Ezekiel 36:37-38
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It's easy to skim over the phrase "I will yet for this be inquired of" and miss that God is promising not only to bless Israel, but to invite and enable their prayer for that blessing. This highlights that even future abundant growth isn't just passively received; it's actively sought and entered into through communion with Him.
“Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophecy has just detailed a radical cleansing and spiritual renewal for Israel, promising a new heart and spirit. Now, God emphasizes that even with all these amazing promises of restoration and future blessing, the people must still actively seek Him for these very things. This isn't a passive event; they will need to pray and ask for this promised increase, and God will grant it, making them numerous like a thriving flock.
Ever feel like your prayers aren't being heard? Ezekiel’s prophecy reveals a shift in God’s response to His people, linking purification with open ears.
In this passage, God declares He will 'yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel.' This isn't just a casual remark; it's a profound shift.
A Clean Slate, An Open Ear
Previously, Israel's sin had built a wall between them and God, hindering their prayers (Ezekiel 14:3, 20:3). But after the promised cleansing and new heart (Ezekiel 36:25-26), God promises to listen.
Prayer Honors God's Promises
It’s a beautiful paradox: God makes a promise, and then He wants us to pray for its fulfillment! This isn't because God needs our reminders, but because prayer:
When we bring God's own promises back to Him in prayer, we are engaging in a sacred conversation that honors His character and our relationship with Him.
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Why compare a multiplying nation to sheep? This imagery speaks volumes about God's intention for His people – not just more people, but a distinct kind of community.
The promise of increase is vivid: 'to increase their people like a flock.' This isn't just about raw numbers, but about the nature of that growth and the people themselves.
Abundant and Visible Growth
Sheep, especially in ancient times, were known for their rapid multiplication when conditions were favorable. This imagery paints a picture of:
A Holy and Dedicated Increase
While the image is of a natural flock, the context in Ezekiel suggests something more. The restored people are to be like a flock destined for holy purposes – a 'holy flock' (as Benson notes, like sheep for sacrifice) presented back to God.
This means their multiplication isn't just for earthly power, but for a spiritual purpose: to become a people dedicated to living out God’s ways, filling the land not just with bodies, but with devoted worshippers.
Understand the original words
Adonay YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The sovereign Master; a title used for God emphasizing His authority and rightful ownership over all creation, frequently used in combination with YHWH.
Yisra'el · Hebrew Noun
The community of faith, descendants of the patriarch Jacob; God's chosen people with whom He established a covenant, though often prone to rebellion and subject to discipline.
zebach · Hebrew Noun
An animal set apart to be killed as an offering to God, primarily for atonement, thanksgiving, or fellowship; it prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
mo'ed · Hebrew Noun
Set times or specific seasons appointed by God for His people to gather for worship, rest, and remembrance of His mighty works, such as the three annual pilgrim festivals.
Ezekiel speaks during the darkest days of the Babylonian exile, a time when the house of Israel felt abandoned and their numbers drastically reduced. This verse offers a profound message of hope, assuring them that even in their brokenness, God desires their return to Him through prayer, leading to a promised future of abundant increase, echoing the hope found in the post-exilic community's rebuilding.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, deports King Jehoiachin and a significant portion of Jerusalem's elite to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, exiling the remaining population. This event plunges Judah into despair and prompts prophetic pronouncements of judgment and future restoration.
c. 580-570 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry in Exile
Ezekiel, living among the exiles in Babylon, receives visions and prophecies from God. He addresses the people's despair, confronts their sins, and proclaims a future of restoration and renewed covenant.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, opening the door for the exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homeland.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return from exile.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Reforms
Ezra leads another group of exiles back to Jerusalem and institutes religious and social reforms, emphasizing adherence to the Law. This period sees a focus on rebuilding the community's spiritual life.
This passage echoes the promise of multiplying the people of Israel, specifically mentioning that they will be sown in their land, fulfilling the idea of a great increase and abundance like a flock.
Hosea 1:10This verse directly parallels the imagery of Israel's numbers becoming so vast that they can no longer be counted, likening them to the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky, much like the flock imagery in Ezekiel.
Psalms 102:13-14This psalm speaks of God establishing Zion and having compassion on her when the appointed time comes, noting that His servants will take pity on her stones and that her time to be rebuilt and favored has come, linking divine action with the people's future prosperity and increase.
Matthew 9:36When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were distressed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd, highlighting the 'flock' imagery and the compassionate desire for their increase and care.
Acts 2:41This verse describes a massive increase in believers following Peter's sermon, showing that on a single day about three thousand souls were added to the church, illustrating the kind of multiplying increase God brings about.
bensonEzekiel 36:37: "Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock."
Ezekiel 36:37-38 . I will yet be inquired of by the house of Israel — The house of Israel must, 1st, Pray for these blessings; for by prayer God is sought unto and inquired after. What is the matter of God’s promises, must be the matter of our prayers. By asking for the mercy promised, we give glory to the donor, express our value of…
clarkeEzekiel 36:37: "Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock."
Thus saith the Lord God - In answer to the question, "Who shall have such blessings?" we say, they that pray, that seek earnestly, that strive to enter in at the strait gate. "Thus saith the Lord, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel." Neither Jew nor Gentile shall be thus saved who do not earnestly pray to God;…
It's easy to skim over the phrase "I will yet for this be inquired of" and miss that God is promising not only to bless Israel, but to invite and enable their prayer for that blessing. This highlights that even future abundant growth isn't just passively received; it's actively sought and entered into through communion with Him.
The prophecy has just detailed a radical cleansing and spiritual renewal for Israel, promising a new heart and spirit. Now, God emphasizes that even with all these amazing promises of restoration and future blessing, the people must still actively seek Him for these very things. This isn't a passive event; they will need to pray and ask for this promised increase, and God will grant it, making them numerous like a thriving flock.
The prophecy has just detailed a radical cleansing and spiritual renewal for Israel, promising a new heart and spirit. Now, God emphasizes that even with all these amazing promises of restoration and future blessing, the people must still actively seek Him for these very things. This isn't a passive event; they will need to pray and ask for this promised increase, and God will grant it, making them numerous like a thriving flock.
"“Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste citi…" — It's easy to skim over the phrase "I will yet for this be inquired of" and miss that God is promising not only to bless Israel, but to invite and enable their prayer for that blessing. This highl…
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Last reviewed October 2026
