Ezekiel 36:37 · Bible study
Ezekiel 36:37 Commentary: Inquiring of God for His Promises
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God promises restoration but requires His people to seek Him in prayer. Discover the interplay of divine sovereignty and human inquiry in Ezekiel 36:37.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God promises restoration but requires His people to seek Him earnestly in prayer before He fulfills it.
- Key words: “Inquired of”, to seek God with earnest prayer, pleading His promises.
- Main debate: Is prayer a condition for fulfillment or a God-ordained means? Commentators see it as duty and privilege.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty and human responsibility in prayer; prayer as participation in God’s redemptive plan.
- Best use: Teaching the necessity and privilege of praying for God’s promised blessings.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“‘The Lord Yahweh says: “For this, moreover, I will be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.
KJV King James Version 1769
Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: 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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Yet this I am required, By the house of Israel to do to them, I multiply them as a flock of men,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it unto them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover in this shall the house of Israel find me, that I will do it for them: I will multiply them as a flock of men,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: Aun seré solicitado de la casa de Israel, para hacerles esto: multiplicarélos de hombres á modo de rebaños.
Assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Ainda permitirei serei buscado pela casa de Israel para lhes fazer isto: eu os multiplicarei de pessoas como a ovelhas.
Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Voici encore sur quoi je me laisserai fléchir par la maison d’ Israël, voici ce que je ferai pour eux; je multiplierai les hommes comme un troupeau.
So spricht der Herr HERR: Auch darin will ich mich vom Hause Israel finden lassen, daß ich es ihnen erzeige: ich will die Menschen bei ihnen mehren wie eine Herde.
Alzo zegt de Heere HEERE: Daarenboven zal Ik hierom van het huis Israels verzocht worden, dat Ik het hun doe; Ik zal ze vermenigvuldigen van mensen, als schapen.
Così parla il Signore, l’Eterno: Anche in questo mi lascerò supplicare dalla casa d’Israele, e glielo concederò: io moltiplicherò loro gli uomini come un gregge.
Tak mówi panujący Pan: Jeszcze tego będzie u mnie szukał dom Izraelski, abym to im uczynił, abym ich rozmnożył w ludzi jako trzodę.
Так говорит Господь Бог: вот, еще и в том явлю милость Мою дому Израилеву, умножу их людьми как стадо.
「主 耶和華 如此 說：我要加增 以色列 家 的人數，多如羊群。他們必 為這事 向我求問，我要給他們 成就。
This is what the Lord has said: The children of Israel will again make prayer to me for this, that I may do it for them; I will make them increased with men like a flock.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Across the commentaries, a clear picture emerges: God's promise of restoration does not bypass human participation. Adam Clarke insists that 'neither Jew nor Gentile shall be thus saved who do not earnestly pray to God; and for this thing.' Gill adds that 'though God has promised and will perform, yet he expects that his people will apply to him for it.' Barnes connects this to the people's purification: 'Their sin had prevented God’s hearing them. Now their purification opens God’s ears to their words.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown contrasts this with earlier refusals (Ezekiel 14:3; 20:3) when inquirers were unfit. Now God prepares hearts to pray aright (Ezekiel 36:26). Wesley echoes the pattern: 'Though I have repeated so often my promise to do this, yet it is their duty to intreat it, to wait on me, and then I will do it.' The commentators agree that prayer is not optional; it is the ordained channel for receiving what God has freely pledged.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God will be sought by His people before He fulfills His promised restoration, and He will answer by multiplying them like a flock.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The relationship between God's sovereignty and human prayer | God sovereignly promises and ordains prayer as the means of receiving the blessing. | Some traditions emphasize prayer as a condition for fulfillment (Arminian emphasis), while others see it as a means ordained by God's decree (Calvinistic emphasis). |
| The meaning of 'inquired of' | It involves earnest, persistent prayer, not casual asking. | Whether it includes specific forms such as pleading the promises, fasting, or simply faithful prayer. |
| The fulfillment of this promise | Ultimately points to spiritual restoration of God's people and the glory of His name. | Whether it has a literal fulfillment in a future Jewish restoration or is fulfilled spiritually in the church across history. |
| The role of the nations | God's name is known through the restoration of His people. | Whether the nations are merely witnesses or also recipients of salvation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 36 sits in the heart of the prophet's vision of Israel's restoration after judgment. The nation had been carried into Babylon because of idolatry and bloodshed (Ezekiel 36:17-18), scattering God's people among the nations and bringing dishonor on His name (v.20-21). Now God declares He will act for His own name's sake: cleanse them, give a new heart and Spirit, restore the land, and make it like the garden of Eden (vv.25-36). But then comes verse 37, which seems to pause the flow: 'I will be inquired of by the house of Israel.' In the ancient world, to 'inquire of the Lord' often meant seeking an oracle in the sanctuary or through a prophet. But with the temple destroyed, prayer became the primary means of seeking God. The cross-references show this pattern: Psalm 10:17, 'You have heard the desire of the humble'; Jeremiah 29:13, 'You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.' The exiles in Babylon learned to pray (Daniel 6, 9). The promise of restoration was not a mechanical fulfillment; it required the people to cry out. This fits the broader biblical rhythm: God works through means, and prayer is the means by which His people participate in His redemptive plan. The image of a flock (v.38) ties back to Ezekiel 34, where God promises to be the Shepherd of His people. So the historical context shows a people being shaped by exile to become a praying people, and the promise of restoration is the answer to their prayers.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew phrase translated “I will be inquired of” is consistent across major manuscripts. Minor differences in English renderings (e.g., “find me” in Douay) reflect translation choices for the same underlying text.
