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Tuesday, August 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Ezekiel 37:20

And the sticks whereon thou shalt write shall remain in thy hand before their eyes.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Rod;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bands;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Captivity;   Israel;   Jeroboam;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Unity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Kidron (1);   Servant of the Lord;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephraim ;   Israel ;   Zechariah, Prophecy of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Millenarians;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ezekiel;  

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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the pieces of wood, whereon thou writest, shalbe in thine hand, in their sight.
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,
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 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying: 16 Thou therefore Son of man Take thee one stick, and write upon it For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions, Then take thou another stick, and write upon it For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions. 17 Then bring them near - the one to the other - for thee into one stick,- And they shall become united in thy hand. 18 And when the sons of thy people speak unto thee I. saying,- Wt thou not tell us what these things are to thee? 19 speak unto them Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Lo! I, myself, am going to take the stick of Joseph. which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions, - And I will place them upon it even upon the stick of Judah. And will make of them one stick, And they shall become one in my hand. 20 And the sticks whereon thou shalt write shall remain in thy hand before their eyes. 21 Therefore speak thou unto them Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Lo! myself am going to take the sons of Israel, from among the nations whither they have gone, - And I will gather them from every side, And will bring them in upon their own so; 22 And will make of them one nation in the land. among the mountains of Israel, And one king, shall they all have for king, - And they shall remain no longer two nations, Nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more. 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more With their manufactured gods or With their detestable things, or With any of their transgressions,- But I will save them out of all their dwelling- places, wherein they have sinned, And I will cleanse them And they shall become nay people, And I, will become their God. 24 And my servant David shall be king over them, And one shepherd, shall they all have, And in my regulations, shall they walk, And my statutes, shall they observe and do 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 Jacob - Joseph, when seventeen years old, was shepherding with his brethren among the flocks, and, he, being a youth, was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah wives of his father, - so then Joseph brought in the talk about them - something bad, unto their father.
Genesis 37:10
So he related it unto his father, and unto his brethren, - and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamed? Shall we, indeed come in, I, and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow our-selves down to thee to the earth?
Genesis 37:11
Then were his brethren jealous of him, but his father, marked the word.
Genesis 37:12
Now his brethren went their way, - to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
Genesis 37:16
And he said, My brethren, am, I, seeking, - do tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding their flock.
Genesis 37:18
And they saw him afar off, - and, ere yet he drew near unto them, they conspired against him, to put him to death.
Genesis 37:29
And Reuben returned unto the pit, and lo Joseph was not in the pit, so he rent his clothes;
Genesis 37:32
and sent the long tunic and brought it in unto their father, and said This, have we found! Examine, we pray thee, whether it is the tunic of thy son, or not!
1 Samuel 24:20
Now, therefore, lo! I know that thou, shalt indeed become king, - and that the kingdom of Israel, shall be established in thy hand.
1 Samuel 26:2
Then Saul arose, and went down into the wilderness of Ziph, and, with him, three thousand chosen men of Israel, - to seek David in the wilderness of Zip.

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.


 
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