Ezekiel 36:1

  Ezekiel 36:1

Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

a. NLT: “Son of man, prophesy to Israel’s mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. YLT: And thou, son of man, prophesy unto mountains of Israel, and thou hast said, O mountains of Israel, hear a word of Jehovah. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Also you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Septuagint: And thou, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say to the mountains of Israel, Hear ye the word of the Lord: 

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Noe you, Son of Man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of HASHEM! [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ltd.]

1. “Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say…”

a. [Also] thou [Strong: 859 'attah at-taw' or (shortened); aatta {at-taw'}; or wath {ath}; feminine (irregular) sometimes nattiy {at-tee'}; plural masculine attem {at- tem'}; feminine atten {at-ten'}; or oattenah {at-tay'naw}; or fattennah {at-tane'-naw}; a primitive pronoun of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you:--thee, thou, ye, you.]

b. son [Strong: 1121 ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

c. of man [Strong: 120 'adam aw-dawm' from 119; ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.):--X another, + hypocrite, + common sort, X low, man (mean, of low degree), person.]

d. prophesy [Strong: 5012 naba' naw-baw' a primitive root; to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse):--prophesy(-ing), make self a prophet.] [Gesenius: to cause to bubble up, hence to pour forth words abundantly, as is done by those who speak with ardour or divine emotion of mind.]

1). Inspiration: God breathed.

a). 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

b). inspiration [theopneustos; theo-God; pneo-to breathe or blow) prompted by God, divinely inspired.

e. unto [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

f. [the] mountains [Strong: 2022 har har a shortened form of 2022; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X promotion.]

g. [of] Israel [Strong: 3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale' from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: --Israel.]

h. [and] say [Strong: 559 'amar aw-mar' a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

2. “…Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:”

a. [Ye] mountains [Strong: 2022 har har a shortened form of 2022; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X promotion.]

b. of Israel [Strong: 3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale' from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: --Israel.]

c. hear [Strong: 8085 shama` shaw-mah' a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

d. the word [Strong: 1697 dabar daw-baw' from 1696; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause:--act, advice, affair, answer, X any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment, X commune(-ication), + concern(-ing), + confer, counsel, + dearth, decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, + eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-)ness, + glory, + harm, hurt, + iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, X ought, X parts, + pertaining, + please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that, X there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings, what(-soever), + wherewith, which, word, work.]

e. of the LORD [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

1). Ezekiel was told to speak to a geographical area, the “mountains of Israel”. It is not strange that God would tell Ezekiel to prophesy to a geographical area. In the creation record of Genesis 1, the Lord spoke to the earth and to the water for it to do what he commanded it to do.

2). When that is accomplished then creation will respond.

a). Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

b). In Luke 19:40 Jesus said that if his disciples would hold their peace and not praise him, the rocks would cry out. 

3). This study will focus on “the mountains of Israel”. If you look at the area of the mountains of Israel and the area called the West Bank, they are almost entirely the same area.

a). The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands, Barry Beitzel, 1985 By Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, p33.”On the face of things, therefore, it seems unlikely that this stone mountain, ranging in width from 10-30 miles, should ever have been viewed as a political asset. Yet it is precisely this central spine, below the Jezreel valley, which is dubbed today, “the West Bank”, a phrase that conjures the notion of vital political interest.”

4). One of the groups dedicated to eliminating Israel out of this area and out of existence is the Islamic group Hamas. Ironically within the demonic religion of Islam is a writing that is repeated in the Hamas Covenant under Article 7 is the following: 

a). “The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said…The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind the stones and trees. The stones and trees will say, O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.” (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem). 

5). I must point out also that Mount Hermon, geographically in the Golan Heights above the Sea of Galilee are among the “mountains of Israel”. They also are part of the so called occupied territory though they are about 60 miles north. The Golan Heights were part of the original inheritance given to Israel, in particular, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 

a). Joshua 12:4-6 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

12:5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

12:6 Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.