Ezekiel 37:20
New International Version
Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on

New Living Translation
“Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.

English Standard Version
When the sticks on which you write are 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,

King James Bible
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

New King James Version
And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

New American Standard Bible
The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

NASB 1995
“The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

NASB 1977
“And 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.

Amplified Bible
The sticks on which you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

Christian Standard Bible
“When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,

American Standard Version
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

Contemporary English Version
Hold these two sticks where they can be seen by everyone

English Revised Version
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When you hold the sticks in your hand, let the people see them.

Good News Translation
"Hold in your hand the two sticks and let the people see them.

International Standard Version
"The batons on which you engrave your writing are to remain right in front of them in your hand.

Majority Standard Bible
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people,

NET Bible
The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them.

New Heart English Bible
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.

World English Bible
The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.”’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the sticks on which you write have been in your hand before your eyes,

Young's Literal Translation
And the sticks on which thou writest have been in thy hand before thine eyes,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the trees which thou shalt write upon them were in thy hand before their eyes.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the pieces of wood, on which you have written, will be in your hand, before their eyes.

New American Bible
The sticks on which you write, you must hold in your hand in their sight.

New Revised Standard Version
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the sticks on which you write, hold them in your hand before their eyes;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the sticks upon which you write, hold fast in your hand in their sight
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the rods on which thou didst write shall be in thine hand in their presence.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
One Nation with One King
19you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’ 20When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people, 21you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. / It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. / “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. ...

Isaiah 11:12-13
He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. / Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

Hosea 1:11
Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.

Jeremiah 3:18
In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an inheritance.

Isaiah 11:1-10
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. / The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. / And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, ...

Zechariah 10:6
I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them.

Jeremiah 23:5-6
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. / In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

Isaiah 49:22
This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise My banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Isaiah 60:4
Lift up your eyes and look around: They all gather and come to you; your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried on the arm.

Isaiah 43:5-6
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. / I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—

Romans 11:25-27
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. / And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. / And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Ephesians 2:14-18
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility / by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace / and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. ...

Revelation 7:9-10
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. / And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Acts 15:16-17
‘After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, / so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things


Treasury of Scripture

And the sticks where on you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.

in thine

Ezekiel 12:3
Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

Numbers 17:6-9
And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods…

Hosea 12:10
I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.

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Eyes Hand Hold Sticks Whereon Write Writest Writing Written
Ezekiel 37
1. By the resurrection of dry bones
11. the dead hope of Israel is revived
15. By the uniting of two sticks
18. is shown the incorporation of Israel into Judah
21. The promises of Christ's kingdom














When the sticks
The Hebrew word for "sticks" is "עֵץ" (etz), which can also mean "wood" or "tree." In the context of Ezekiel 37, these sticks symbolize the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Historically, the division occurred after the reign of Solomon, leading to the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). The use of sticks here is symbolic, representing the unity that God promises to restore. This imagery is powerful, as wood or sticks were common tools and symbols in ancient Israel, often used in rituals or as symbols of authority and identity.

on which you write
Writing on sticks or tablets was a common practice in ancient times for recording important messages or decrees. The act of writing signifies permanence and authority. In this context, it underscores the prophetic action that Ezekiel is commanded to perform, symbolizing God's irrevocable promise to reunite His people. The writing is a divine decree, emphasizing that the message is not just a hopeful wish but a guaranteed future reality.

are in your hand
The phrase "in your hand" indicates possession and control. In biblical symbolism, the hand often represents power and action. Ezekiel holding the sticks signifies that he is the chosen vessel through whom God communicates His will. It also implies readiness and the immediacy of God's plan. The prophet's hand becomes an extension of God's hand, illustrating divine intervention in human history.

and in full view of the people
The visibility of the sticks to the people is crucial. It signifies transparency and public declaration. In ancient Israel, public demonstrations were a common method for prophets to convey God's messages. This public act ensures that the message is witnessed by all, leaving no room for doubt or secrecy. It also serves as a communal call to hope and repentance, as the people are reminded of God's promise to restore and reunite them.

(20) Before their eyes.--The symbolical action was not only to be performed before the people, but the united wood was to remain in the prophet's hand, while he unfolded to them the Divine promise. That promise is essentially a repetition of Ezekiel 34:11-31; Ezekiel 36:22-30.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the sticks
הָעֵצִ֜ים (hā·‘ê·ṣîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

on which
אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־ (’ăšer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you write
תִּכְתֹּ֧ב (tiḵ·tōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3789: To grave, to write

are
וְהָי֨וּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

in your hand
בְּיָדְךָ֖ (bə·yā·ḏə·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

and in full view of the people,
לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃ (lə·‘ê·nê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - cdc | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 37:20 The sticks whereon you write shall be (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 37:19
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