The dry bones in Ezekiel's vision symbolize the whole house of Israel—a people scattered among the nations, without hope, whom God promises to bring back to life and to their own land.
In Ezekiel 37:11 God says, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel." The vision pictures Israel's long dispersion and hopelessness, and then God opening their graves and putting His Spirit in them (Ezekiel 37:12-14). Les Feldick teaches that this prophecy is partly fulfilled today as Jews return to the land, but the breath—spiritual life—has not yet come (Clip 4).
Ezekiel 37:11 — This verse gives the explicit interpretation: the dry bones are the whole house of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:14 — This verse states God's purpose: to put His Spirit in Israel and place them in their own land.
Ezekiel 37 opens with the prophet set down "in the midst of the valley which was full of bones." The bones were "very many" and "very dry" (Ezekiel 37:1-2). When Ezekiel prophesied as commanded, "there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone" (Ezekiel 37:7). Flesh and skin came upon them, but "there was no breath in them" (Ezekiel 37:8). At God's command, Ezekiel prophesied to the wind, and "the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army" (Ezekiel 37:10). God then explains the vision: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts" (Ezekiel 37:11). The Lord promises, "I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:12), and "shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land" (Ezekiel 37:14).
Les Feldick explains that Ezekiel's dry bones are a vision—a symbolic picture—of the whole house of Israel. He emphasizes that the bones were "very dry" because they had been there for a long time, bleached white (Clip 0, Clip 1). The vision is not about dead individuals; it is a picture of the nation of Israel scattered among the Gentile nations, away from the land of promise, with no hope of ever having a homeland again (Clip 2, Clip 5, Clip 7). Les points to the interpretation in Ezekiel 37:11—"these bones are the whole house of Israel"—and notes that Israel's own words describe their condition: "our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off" (Clip 3, Clip 4). He stresses that Israel out of the land is "a nothing": without a temple, without a priesthood, without an altar, and hopelessly out of touch with God (Clip 6). God even refers to the places where Israel has lived among the Gentiles as "graves" (Clip 6). According to Les, this prophecy is not just past history. He sees the bones coming together—Israel's return to the land—as something happening in our own lifetime, beginning in the late 1890s with the Jewish dream of a homeland (Clip 7) and continuing in the modern return of Jews to Israel (Clip 2, Clip 5). However, he is careful to say that while the bones have come together and skin has come on them, the breath has not yet been breathed into them—Israel is still spiritually dead (Clip 4). The full fulfillment awaits the future when God puts His Spirit in them and places them in their own land.
In the vision, Ezekiel says the bones were "very dry" (Ezekiel 37:2). Les explains that this means "they've been there for a long time. They're bleached" (Clip 0). That dryness pictures Israel's condition after being out of the land for thousands of years—"almost without hope" (Clip 3).
God tells Ezekiel that He will open Israel's graves and bring them up out of those graves (Ezekiel 37:12). Les identifies those graves as the Gentile nations where Israel has been scattered: "Israel out of the land is a nothing... without a temple, without a priesthood, without an altar," and "the Word of God refers to these habitations in the Gentile areas as graves" (Clip 6).
Les sees the bones coming together as a picture of what has been happening in Israel's return to the land: "the nation of Israel coming back out of their dispersion, as we've been seeing them do now for the last 30, 40, 50 years" (Clip 4). He says the prophecy that the dispersed of Israel "will one day be brought back to life... back to the land" is something we have seen in our own time (Clip 2). But he adds, "as yet the breath hasn't been breathed into them, they're still spiritually dead" (Clip 4).
Les repeatedly emphasizes that the dry bones account is a "vision" and "just simply a symbolic picture" (Clip 1). Yet he is clear that the symbolism points to a literal reality: "these bones are the whole house of Israel" (Clip 3, Clip 4). The vision uses dry bones and graves as symbols, but the subject is the literal nation of Israel.
The Vision of Dried, Bleached Bones
Les shows that the dry bones are a vision Ezekiel saw, and "very dry" simply means the bones have been there a long time and are bleached.
A Symbolic Vision, Not Literal
Les explains that the valley of well-bleached dry bones is a symbolic picture; as Ezekiel prophesies, the bones shake and come together.
The Dispersed of Israel Brought Back to Life
Les identifies the dry bones as the nation of Israel that has been dispersed among the Gentiles with no hope, and says the prophecy is being fulfilled in our own time as Israel comes back to the land.
The Bones Are the Whole House of Israel
Les highlights the interpretation in Ezekiel 37:11: the bones are the whole house of Israel, who say their hope is lost and they are cut off, having been out of the land for thousands of years.
Returned to the Land but Still Spiritually Dead
Les maps the stages of the vision to Israel's modern return—bones, skeletons, skin—but says the breath has not yet come; Israel is back in the land but still spiritually dead.
A Picture of Israel Coming Back to Life
Les says the valley of dry bones is a picture of Israel, away from the land and temple worship, and sees God bringing them back to life in their homeland today.
The Graves Are the Gentile Nations
Les explains that God refers to Israel's habitations in the Gentile areas as graves; out of the land, Israel has no temple, priesthood, or altar and is hopelessly out of touch with God.
Symbolic Language of Israel's Scattering
Les describes the moving bones as symbolic language for Israel scattered among the nations with no hope, and he traces the beginning of the return to the late 1890s dream of a Jewish homeland.
Ezekiel 37:7: So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
This is the first stage of the vision, when the dry bones begin to come together at Ezekiel's prophecy.
Ezekiel 37:10: So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
This is the climax of the vision, when breath enters the reassembled bodies and they stand as a great army.
Ezekiel 37:11: Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
This is the key verse that interprets the vision: the dry bones are the whole house of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:14: And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
This is God's promised outcome: He will put His Spirit in Israel and place them in their own land.
God tells Ezekiel, "these bones are the whole house of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:11). Les Feldick emphasizes this point, saying "that's what the whole vision is about, the Jew" (Clip 3). The vision is about Israel, not the church.
In the vision, Ezekiel says the bones were "very dry" (Ezekiel 37:2). Les explains: "all that means is they've been there for a long time. They're bleached" (Clip 0). It pictures Israel's long dispersion among the nations, out of the land of promise (Clip 3).
Les sees the return of Jewish people to their homeland in the last 48 years as the bones coming back together, but he is careful to say that "as yet the breath hasn't been breathed into them, they're still spiritually dead" (Clip 4). So the national return is happening, but the full spiritual fulfillment is still future (Clip 2, Clip 4).
God says He will open Israel's graves and bring them into the land of Israel (Ezekiel 37:12). Les identifies these graves as the Gentile nations: "the Word of God refers to these habitations in the Gentile areas as graves" (Clip 6). Out of the land, Israel is without a temple, priesthood, and altar (Clip 6).
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