Ezekiel 36:38 · Bible study
Ezekiel 36:38 Commentary: Why God Compares People to Sacrificial Flocks
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God promises to fill ruined cities with people like flocks for sacrifice. A study of restoration, holiness, and knowing Yahweh.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's repopulation of Israel is compared to the abundant flocks brought to Jerusalem for sacrifice, signifying both quantity and holiness.
- Key words: flock, sacrifice, appointed feasts, waste cities, know Yahweh.
- Main debate: Whether this refers to the literal restoration from Babylon, the Gospel age and the Church, or a future eschatological gathering.
- Theological theme: God's covenant faithfulness to restore His people for His name's sake, that He may be known.
- Best use: A powerful text for teaching on restoration, holiness, and the ultimate purpose of God's blessings, that we and the world may know Him.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so the waste cities will be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
As a flock of holy ones, as a flock of Jerusalem, In her appointed seasons, So are the waste cities full of flocks of men, And they have known that I am Jehovah!'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her set feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Como las ovejas santas, como las ovejas de Jerusalem en sus solemnidades, así las ciudades desiertas serán llenas de rebaños de hombres; y sabrán que yo soy Jehová.
Tal como as ovelhas santificadas, como as ovelhas de Jerusalém em suas solenidades, assim também as cidades desertas serão cheias de rebanhos de pessoas; e saberão que eu sou o SENHOR.
Les villes en ruines seront remplies de troupeaux d’ hommes, pareils aux troupeaux consacrés, aux troupeaux qu’ on amène à Jérusalem pendant ses fêtes solennelles. Et ils sauront que je suis l’ Éternel.
Wie eine heilige Herde, wie eine Herde zu Jerusalem auf ihren Festen, so sollen die verheerten Städte voll Menschenherden werden und sollen erfahren, daß ich der HERR bin.
Gelijk de geheiligde schapen, gelijk de schapen van Jeruzalem op hun gezette hoogtijden, alzo zullen de eenzame steden vol zijn van mensenkudden; en zij zullen weten, dat Ik de HEERE ben.
Come greggi di pecore consacrate, come greggi di Gerusalemme nelle sue feste solenni, così le città deserte saranno riempite di greggi d’uomini; e si conoscerà che io sono l’Eterno”.
Jako trzodę na ofiary, jako trzodę Jeruzalemską na święta jego uroczyste, tak spustoszone miasta będą napełnione trzodami ludzi; i dowiedzą się, żem Ja Pan.
Как много бывает жертвенных овец в Иерусалиме во время праздников его, так полны будут людьми опустелые города, и узнают, что Я Господь.
耶路撒冷 在守節 作祭 物 所獻的羊群怎樣多，照樣，荒涼 的城邑 必 被人 群 充滿。他們就知道 我 是耶和華。」
Like sheep for the offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem at her fixed feasts, so the unpeopled towns will be made full of men: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the core meaning of this verse. God promises to restore the wasted cities of Israel with such abundant populations that they resemble the great flocks of sacrificial animals brought to Jerusalem at the three annual feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Barnes notes two key ideas: the multiplication of people and their dedication to God's service. Gill emphasizes the holiness of the flock, set apart for sacred use, and points to the huge numbers given by King Josiah (30,000 lambs, 3,000 bulls) as a picture of this abundance. Wesley adds that the flocks were the best in quality and very great in number. Adam Clarke reads the entire chapter as a prophecy of the Gospel age, seeing the flock as the Church without spot or wrinkle. The Cambridge Bible stresses that God acts for His own name's sake, so that the nations may know He is Yahweh. The shared conviction is clear: God's restoration is not merely a return to the land, but a holy, abundant repopulation that proclaims His identity to the world.
For pastors and students, this grounds our hope in a God who not only rebuilds ruins but populates them with a people set apart for Him. The numbers matter, God's generosity is extravagant, but the holiness matters more. This is a flock for sacrifice, a people whose very existence testifies to God's saving work.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical restoration: Emphasizes the immediate post-exilic return, citing Ezra-Nehemiah as partial fulfillment; sees the 'flocks' as literal people repopulating the land.
- Typological / Christian fulfillment: Reads the passage as pointing to the Church as the new Israel, with the 'holy flock' being believers set apart for God; Adam Clarke and many Church fathers.
