Ezekiel 37:16-23

16 "And you, son of man, take for yourself 1one stick and write on it, 'For 2Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions '; then take another stick and write on it, 'For 3Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'
17 "Then 4join 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 5what 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 6take 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 7one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and 8one 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 9no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but 10I 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.

Ezekiel 37:16-23 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.

Cross References 10

  • 1. Numbers 17:2, 3
  • 2. 2 Chronicles 10:17; 2 Chronicles 11:11-17; 2 Chronicles 15:9
  • 3. 1 Kings 12:16-20; 2 Chronicles 10:19
  • 4. Isaiah 11:13; Jeremiah 50:4; Ezekiel 37:22-24; Hosea 1:11; Zephaniah 3:9
  • 5. Ezekiel 12:9; Ezekiel 17:12; Ezekiel 20:49; Ezekiel 24:19
  • 6. Isaiah 43:5, 6; Jeremiah 29:14; Ezekiel 36:24; Ezekiel 39:27; Amos 9:14, 15
  • 7. Jeremiah 3:18; Jeremiah 50:4, 5; Ezekiel 36:10
  • 8. Ezekiel 34:23, 24; Ezekiel 37:24
  • 9. Ezekiel 36:25
  • 10. Ezekiel 36:28, 29

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Another reading is "backslidings"
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