Yehezkiel 36:25-26

36:25 I will sprinkle you with pure water ¹  and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone ²  from your body and give you a heart of flesh. ³ 

Zakharia 13:1-2

The Refinement of Judah

13:1 “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty ⁴  of David and the people of Jerusalem ⁵  to cleanse them from sin and impurity. ⁶  13:2 And also on that day,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will remove ⁷  the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.

Kolose 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

[36:25]  ¹ sn The Lord here uses a metaphor from the realm of ritual purification. For the use of water in ritual cleansing, see Exod 30:19-20; Lev 14:51; Num 19:18; Heb 10:22.

[36:26]  ² sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

[36:26]  ³ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

[13:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “house” (so NIV, NRSV), referring to dynastic descendants.

[13:1]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “for sin and for impurity.” The purpose implied here has been stated explicitly in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  sn This reference to the fountain opened up…to cleanse them from sin and impurity is anticipatory of the cleansing from sin that lies at the heart of the NT gospel message (Rom 10:9-10; Titus 3:5). “In that day” throughout the passage (vv. 1, 2, 4) locates this cleansing in the eschatological (church) age (John 19:37).

[13:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “cut off” (so NRSV); NAB “destroy”; NIV “banish.”

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.