Ezekiel 37:18

New American Standard Bible (1995)

"When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—

Hebrew Names Version
When the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these?

King James Version
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

English Standard Version
And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?'

New American Standard Bible
"And when the sons of your people speak to you, saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?'

New Century Version
"When your people say to you, ‘Explain to us what you mean by this,'

Amplified Bible
"When your people say to you, 'Will you not tell us what you mean by these?'

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the children of thy people shall speake vnto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shewe vs what thou meanest by these?

Legacy Standard Bible
And when the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?'

Berean Standard Bible
When your people ask you, 'Won't you explain to us what you mean by these?'

Contemporary English Version
And when your people ask you what this means,

Complete Jewish Bible
When your people ask you what all this means,

Darby Translation
And when the children of my people speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not declare unto us what thou meanest by these?

Easy-to-Read Version
"Your people will ask you to explain what that means.

George Lamsa Translation
And if your people should say to you, Will you not show us what is the meaning of these sticks?

Good News Translation
When your people ask you to tell them what this means,

Lexham English Bible
When your people say to you, saying, ‘Will you not inform us as to what these actions mean for you?'

Literal Translation
And when the sons of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not declare to us what these mean to you?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now yf the childre of thy people saye vnto the: wilt thou not shewe vs, what thou meanest by these?

American Standard Version
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?

Bible in Basic English
And when the children of your people say to you, Will you not make clear to us what these things have to do with us?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by these?

King James Version (1611)
And when the children of thy people shall speake vnto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew vs what thou meanest by these?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Now if the children of thy people speake vnto thee, saying: Wilt thou not shew vs what thou meanest by these?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass, when the children of thy people shall say to thee, Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by these things?

English Revised Version
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

World English Bible
When the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli whanne the sones of thi puple that speken, schulen seie to thee, Whether thou schewist not to vs, what thou wolt to thee in these thingis?

Update Bible Version
And when the sons of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these?

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou [meanest] by these?

New English Translation
When your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things mean?'

New King James Version
"And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, "Will you not show us what you mean by these?'--

New Living Translation
When your people ask you what your actions mean,

New Life Bible
And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not let us know what you mean by these?'

New Revised Standard
And when your people say to you, "Will you not show us what you mean by these?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And when the sons of thy people speak unto thee I. saying,- Wt thou not tell us what these things are to thee?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by this?

Revised Standard Version
And when your people say to you, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?'

Young's Literal Translation
`And when sons of thy people speak unto thee, saying, Dost thou not declare to us what these [are] to thee?

THE MESSAGE
"When your people ask you, ‘Are you going to tell us what you're doing?' tell them, ‘ God , the Master, says, Watch me! I'll take the Joseph stick that is in Ephraim's hand, with the tribes of Israel connected with him, and lay the Judah stick on it. I'll make them into one stick. I'm holding one stick.'

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ The word of the LORD came again to me saying, ¹⁶ "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.' ¹⁷ "Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. ¹⁸ "When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?'¹⁹ say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."' ²⁰ "The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. ²¹ "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ "They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. ²⁴ "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Wilt: Ezekiel 12:9, Ezekiel 17:12, Ezekiel 20:49, Ezekiel 24:19

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 16:2 - What meanest Ezekiel 3:11 - the children

Cross-References

Genesis 37:14
Then he said to him, "Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Genesis 37:15
A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

1 Samuel 19:1
Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul's son, greatly delighted in David.

Psalms 31:13
For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.

Psalms 37:12
The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.

Psalms 37:32
The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him.

Psalms 94:21
They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death.

Psalms 105:25
He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants.

Psalms 109:4
In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer.

Matthew 21:38
"But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,.... The children of Israel and Judah in captivity, of which people Ezekiel was and to whom he was sent as a prophet; who seeing him take two sticks, and write on them, and then join them together, would naturally put such a question to him:

wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? for they concluded he had some meaning in it, and that it was not a mere childish diversion and amusement; and therefore would desire that he would let them know what it was: whether they would ask this seriously or in banter, out of curiosity or in contempt, as they sometimes did; it matters not, he was to give them an answer, as follows; though, by the manner of their putting the question, it looks as if they were doubtful whether he would or not; since they had treated him in a sneering way on such like occasions before.

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.