But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.

EZEKIEL 36:8KJV
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Ezekiel 36:8 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 36:8 mean?

Ezekiel 36:8 promises that the land of Israel will become fruitful again, producing branches and fruit for the people of Israel, because the people are soon to return. The verse uses the image of mountains bringing forth growth to show that restoration and hope are coming after a time of desolation.

God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the land itself, addressing the "mountains of Israel" as if they can hear. The people of Israel had been exiled, and the land had become barren. Here, God assures that the land will be ready to welcome the returning people, reversing its former emptiness and showing God’s intention to restore both the land and the nation.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 36:8

  • "Mountains" (הָרִים, harim): This word refers to the physical highlands of Israel, but here it is used as a symbol for the whole land, emphasizing the promise is for the entire territory, not just a part.
  • "Branches" (עָנָף, anaf): The word for "branches" points to new growth and vitality, suggesting not just survival but abundant renewal.
  • "Yield" (נָשָׂא, nasa): This word can mean "to lift up" or "to bear," highlighting the idea that the land will actively produce fruit, not just passively exist.
  • "Fruit" (פְּרִי, peri): The term for "fruit" emphasizes the tangible results of restoration—real, physical blessings that the returning people will enjoy.
  • "At hand" (קָרוֹב, qarov): This word means "near" or "close," stressing the immediacy of the promise; the return and restoration are not distant hopes but soon to happen.

Why Ezekiel 36:8 matters

  • Ezekiel 36:8 corrects the idea that God had abandoned the land or the people forever; instead, it shows that God’s plans include renewal and return.
  • The verse shifts the focus from judgment to hope, marking a turning point in Ezekiel’s message where restoration becomes the main theme.
  • By addressing the land directly, the verse highlights the deep connection between the people of Israel and their land, a recurring theme throughout the book.

Where else these words appear

“branches” Hebrew H6057 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
  • Ezekiel 17:8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
  • Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

“fruit” Hebrew H6529 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:
  • Isaiah 37:30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.