Reception History
This verse has been cherished across traditions as a key text on the necessity of prayer. In the Reformed tradition, it has been used to teach that prayer is a means of grace and a sign of the new heart. In the Wesleyan tradition, it has been emphasized as a call to earnest prayer for full salvation. Matthew Henry saw it as a duty to ‘put the Lord in mind of His promises.’ In modern times, it is often cited in sermons on revival, urging believers to pray for what God has already pledged. The verse also resonates in hymns that speak of seeking God for His blessings, and it remains a pastoral comfort that God invites our prayers even as He works sovereignly.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's Commitment: He promises to restore and multiply, but He does not act in isolation from His people.
- The Necessary Response: God requires His people to seek Him in prayer, not because He needs information, but because He has ordained prayer as the means of blessing.
- The Great Result: When God acts in response to prayer, He fills the waste cities with ‘flocks of men,’ showing His glory to the nations.
Five-point outline
- The Context: God has just promised cleansing, new heart, Spirit, fruitfulness.
- The Surprise: Instead of immediate fulfillment, God says “I will yet for this be inquired of.”
- The Reason: Prayer aligns the people’s hearts with God’s purposes and purifies their motives.
- The Promise: “I will increase them with men like a flock”, abundance, security, beauty.
- The Ultimate Goal: “Then they will know that I am Yahweh” (v.38).
Illustration hooks
- A child who is promised a birthday present but must wait and ask for it directly, learning to trust and communicate with the parent.
- A coach who tells the team a strategy but expects them to call the plays on the field; they must actively engage.
- A gardener who plants seeds but then waits and waters, watching growth.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God has already decided what He will do, why does He want me to pray?
- How can I pray for things God has already promised, without doubting?
- What does it mean to ‘inquire of the Lord’ in my daily life?
Leading a Discussion
This verse presents a paradox that runs through Scripture: God sovereignly promises blessing, yet He commands His people to ask. It forces us to examine our view of prayer. Is it just telling God our needs, or is it a partnership where God invites us into His work?
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does this verse say about God’s initiative? About human response?
- Interpretation: Why do you think God wants to be ‘inquired of’? What does that reveal about His character?
- Connection: Read Jeremiah 29:11-13. How does that passage echo Ezekiel 36:37?
- Application: How does this shape your approach to praying for things God has already promised (e.g., salvation of loved ones, revival)?
- Reflection: Is there an area where you have stopped asking God for something, assuming He will do it anyway? How might this verse change that?
- Community: How can we as a group encourage one another to be people who ‘inquire of the Lord’?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 10:17 | Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear, |
| Psalms 102:17 | He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer. |
| Isaiah 55:6 | Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. |
| Isaiah 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. |
| Jeremiah 29:11 | For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. |
| Jeremiah 29:13 | You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. |
| Jeremiah 50:4 | “In those days, and in that time,” says Yahweh, “the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together; they will go on their way weeping, and will seek Yahweh their God. |
| Jeremiah 50:5 | They will inquire concerning Zion with their faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, and join yourselves to Yahweh in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.’ |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that God's promised blessings are not handed out automatically; they come only through earnest prayer, earnest seeking, and striving to enter the narrow gate. He applies this to both Jew and Gentile: complete salvation and Christ's kingdom in the soul require God's people to inquire of Him for it.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws a direct link between moral condition and divine attendance: sin had closed God's ears to their prayers, and their purification reopened them. For him, the cleansing is what restores the hearing, not mere verbal repetition.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator emphasizes that God redeems Israel not for their sake but to vindicate His holy name before the nations. The ultimate goal of all history is God revealing His power and moral rule to the world through Israel's dispersion and restoration. The passage's sequence of forgiveness, regeneration, and the Spirit closely parallels Paul's teachings in Romans.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that God will not bless His people until they seek Him. Their increase like a flock depends on their earnest prayer. God promises to be found by those who search for Him, then responds with abundant multiplication.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that even though God has made firm promises, He still expects His people to ask and plead for their fulfillment. Prayer is not optional but a duty God requires before He acts. The promise of a great increase, like a growing flock, depends on this inquiring of the Lord.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that God will first prepare His people's hearts to pray rightly for the blessings He intends to give, in contrast to earlier times when He refused their petitions because they were unfit to receive them. The restoration will include both divine prompting and the proper posture of asking.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the promises to the mountains of Israel must be read as symbols pointing to Christ and the Church, not as a literal restoration of the land to ethnic Israel. He insists that true fulfillment comes in spiritual renewal through the Holy Spirit, not in a future earthly kingdom.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that even after God has repeatedly promised to act, it remains the people's duty to ask, to wait on Him, and only then will He fulfill His word. The promise does not cancel the need for earnest prayer.