Ezekiel 37:18

18 Soothly when the sons of thy people that speak, shall say to thee, Whether thou showest not to us, what thou wilt to thee in these things? (And when thy people shall speak to thee, and say, Showest thou not to us, what thou meanest by these things?)

Ezekiel 37:18 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 37:18

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.

Ezekiel 37:18 In-Context

16 And thou, son of man, take to thee one stick, and write thou on it, To Judah, and to the sons of Israel, and to his fellows. And take thou another stick, and write on it, Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel, and of his fellows. (And thou, son of man, get thyself a stick, and write thou on it, For Judah, and for the Israelites, his fellow citizens. And get thou another stick, and write on it, Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his fellow citizens.)

17 And join thou those sticks one to the tother into one stick to thee; and those shall be into onement in thine hand. (And join thou up those two sticks one to the other, to become one stick for thee; yea, they shall become one stick in thy hand.)

18 Soothly when the sons of thy people that speak, shall say to thee, Whether thou showest not to us, what thou wilt to thee in these things? (And when thy people shall speak to thee, and say, Showest thou not to us, what thou meanest by these things?)

19 thou shalt speak to them, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the lineages of Israel, that be joined to him, and I shall give them together with the stick of Judah; and I shall make them into one stick, and they shall be one in the hand of him. (thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, that be joined to him, and I shall put it together with the stick of Judah; and I shall make them into one stick, and they shall become one stick in my hand.)

20 Soothly the sticks on which thou hast written, shall be in thine hand before the eyes of them. (And the sticks on which thou hast written, shall be in thy hand before their eyes.)