Ezekiel 37:5

Ezekiel 37:5 is God's promise to breathe life into the lifeless: "I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live." Standing before a valley of dry bones, the prophet hears God announce what He alone can do. The bones cannot revive themselves; the breath must come from outside, from God. This echoes the very beginning, when God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul. What God did at creation, He promises to do again for a people who feel as good as dead.

The Hebrew word here, ruach, carries a rich range of meaning -- breath, wind, and spirit -- and the vision plays on all three. God will cause breath to enter the bones, and later His Spirit gives them life. The promise "ye shall live" is unconditional and certain, resting entirely on God's power and word. For exiles who had given up hope, this declared that their restoration was not a fragile possibility but God's settled purpose. The vision speaks of a nation brought back to life, and it also opens a window onto God's power over death itself. The same God who breathes life into dry bones is the God of resurrection, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that are not. Hope is never finally lost where this God is at work.