Ezekiel 37:15 kjv
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 37:15 nkjv
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 37:15 niv
The word of the LORD came to me:
Ezekiel 37:15 esv
The word of the LORD came to me:
Ezekiel 37:15 nlt
Again a message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 37 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezek 37:15 | The word of the LORD came to me: "You, son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.' | Direct instruction for reunification. |
| Ezek 37:16 | Bring the two sticks together into one, so that they become one in your hand. | Symbolic act of unification. |
| Jer 3:18 | In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from the land of the north to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance. | Prophecy of future Judah and Israel unity. |
| Isa 11:13 | Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be done away with; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah carry off hostile days to. | Prophecy of the end of internal conflict between tribes. |
| John 10:16 | I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. | Jesus' reference to a single flock of believers, encompassing Jews and Gentiles. |
| Acts 15:14-18 | Simeon has reported how God first turned His attention to the Gentiles to create a people for His name. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “‘After this I will return and rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen into ruin. I will rebuild its ruins and will put it back together again, so that the remnant of men may seek the LORD, including all the Gentiles that bear My name,’ says the LORD who does all these things, things known from of old. | The inclusion of Gentiles into God’s people under Christ, mirroring the concept of reunification. |
| Rom 11:13-15 | I am speaking to you Gentiles, rather than to the Jews, with the intention of making you jealous. Perhaps I can make my own people jealous and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? | Paul's explanation of God's plan for both Jew and Gentile inclusion. |
| Eph 2:11-16 | Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and are called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “circumcised”—which is done in the flesh by human hands—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thereby making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. | Paul's teaching on how Christ has united Jew and Gentile into one new man. |
| Heb 8:6-10 | But Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than theirs as the covenant in which he mediates is more excellent, because it is made on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: "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, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them from the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, and so I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. | The prophecy of a new covenant, a core aspect of this reunification. |
| 1 Cor 12:12-13 | For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews and Greeks, slaves and free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. | The unity of believers in Christ through the Holy Spirit, regardless of background. |
| Gal 3:28 | There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. | Emphasizes spiritual unity above all earthly distinctions. |
| Rev 7:9-10 | After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, 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 belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” | Depicts a future, ultimate unity of all redeemed people from all nations. |
Ezekiel 37 verses
Ezekiel 37 15 Meaning
This verse signifies a profound divine reunification and restoration. God declares His intention to bring together the scattered tribes of Israel, represented by two distinct sticks, into a single, unified entity. This merging symbolizes the end of their division and the establishment of a renewed covenant relationship, indicating future salvation and lasting security under one divinely appointed leader.
Ezekiel 37 15 Context
Ezekiel 37 presents a powerful vision of dry bones coming to life, symbolizing the spiritual and national restoration of Israel after their exile. This chapter is situated in the latter part of Ezekiel's prophecy, where he addresses the desolation of the land and the scattering of God's people. The vision of the dry bones (verses 1-14) vividly illustrates the hopelessness of Israel's situation but immediately pivots to God's power to resurrect and revive them. The subsequent verses, including chapter 37, verse 15, delve into the practical means of this restoration, focusing on national unity. This occurs after the promise of the Spirit's work to bring life, emphasizing that the reuniting of the divided kingdom is a key component of God's redemptive plan for His people. Historically, Israel had been divided into two kingdoms (Judah in the south and Israel in the north) for centuries, a division that ultimately led to their downfall and exile. This verse, therefore, addresses the deep-seated national schism.
Ezekiel 37 15 Word Analysis
- וַיְהִי (vayehî): "And it came to pass" or "And it was." A common narrative connector indicating a sequential event or a new development in the story.
- דְּבַר (d’var): "Word" or "thing." Refers to the message or command from the LORD.
- יְהוָה (YHWH): "LORD." The personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with Israel.
- אֵלַי (’elây): "to me." Directing the divine message to the prophet Ezekiel.
- לֵאמֹר (lêmor): "saying" or "to say." Introduces the content of the divine message.
- אַתָּה (’attâ): "you." Direct address to the prophet, emphasizing personal responsibility.
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben ’âdâm): "son of man." A frequent self-designation God uses for Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity and the source of his divine commission.
- קַח־לְךָ (qach-ləḵâ): "take for yourself." A directive imperative, urging Ezekiel to act and possess the objects for the symbolic act.
