And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above - so far, they were only cohering in order as unsightly skeletons. The next step, that of covering them successively with sinews, skin, and flesh, gives them beauty; but still "no breath" of life in them. This may imply that Israel hereafter, as at the restoration from Babylon was the case in part, shall return to Judea unconverted at first (Zechariah 13:8-9). Spiritually, a man may assume all the semblances of spiritual life, yet unconverted at first (Zechariah 13:8-9). Spiritually, a man may assume all the semblances of spiritual life, yet have none, and so be dead before God.