Ezekiel 36:26
Bible verses · Also called: Ezekiel 36:26, A new spirit will I put within you, I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh, New heart, Heart of flesh, Heart of stone
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A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
Ezekiel 36:26 records God's promise to give a new spirit, to take away the stony heart, and to give a heart of flesh. It is a principal Old Testament text on regeneration and the inward transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and it is frequently cited in discussions among denominations about how God's work and the human response relate to each other in conversion.
Context
Ezekiel 36 promises the restoration of Israel, which had been scattered in exile. God declares that although Israel profaned His name among the nations, He will bring them back to their own land for the sake of His holy name (vv. 22–24). Verse 25 says, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean," promising cleansing from all filthiness. Verse 26 promises a new heart and a new spirit, and verse 27 says, "I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." The Hebrew literally speaks of a "heart of stone" and a "heart of flesh" (KJV: "the stony heart" and "an heart of flesh").
Interpretation
- As a promise of inward transformation: This reading holds that God changes the heart itself rather than merely reforming outward behavior. The heart of stone signifies an obstinacy that does not respond to God's word, while the heart of flesh signifies a heart that responds and obeys. The verse parallels the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:33.
- As the work of the Holy Spirit: On the basis of "my spirit" in verse 27, Christianity holds that this promise is fulfilled through the Holy Spirit, who dwells within believers from Pentecost onward. A widely known interpretation connects the water and spirit of verses 25–27 with John 3:5, where Jesus tells Nicodemus that a man must be "born of water and of the Spirit."
- As the restoration of a community: Noting that the promise is addressed primarily to the nation of Israel as a whole, some readings emphasize that it speaks of communal restoration before individual conversion.
Debates and Issues
The Reformed (Presbyterian) tradition, pointing out that it is God who gives the new heart, cites this verse in support of the teaching that "regeneration precedes faith"—that is, God first renews the heart before a person believes. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions point as well to Ezekiel 18:31, where the same book commands people to "make you a new heart and a new spirit," and they emphasize that while God's grace comes first, a genuine human response is also required. Regarding the relationship to baptism, some churches regard the "water" of verse 25 as a type of baptism, while others regard it solely as a metaphor drawn from purification rites.
Related Passages
- Ezekiel 36:25–27
- Ezekiel 11:19–20
- Jeremiah 31:33
- John 3:3–8
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
See also 6
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