Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37 records a vision in which a valley full of dry bones is restored to life as a sign of hope for exiled Israel.
Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones
The hand of the LORD brings Ezekiel out by the Spirit and sets him in the middle of a valley. Bones are everywhere, and the prophet is led among them. They are not recently dead bodies; the bones are described as very dry.
Ezekiel is asked whether these bones can live. He does not claim to know. He answers that God knows.
The prophet is commanded to speak to the bones. As he prophesies, there is a noise and rattling. Bones come together, tendons and flesh appear, and skin covers the bodies. Yet they still have no breath.
Ezekiel is then told to prophesy to the breath. Breath enters the bodies, they live, and they stand on their feet as an exceedingly great army.
The vision is not left uninterpreted. God explains that the bones represent the whole house of Israel. The people are saying that their bones are dried up, their hope is lost, and they are cut off.
Ezekiel is therefore told to announce that graves will be opened and the people will be brought back to the land of Israel. God’s Spirit will be placed within them, and they will live.
The vision uses resurrection-like imagery to address national exile and hopelessness. Whatever later theological connections readers make, Ezekiel 37 itself first identifies the dry bones with Israel’s despair and the new life with divine restoration.
Read the Original Account
This retelling is an original BibleVerses.com narrative. Read the primary biblical passages for the source account and full context.
Ezekiel 37:1–14
Ezekiel sees dry bones come together, receive breath, and live; the vision is interpreted for exiled Israel.
Related Bible Stories
Key Bible Passages
Ezekiel 37:1–14
Ezekiel sees dry bones come together, receive breath, and live; the vision is interpreted for exiled Israel.
What Happens in Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones?
Ezekiel 37 records a vision in which a valley full of dry bones is restored to life as a sign of hope for exiled Israel.
People in This Story
Where the Story Happens
Valley of Dry Bones
Visionary setting filled with very dry bones.
Babylonian Exile
Historical setting of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry.
Topics in This Story
Why This Story Matters
The chapter itself interprets the bones as “the whole house of Israel,” whose exilic despair is pictured as death and whose restoration is pictured as renewed life.
Historical and Literary Context
Ezekiel ministers among Judean exiles after Jerusalem’s collapse. The vision belongs to a section of the book that turns increasingly toward restoration after extensive judgment oracles.
Related Bible Stories
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Continue through the biblical story.
Citing This BibleVerses.com Research Guide
Citation styles vary by instructor and institution. These are convenient starting points; students should follow their assigned style guide.
“Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones.” BibleVerses.com, https://www.bibleverses.com/bible/stories/ezekiel-valley-dry-bones/. Accessed October 2, 2026.
BibleVerses.com. “Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones.” Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.bibleverses.com/bible/stories/ezekiel-valley-dry-bones/.
