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 I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.

And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.

And I looked, and behold, sinews and flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

And I beheld, and lo, on them are sinews, and flesh hath come up, and cover them doth skin over above, and spirit there is none in them.

And looking I saw that there were muscles on them and flesh came up, and they were covered with skin: but there was no breath in them.

And I saw, and behold: sinews and flesh rose up over them; and skin was extended over them. But they had no spirit within them.

And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,.... And they began to look like men, in the shape of men, and were a body of them, as the Jews did when gathered together:
and the skin covered them above; and so looked comely and beautiful, as in the proper form of men; as did the Jews enriched and protected by Cyrus: and this may be an image of such persons so far wrought upon under the word as to look like Christians; to have the form of godliness, and appear outwardly righteous before men, submitting to ordinances, and performing the duties of religion; and yet no principle of spiritual life in them; but, like Adam's body, of the earth, earthly, and breathless, before the breath of life was breathed into it; so here, but there was no breath in them; no spirit in the Jews to return to their land, though they had liberty, till the Lord stirred up their spirits, Ezra 1:5, all this, in a spiritual sense, shows how far persons may go under temporary convictions by the word, and yet not be living Christians.

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 (Zac 13:8-9). Spiritually: a man may assume all the semblances of spiritual life, yet have none, and so be dead before God.

Came up - Gradually spreading itself.