And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

EZEKIEL 37:6KJV
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Ezekiel 37:6 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 37:6 mean?

Ezekiel 37:6 describes God’s promise to restore life to something that was dead, using the image of dry bones being covered with sinews, flesh, and skin, and then given breath so they live again. The verse shows that when this happens, people will recognize that it is the LORD who has done it.

In this scene, God is speaking to the prophet Ezekiel, who is shown a valley full of dry bones as a vision about the people of Israel in exile. God explains that He will bring these bones back to life, step by step, as a sign of hope and restoration for His people who feel cut off and hopeless.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 37:6

  • sinews (גִּידִים, gidim): This word refers to tendons or ligaments, the connective tissue that holds the body together. Its use here emphasizes the detailed, step-by-step process of restoration, not just a vague return to life.
  • breath (רוּחַ, ruach): This Hebrew word can mean breath, wind, or spirit. In this verse, it highlights that true life comes not just from physical restoration, but from God’s own life-giving power.
  • live (חָיָה, chayah): This verb means “to live” or “to come to life.” The promise is not just animation, but a full return to life and vitality.
  • know (יָדַע, yada): This word means “to know” in a deep, experiential way. The restoration is meant to lead to a real recognition of God’s identity and power.

Why Ezekiel 37:6 matters

  • Ezekiel 37:6 clarifies that the restoration God promises is both physical and spiritual, involving not just bodies but also the breath or spirit that truly makes them alive.
  • The verse emphasizes that the purpose of this miracle is so people will “know that I am the LORD,” showing that God’s actions are meant to reveal His character and power.
  • In the larger context of Ezekiel 37, this verse is part of the famous “valley of dry bones” vision, which reassures a discouraged people that God can bring hope and renewal even in situations that seem beyond repair.

Where else these words appear

“cover” Hebrew H7159 · used in 2 verses

  • Ezekiel 37:8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

“sinews” Hebrew H1517 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
  • Job 10:11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.
  • Isaiah 48:4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

“skin” Hebrew H5785 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
  • Leviticus 13:12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
  • Leviticus 13:59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.