יחזקאל, פרק ל״ז, פסוק י״א

The prophetic vision shifts from a miraculous sight in a valley to the painful reality of a broken nation, serving as a direct response to the deep despair gripping the Israelites. The primary approach among commentators is that the dry bones serve as a powerful metaphor for the people trapped in a long and difficult exile. Overwhelmed by their troubles and the passage of time, the Israelites feel that their vitality has dried up and all chance for redemption is lost. They believe that even if salvation eventually comes, they will die in exile and never live to participate in it [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. The dryness of the bones symbolizes this loss of national life force, as the people find themselves without a king, leaders, or an army, while also feeling spiritually unprepared for redemption due to their past actions. Yet, the very fact that the bones still exist, rather than rotting away completely, reveals a deeper truth. It shows that the nation itself lives and exists forever, merely scattered to the four corners of the earth [מלבי״ם]. In their despair, the people feel completely severed from the rest of the world [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון] and left entirely isolated [רד״ק].

In contrast to viewing the vision as a metaphor, other commentators take a literal approach, understanding this as an actual historical event where God brought the dead back to life through Ezekiel. According to this view, the miracle was meant to serve as physical proof for the exiles in Babylon, showing them that even those who die in exile will merit coming back to life in the future [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. A unique perspective within this literal approach suggests that the resurrected individuals themselves were the ones who felt despair. They worried that by being brought back to life in the present, they had used up their merit and lost their right to live again during the ultimate, future resurrection of the dead [רש״י].

Another perspective views this vision as a direct answer to the taunts of foreign nations. These nations argued that since the Israelites in exile were a scattered minority without any permanent standing, they should simply assimilate and adopt foreign worship. The resurrection in the valley proves otherwise. It shows that even the dead of Israel are still considered alive, joining the overall count of the nation. This demonstrates that the Israelites remain an eternal and significant presence, regardless of how scattered or powerless they might appear in exile [חומת אנך].