Ezekiel 20:35

Wilderness of the people. It is doubtful that any material wilderness is referred to, such as the Arabian or Syrian desert. The term “wilderness of the people” is vague. By contrast the former wilderness is described as a “waste howling wilderness” (Deut. 32:10), a dwelling place of fiery serpents and scorpions (Deut. 8:15). Historically, the plan Ezekiel here mentions was never fulfilled, at least not to any significant degree. The spiritual regeneration that God was seeking to bring about among the captives did not materialize. Had these purposes been realized, and had the returning exiles under Zerubbabel been spiritually revived persons, how different the subsequent history of Israel would have been!