- Eschatological / future restoration: Expects a yet-future gathering of Israel to the land in a millennial kingdom, based on the unprecedented 'knowledge of Yahweh' and the new covenant context.
What is clear: God promises to fill the desolate cities with people, and the purpose is that they will know that He is Yahweh — a restoration that is both abundant and holy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation, literal vs. typological | The verse describes a future restoration of a people to the land of Israel, filling desolate cities. | Some (many Jewish and Protestant commentators) see it as the return from the Babylonian exile and later regatherings. Others (Adam Clarke and some Christian traditions) view it as a prophecy of the gathering of the Church under the Gospel. Premillennialists often apply it to a future millennial restoration. |
| Meaning of 'holy flock' | The flock is set apart for God, used for sacrifice at the feasts. | Whether the emphasis is on the animals themselves (literal sacrifice) or on the people as holy and consecrated (metaphorical). The Targum interprets it as 'holy people' while others hold to the literal sacrificial context as the basis for the image. |
| Condition and motivation for restoration | God is the sole agent; He does it for His own name's sake and not for Israel's merit. | Some stress that God acts out of covenant faithfulness to Abraham (a promise made), while others emphasize His desire to be known among the nations (a missional motivation). Both are present in the chapter. |
| Timing, past or future? | God's promise will certainly be fulfilled. | Whether it was completely fulfilled in the post-exilic period (return under Ezra and Nehemiah) or awaits a greater fulfillment. Many note that the full 'knowledge of Yahweh' and the new heart promised earlier (v.26-27) seem to surpass what was realized in the Second Temple period. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel prophesied to a people in exile. The land of Israel lay desolate, its cities wasted, its fields untilled (Ezekiel 36:34). The surrounding nations mocked, assuming Israel's God was too weak to defend His people (Ezekiel 36:20). Into this despair, God announced a restoration so complete that the land would be called "like the garden of Eden" (Ezekiel 36:35). Our verse is the climax of that promise.
The comparison to sacrificial flocks at Jerusalem's feasts would have struck deep. Three times each year every Israelite male was required to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) (Exodus 23:17; Deuteronomy 16:16). These were the great national pilgrimages, times when the city swelled with worshippers and the livestock they brought for offerings. Second Chronicles 35:7 records that King Josiah alone gave "of the flock, lambs and young goats, all of them for the Passover offerings, to all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand." The image was one of overwhelming numbers and dedicated purpose.
By using this image for repopulation, God promises not just any people, but a holy people, "flocks of men" who are like the animals set apart for sacrifice. They will fill the wasted cities as worshippers once filled Jerusalem. And the purpose of it all is that they "will know that I am Yahweh." This was not for Israel's sake alone; God was vindicating His name among the nations who had doubted Him (Ezekiel 36:22-23). The historical setting of exile and shame becomes the stage for a restoration that proclaims God's power and holiness to the whole world.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 36:38. The verse is stable across the manuscript traditions, with minimal differences in translation (e.g., "holy flock" in KJV, ASV, YLT, Darby, Douay vs. "flock for sacrifice" in WEB and BSB). These reflect legitimate options in rendering the Hebrew phrase but do not affect the overall meaning. The image of a flock consecrated for sacred use is consistent across all versions.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, the Targum interpreted the "holy flock" as a cleansed people coming to Jerusalem at the feasts, a corporate transformation rather than a literal animal sacrifice. Early Christian writers saw in this verse a type of the Church gathered from exile into the new Jerusalem. Adam Clarke, writing in the 19th century, explicitly applied the entire chapter to the Gospel age, calling it a prophecy of redemption through Christ. Reformation-era commentators like Calvin and the Geneva Bible focused on God's faithfulness to His covenant and the vindication of His name among the nations. In more recent centuries, this passage has been read in both premillennial and amillennial frameworks, with the shared emphasis on God's power to restore life where there was desolation. The image of the "flock" has also been echoed in hymns about pilgrimage and worship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Abundant restoration: God promises to fill the waste cities with "flocks of men", not a trickle but a flood of people, as Jerusalem was flooded with flocks at the feasts.
- Holy restoration: The flock is "for sacrifice," set apart for God. The restored people are not just numerous; they are consecrated to serve Him.
- Revealing restoration: The result is knowledge of Yahweh. God's work of rebuilding and repopulating makes Himself known to His people and the watching nations.
