Easter Season · Year B
A Eighth Reading Easter Vigil
March 28, 2027
Overview & Insights
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
Ezekiel 34–48, the second major part of this book, is concerned with a message of hope for the exiles and with the promise of Israel’s future restoration. That message has broken through in a muted sense in chapters 1–33 (11:14–21; 16:53–63; 20:33–44; 28:25–26), but it now becomes the central theme. These fifteen chapters fall into three sections. The first, chapters 34–37, is a series of seven oracles dealing with the restoration of Israel. The second section describes the rise and fall of Gog of Magog, Israel’s last great enemy (chs. 38–39). Finally, chapters 40–48 express a message of hope for Israel’s present and future, grounded in the presence of the Lord. These chapters present Ezekiel’s third great vision of the Glory of the Lord (see chs. 1–3 and 8–11) entering the perfect temple of the prophet’s vision just as it had departed the corrupted temple in Jerusalem.
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Commentary
Commentary on Ezekiel 36:24-28 (Vigil of Easter) Working Preacher
Luther Seminary's Easter Vigil commentary on the gathering, the sprinkled clean water, and the promise of a new heart and new spirit.
Ezekiel 36 Commentary: A New Covenant for Israel's Land Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse-by-verse treatment of the clean water, the heart of flesh, and God acting for the sake of his holy name.
Ezekiel 36 Commentary Precept Austin
Gathers many commentators and word studies on the regeneration God promises before restoring his people to the land.
Ezekiel 36:24 Commentaries BibleHub
Classic commentary set from the reading's opening, where God gathers Israel from the nations and cleanses them.
Ezekiel 36 - Spurgeon's Verse Expositions StudyLight
Spurgeon's expositions, including 'The Stony Heart Removed' and 'The New Heart,' preaching directly from this passage.
Background & Word Study
Ezekiel, Enter the Bible Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary's introduction to the prophet in exile, the setting for the promise of a renewed and re-gathered people.
Ezekiel 36 (Hebrew and English) Sefaria
The Hebrew text with English and Jewish commentary for study of the new heart (lev) and new spirit (ruach).
Ezekiel 36:24 Interlinear BibleHub
Word-by-word Hebrew with Strong's numbers for the vocabulary of cleansing, heart, and spirit.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What does God promise in Ezekiel 36?
God will sprinkle clean water on his people, give them a new heart of flesh, and put his Spirit within them, a baptismal promise of the Vigil.
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