Ezekiel 37:20

Geneva Bible

And the pieces of wood, whereon thou writest, shalbe in thine hand, in their sight.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,

Hebrew Names Version
The sticks whereon you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

King James Version
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

English Standard Version
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes,

New American Standard Bible
"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

New Century Version
Hold the sticks on which you wrote these names in your hand so the people can see them.

Amplified Bible
"The sticks on which you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

Berean Standard Bible
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people,

Contemporary English Version
Hold these two sticks where they can be seen by everyone

Complete Jewish Bible
The sticks on which you write are to be in your hand as they watch.

Darby Translation
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Take the sticks that you wrote on and hold them in front of you.

George Lamsa Translation
And the sticks on which you write, hold them in your hand before their eyes;

Good News Translation
"Hold in your hand the two sticks and let the people see them.

Lexham English Bible
And the pieces of wood on which you wrote will be in your hand before their eyes.

Literal Translation
And the sticks shall be in your hand, the ones on which you write before their eyes.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the two stickes where vpon thou wrytest, shalt thou haue in thine honde, that they maye se,

American Standard Version
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

Bible in Basic English
And the sticks with your writing on them will be in your hand before their eyes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

King James Version (1611)
And the stickes whereon thou writest, shalbe in thine hand before their eyes.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the stickes where vpon thou wrytest, shalt thou haue in thy hand, that they may see.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the rods on which thou didst write shall be in thine hand in their presence.

English Revised Version
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

World English Bible
The sticks whereon you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the trees, on whiche thou hast write, schulen be in thin hond bifore the iyen of hem.

Update Bible Version
And the sticks whereon you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the sticks on which thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

New English Translation
The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them.

New King James Version
And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

New Living Translation
"Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.

New Life Bible
Hold in front of them the sticks you write on,

New Revised Standard
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the sticks whereon thou shalt write shall remain in thy hand before their eyes.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes.

Revised Standard Version
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes,

Young's Literal Translation
And the sticks on which thou writest have been in thy hand before thine eyes,

THE MESSAGE
"Then take the sticks you've inscribed and hold them up so the people can see them. Tell them, ‘ God , the Master, says, Watch me! I'm taking the Israelites out of the nations in which they've been exiled. I'll gather them in from all directions and bring them back home. I'll make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and give them one king—one king over all of them. Never again will they be divided into two nations, two kingdoms. Never again will they pollute their lives with their no-god idols and all those vile obscenities and rebellions. I'll save them out of all their old sinful haunts. I'll clean them up. They'll be my people! I'll be their God! My servant David will be king over them. They'll all be under one shepherd. "‘They'll follow my laws and keep my statutes. They'll live in the same land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever. I'll make a covenant of peace with them that will hold everything together, an everlasting covenant. I'll make them secure and place my holy place of worship at the center of their lives forever. I'll live right there with them. I'll be their God! They'll be my people! "‘The nations will realize that I, God , make Israel holy when my holy place of worship is established at the center of their lives forever.'"

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came againe vnto me, saying, ¹⁶ Moreouer thou sonne of man, take thee a piece of wood, and write vpon it, Vnto Iudah, and to the children of Israel his companions the take another piece of wood, and write vpon it, Vnto Ioseph the tree of Ephraim, and to al the house of Israel his companions. ¹⁷ And thou shalt ioyne the one to another into one tree, & they shalbe as one in thine hand. ¹⁸ And when the children of thy people shall speake vnto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shewe vs what thou meanest by these? ¹⁹ Thou shalt answere them, Thus sayeth the Lord God, Behold, I wil take the tree of Ioseph, which is in the hande of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellowes, and will put them with him, euen with the tree of Iudah, and make them one tree, and they shalbe one in mine hand. ²⁰ And the pieces of wood, whereon thou writest, shalbe in thine hand, in their sight. ²¹ And say vnto them, Thus saith the Lorde God, Beholde, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and wil gather them on euery side, & bring them into their owne land. ²² And I will make them one people in the lande, vpon the mountaines of Israel, and one king shalbe king to them all: and they shalbe no more two peoples, neither bee deuided any more henceforth into two kingdomes. ²³ Neither shall they bee polluted any more with their idoles, nor with their abominatios, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will saue them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they haue sinned, and will clense them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. ²⁴ And Dauid my seruant shalbe king ouer them, and they all shall haue one shepheard: they shall also walke in my iudgements, and obserue my statutes, and doe them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in thine: Ezekiel 12:3, Numbers 17:6-9, Hosea 12:10

