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And I looked, and behold, tendons were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
Ezekiel 37:8 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB I saw, and, behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.
  • KJV 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.
  • BSB As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
  • NKJV Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
  • NLT Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Sinews, flesh, and skin appear on the bones, but they still have no breath. Outward form alone is not yet true life.

Overview

The reconstructed bodies remain lifeless until breath enters, teaching that form without the Spirit is not life. Religion can have an outward shape yet lack inner vitality. True life requires the breath of God, given to His people through the Spirit of the risen Christ.

Cross-references & the web

No cross-references recorded for this verse.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 37:8YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.

How Ezekiel 37:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.