Holy Love in Ezekiel 36:16–32

Abstract This article demonstrates that intrinsic to the manifestation of Yahweh’s holiness in Ezekiel 36:16–32 is a manifestation of love for his people. The paper first lays groundwork by summarizing Costecalde’s lexical work of שדק (holiness) and briefly surveying OT texts speaking of God’s holiness as his care and deliverance. The heart of the article begins by studying Yahweh’s holiness in Ezekiel 36:16–32: Strong connections to the story and language of Exodus, plus a contrast between Yahweh’s and Marduk’s divine abandonment narratives, indicate that Yahweh’s holiness includes not only his unrivaled power but also his unrivaled commitment to his people. The article then assesses the presence of divine love in the passage. Contra scholars who critique Ezekiel’s alleged lovelessness, the article finds that the lavishness of Yahweh’s promises, the wife and shepherd imagery which link to Ezekiel 36:16–32, and the mention of „mercy” confirm that love is indeed part of the manifestation of Yahweh’s holiness. For Yahweh to vindicate his holy name in the sight of the nations and to show that „I am Yahweh,” the nations must see his love and not merely his power or judgment. The article concludes that in Ezekiel 36:16–32 Yahweh’s holiness is revealed to be a „love-holiness,” or a „holy love.”