- עֵץ־אֶחָד (‘êts ‘eḥâd): "one stick" or "one piece of wood." A simple, fundamental object used for symbolic representation.
- וְכָתַבְתָּ (wəḵâtavtâ): "and you shall write." Imperative command, signifying the inscription of identification upon the stick.
- עָלָיו (‘alâw): "upon it." Referring back to the "one stick."
- יְהוּדָה (Yəhûdâ): "Judah." The southern kingdom of Israel, historically more stable and centered around Jerusalem.
- וְעַל־בָּנָיו (wə‘al-bânaîw): "and for its children" or "and for its people." Encompasses all those associated with the tribe and kingdom of Judah.
- הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִיִּם (hâyîsrə’êliyyîm): "the Israelites." Specifically refers to those associated with Judah, highlighting their connection to the broader Israelite identity, despite the schism.
- וּלְקַח־עוֹד (ûləqaḥ-‘ôd): "and take again" or "and take another." Continues the imperative, instructing the acquisition of a second symbolic object.
- עֵץ־אֶחָד (‘êts ‘eḥâd): "one stick." The second object for representation, mirroring the first.
- וְכָתַבְתָּ (wəḵâtavtâ): "and you shall write." The second imperative command for inscription.
- עָלָיו (‘alâw): "upon it." Referring back to the second "one stick."
- לְיוֹסֵף (ləYôsêp̱): "for Joseph." Refers to the northern kingdom of Israel, which was dominated by the tribe of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh).
- וּלְכָל־בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל (ûləḵāl-bêṯ Yîsrâ’êl): "and for all the house of Israel." Encompasses all the tribes and people belonging to the northern kingdom, reaffirming their collective identity.
- הַסֹּרְחִים (haśôrəḥîm): "associating with" or "adhering to" or "belonging to." Implies companionship, partnership, or membership, indicating those aligned with each respective group.
Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:
- "Take a stick and write on it...": This is a pair of parallel commands establishing the physical, tangible basis for the symbolic representation of national division. The "stick" (עֵץ - ‘êts) suggests a simple, natural element easily handled and marked.
- "'For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.'": This phrase clearly identifies the first symbolic unit as representing the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and its adherents, possibly including remnant Levites and Simeonites who remained in the south.
- "Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.'": This parallels the first by identifying the second symbolic unit. Specifying "(the stick of Ephraim)" highlights Ephraim's prominence as the leading tribe within the Northern Kingdom of Israel (also called "Joseph"), which had fallen earlier to Assyria. The inclusion of "all the house of Israel" encompasses the remaining ten tribes.
Ezekiel 37 15 Bonus Section
The imagery of two sticks merging into one in Ezekiel 37 has deep theological implications beyond mere national unification. It prefigures the ultimate reconciliation between the Jewish people (represented by Judah) and the Gentiles (represented by the scattered nations, now to be brought into God's kingdom) into one new body in Christ. This act by Ezekiel is a potent visual metaphor for the New Covenant promises where national and ethnic barriers are dissolved in the spiritual unity found in Jesus Christ. The act of writing specific names onto the sticks is critical; it signifies God’s direct knowledge and intentional inclusion of each part of His people in His salvific plan, even through their dispersions and divisions. This anticipates the final ingathering of God’s people, spoken of by Jesus (John 10:16) and elaborated on by Paul in Romans 11 and Ephesians 2, where Christ Himself becomes the point of unification. The sticks symbolize their historical roots and brokenness, but their eventual fusion points to divine restoration and a unified identity rooted in Him.
Ezekiel 37 15 Commentary
This verse sets the stage for a crucial symbolic act revealing God's future plan. The division of Israel into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, was a deeply problematic reality leading to spiritual and political decline. God, through Ezekiel, mandates the creation of two distinct symbolic markers, each representing one of these divided entities. This action underscores the historical reality of their separation. The detailed inscription with specific designations, "Judah, and the Israelites associated with him" and "Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him," emphasizes that these are not abstract divisions but deeply embedded historical and familial groupings. The use of "stick" signifies their foundational lineage and territorial identity, while the instruction to "take" implies a deliberate and personal engagement by the prophet with this reality of division, preparing for the subsequent act of reunification. The phrase "associated with him/them" highlights the concept of a unified body, not just individual tribes, linked to their respective kingdoms.