“Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 36:4 Mean?
God addresses the mountains of Israel directly — not the people. The mountains, hills, rivers, valleys, desolate wastes, and forsaken cities are told to hear the word. The land itself is the audience. And the word is: you've been prey and mockery to the surrounding nations. But that's about to change.
The personification of the landscape is deliberate: the land has suffered alongside the people. The mountains were mocked. The valleys were scorned. The desolate wastes became the subject of foreign ridicule. The nations looked at Israel's devastated geography and laughed. And God says to the geography: I hear the laughter. And I'm about to answer it.
Addressing the land instead of the people makes the restoration physical, not just spiritual. The mountains will be restored. The valleys will be filled. The desolate wastes will be inhabited. The cities that were forsaken will be rebuilt. The land that bore the shame will receive the glory.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is there 'desolate geography' in your life (ruined areas, forsaken spaces) that God might be addressing directly?
- 2.Does the mockery of your 'landscape' (what others see when they look at your situation) affect God's reputation?
- 3.How does God addressing the land (not just the people) make the restoration feel more comprehensive?
- 4.Does 'the mountains that were mocked will bear fruit' describe a restoration you're waiting for?
Devotional
Mountains of Israel — hear the word. Hills, rivers, valleys, ruins — listen. You've been mocked. That's ending.
God bypasses the people and speaks to the dirt. The mountains are the audience. The hills are told to hear. The rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, the forsaken cities — all of them addressed by name, all of them told to receive the word of the Lord GOD.
The land is addressed because the land suffered. When Israel was exiled, the mountains didn't move to Babylon. The valleys didn't relocate. The geography stayed — and absorbed the mockery. The surrounding nations looked at Israel's devastated landscape and sneered: this is the land of the LORD? This rubble? This wasteland? This is what the God of Israel produces?
The mockery of the land is the mockery of God. When the nations laugh at the mountains of Israel, they're laughing at the God who promised those mountains to His people. The geography carries the reputation. The desolation of the land is evidence against God's faithfulness — or so the nations think.
God's response: I hear the derision. And the mountains are about to answer it. Not through human reconstruction. Through divine restoration. The mountains will produce. The valleys will fill. The cities will be rebuilt. The desolate wastes will bloom. And the nations who mocked will be the nations who witness the reversal.
The land that bore the shame will bear the glory. The mountains that were mocked will be fruitful. And the word that goes to the geography — to the dirt, the rock, the rivers, the ruins — is: your desolation is not permanent. Your mockery is not the final word.
God speaks to your landscape. The ruined parts. The desolate wastes. The forsaken cities of your life. And the word is: restoration is coming. To the dirt itself.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord,.... As in Eze 36:1, here repeated to raise and quicken…
Therefore - thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, etc. - They shall neither possess mountain nor valley, hill nor…
The prophet had been ordered to set his face towards the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them, Eze 6:2. Then…
Cross References
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