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 21:6 - before Ephesians 2:14 - both

Cross-References

Genesis 37:2
These are the generations of Iaakob, when Ioseph was seuenteene yeere olde: he kept sheepe with his brethren, and the childe was with the sonnes of Bilhah, and with the sonnes of Zilpah, his fathers wiues. And Ioseph brought vnto their father their euill saying.

Genesis 37:10
Then he tolde it vnto his father and to his brethren, and his father rebuked him, and saide vnto him, What is this dreame, which thou hast dreamed? shal I, and thy mother, & thy brethren come in deede & fall on the ground before thee?

Genesis 37:11
And his brethren enuied him, but his father noted the saying.

Genesis 37:12
Then his brethren went to keepe their fathers sheepe in Shechem.

Genesis 37:16
And he answered, I seeke my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they keepe sheepe.

Genesis 37:18
And when they sawe him a farre off, euen before he came at them, they conspired against him for to slay him.

Genesis 37:29
Afterwarde Reuben returned to the pit, and beholde, Ioseph was not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,

Genesis 37:32
So they sent that particoloured coat, and they brought it vnto their father, and saide, This haue we founde: see nowe, whether it be thy sonnes coate, or no.

1 Samuel 24:20
For now behold, I know that thou shalt be King, and that the kingdome of Israel shall be stablished in thine hand.

1 Samuel 26:2
Then Saul arose, and went downe to the wildernes of Ziph, hauing three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, for to seeke Dauid in the wildernesse of Ziph.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the sticks whereon thou writest,.... Or art about to write the above things, according to order and direction:

shall be in thine hand before their eyes; shall be held up to them to look at for some time, and observe the cement of the two sticks; and learn and lay up in their minds what is meant by this emblem; and be assured that what is hereafter said as a further explication of it shall certainly be fulfilled.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A prophecy of the reunion of Israel and Judah, the incorporation of Israel under one Ruler, the kingdom of Messiah upon earth and in heaven.

Ezekiel 37:16

One stick - So in the marginal reference the names of the tribes had been written on rods or sticks.

For Judah ... - To the house of David had remained faithful, not only Judah, but also Benjamin, Levi, and part of Simeon, and individual members of various tribes 2 Chronicles 11:12-16. Compare the marginal references.

Joseph ... Ephraim - Compare Psalms 78:67; Hosea 5:5 ff “Joseph” is the general name here for the ten tribes, including “Ephraim,” the chief tribe, and his companions. Omit “for” before “all.” “All the house of Israel” is here the ten tribes.

Ezekiel 37:19

In the hand of Ephraim - Because Ephraim was the ruling tribe; the words are contrasted with “in mine hand.”

Ezekiel 37:20

This sign was literally enacted in the presence of the people, not, like some signs, merely in vision (see the Ezekiel 3:1 note).

Ezekiel 37:21

The gathering together of the children of Israel was to take effect in the first place in the return from Babylon, when the distinction of Israel and Judah should cease. The full completion concerns times still future, when all Israel shall come in to acknowledge the rule of Christ.

Ezekiel 37:22

One king - The restoration of Israel to their native soil will lead the way to the coming of the promised King, the Son of David, who will gather into His kingdom the true Israel, all who shall by faith be acknowledged as the Israel of God. The reign of the One King David is the reign of Christ in His kingdom, the Church.

Ezekiel 37:25, Ezekiel 37:26

An enlargement of the promises. The kingdom is to be “forever,” the covenant “everlasting.” This looks forward to the consummation of all God’s promises 1 Corinthians 15:24, 1 Corinthians 15:28.

Ezekiel 37:27

This gives a final blessing reserved for God’s accepted servants. The tabernacle and temple were outward symbols of His presence. The re-erection of the temple by Zerubbabel was the first step to a restoration of the presence of God. The second step was the presence of Christ, first in the flesh, then in His Church, and finally the eternal presence of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:0.