Ezekiel 37:12-22

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, O my people, I open your graves and will cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves

14 and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall cause you to rest upon your own land; then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it and performed it, said the LORD.

15 And the word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

16 Thou, son of man, take one stick and write upon it: To Judah, and to the sons of Israel his companions; then take another stick and write upon it: To Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and to all the house of Israel his companions:

17 and join them one to another that they might become one; and they shall be one in thy hand.

18 And when the sons of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.

20 And the sticks upon which thou dost write shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Behold, I take the sons of Israel from among the Gentiles, where they be gone and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land;

22 and I will make them one nation in the land in the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall no longer be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

Ezekiel 37:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 37

This chapter contains a prophecy of the Jews' return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; and of the glorious kingdom of Christ among them. Their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive; the place in which they were; the condition they were in; and the manner in which they were made to live, are described, Eze 37:1-10, the explication and application of this vision to the Jews, Eze 37:11-14, their union is signified by a sign or emblem of two sticks, which became one in the hand of the prophet, Eze 37:15-17, the meaning of this is shown, Eze 37:18-20, then follow promises of their return to their own land, in express words; of their being one kingdom, under one King, Christ, the antitype of David, of their sanctification; of their covenant interest in God, made manifest to them; and of his presence, and dwelling among them, Eze 37:21-28.