel, the people of faith. To read Israel here as spiritual Israel is no less admissible than to read David in the adjoining prophecy as Christ, and the blessings to Jacob's descendants of increase and restoration to a better condition than before apply to the spiritual Israel of faith. The promises about Israel and the land will be fulfilled to living Israel at the beginning of the day of the Lord, before the resurrection of the just. The prophecy indicates that Jerusalem and the surrounding country will face the nations' final attack just before Christ comes.

The prophecy will never be fulfilled in its literal form and original setting and details. It was offered to Israel for the Babylonian restoration and would have been fulfilled then, with increase of man and beast, resettlement in old estates, blessing beyond beginnings, and subduing of enemies in chapters 38-39, if Israel had come to God with all their hearts, yielded to Him, and met His conditions of faith, obedience, true repentance, shame for iniquities, and putting away of iniquities. Because they returned half-heartedly, mingling with other nations and doing their deeds as shown in Ezra and Nehemiah, and would not obey His voice, the promised restoration did not come in its full form but only feebly and partially, the glorious temple was not built and Zerubbabel's temple was only a lesser reflection of it. The future glory promised to God's people will come to the faithful, though not according to every detail given for Israel's restoration.

All God promised concerning the restoration of His people will yet be fulfilled in glorious measure in Revelation 20 and 21, in the new heavens and new earth and at the second coming. The promise serves as a faint type of God's general promises to His people at the second coming and of His future restoration of the new heavens and new earth, not as a detailed prediction of their fulfillment. The verse shows Israel saved by the Lord transplanted over into the mountains of Israel in the new and beautiful world to come. There the majestic and widespread olive tree with its natural branches and noble scion will be transplanted and fill that world with its immortal fruit, and Jehovah will be as the dew unto Israel, causing growth as the lily with roots as Lebanon, with spreading branches, beauty as the olive tree, and blossoms and smell as Lebanon.