Five-point outline
- The desolate cities, God sees the waste places, the ruins of exile.
- The flock imagery, Numbers and dedication combine: God’s people are both many and holy.
- The connection to Jerusalem's feasts, A reminder of the covenant community gathered to worship.
- The filling, God fills the empty spaces with people, reversing the curse of desolation.
- The knowledge of Yahweh, The ultimate goal: God is known and honored as He is.
Illustration hooks
- A packed stadium: Imagine the roar of a full arena on championship night. That sense of overwhelming numbers and collective energy mirrors the abundant filling God promises, but here the crowd is holy, gathered for worship.
- A family reunion after years of separation: After exile, relatives scattered far and wide finally return. The joy of seeing empty chairs filled, the laughter and tears, that is a small picture of what God does for His people.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is God's restoration just about material blessing, or is there a spiritual purpose?
- How does God filling the land with people relate to my own sense of emptiness or isolation?
- What does it mean for my life to be part of "a holy flock" set apart for God?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the climax of a powerful promise. God has already said He will give His people a new heart and put His Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Now He declares that He will fill the desolate cities with people, not any people, but a flock set apart for sacrifice, like the worshippers who streamed into Jerusalem at the appointed feasts. The goal is that they will know Yahweh. As you discuss, consider how God's restoration always aims at relationship and holiness.
Discussion questions
- Read Ezekiel 36:35-37. What does the comparison to the garden of Eden tell you about the kind of restoration God promises?
- Why do you think God uses the image of sacrificial flocks rather than a different image like a growing army or a fruitful vine?
- What does the phrase "flocks of men" suggest about the quantity and quality of the restored population? How does that challenge or encourage you?
- The verse mentions "Jerusalem in her appointed feasts." Look up Deuteronomy 16:16 and 2 Chronicles 35:7. What did those feasts involve? How does that background deepen the meaning?
- The final phrase is "Then they will know that I am Yahweh." How does God's act of restoration lead to knowledge of Him? What kind of knowing is this, head knowledge or something more?
- In what areas of your life or your church community do you see "waste places" that need God's filling? How does this verse shape your prayers for those situations?
- How can we as believers live as a "holy flock", set apart for God, in a world that does not recognize Him?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 23:17 | Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh. |
| Exodus 34:23 | Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. |
| Deuteronomy 16:16 | Three times in a year all of your males shall appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before Yahweh empty. |
| I Kings 8:63 | Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Yahweh, twenty two thousand head of cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated Yahweh’s house. |
| II Chronicles 7:8 | So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt. |
| II Chronicles 30:21 | The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh. |
| II Chronicles 30:27 | Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven. |
| II Chronicles 35:7 | Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and young goats, all of them for the Passover offerings, to all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls. These were of the king’s substance. |
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 insists this chapter describes not the return from Babylon but redemption through Christ, a salvation no Jewish historical event fulfills. He urges Christians to disregard Jewish objections, to plead God's promises earnestly, and to proclaim a full, present salvation to the world.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the holy flock as a reference to the flocks brought to Jerusalem for consecration and offering
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 note draws a specific contrast: once-desolate cities will be as crowded with people as Jerusalem was packed with flocks during its solemn feasts. That future abundance of inhabitants will serve as a direct sign that the Lord has acted.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill compares the future restoration of Israel's cities to the massive flocks of consecrated sheep brought to Jerusalem for the solemn feasts, especially the Passover. The people filling those cities will be like such sheep: meek, harmless, clean, and set apart as holy, not like unclean beasts. Both the quantity and the holy character of the inhabitants are what Gill emphasizes.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
As the holy flock —the great flock of choice animals for sacrifice, brought up to Jerusalem at the three great yearly festivals, the passover, pentecost, and feast of the tabernacles.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats the mountains of Israel as symbols of God's enduring promise, not mere geography. The restoration comes solely because God acts to sanctify His own name, not because of any worth in Israel. Thus the prophecy centers on divine self-sanctification rather than human need.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes these flocks are not ordinary but set apart for holy use, the best in quality and very great in number for the solemn feasts. He draws a parallel: human multiplication in restored Judea is honorable when all are dedicated to God as a holy flock, presented as living sacrifices. Crowds are a lovely sight in God's temple.