Ezekiel 37:16

Easy-to-Read Version

"Son of man, get one stick and write this message on it: ‘This stick belongs to Judah and his friends, the people of Israel.' Then take another stick and write on it, ‘This stick of Ephraim belongs to Joseph and his friends, the people of Israel.'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Son of man, take a single stick and write on it: Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him.

Hebrew Names Version
You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, For Yehudah, and for the children of Yisra'el his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Yosef, the stick of Efrayim, and [for] all the house of Yisra'el his companions:

King James Version
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

English Standard Version
"Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel 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.'

New American Standard Bible
"Now you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

New Century Version
"Human, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and all the Israelites with him.' Then take another stick and write on it, ‘The stick of Ephraim, for Joseph and all the Israelites with him.'

Amplified Bible
"And you, son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
Moreouer thou sonne of man, take thee a piece of wood, and write vpon it, Vnto Iudah, and to the children of Israel his companions the take another piece of wood, and write vpon it, Vnto Ioseph the tree of Ephraim, and to al the house of Israel his companions.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

Legacy Standard Bible
"Now as for you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

Berean Standard Bible
"And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: 'Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick and write on it: 'Belonging to Joseph-the stick of Ephraim-and to all the house of Israel associated with him.'

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, get a stick and write on it, "The kingdom of Judah." Then get another stick and write on it, "The kingdom of Israel."

Complete Jewish Bible
"You, human being, take one stick and write on it, ‘For Y'hudah and those joined with him [among] the people of Isra'el.' Next, take another stick and write on it, ‘For Yosef, the stick of Efrayim, and all the house of Isra'el who are joined with him.'

Darby Translation
And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel, his companions. And take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.

George Lamsa Translation
Son of man, take a stick and write on it: For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick and write on it: For Joseph, on the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions;

Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "take a wooden stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Judah.' Then take another stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Israel.'

Lexham English Bible
"And you, son of man, take for yourself a piece of wood, and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the Israelites his associates,' and take another piece of wood, and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the piece of wood of Ephraim and all of the house of Israel his associates.'

Literal Translation
saying, And you, son of man, take one stick to yourself and write on it, For Judah, and for his companions, the sons of Israel. And take another stick and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou sonne of man, take a sticke and wryte vpon it: Vnto Iuda & to the children of Israel his companyons. Then take another sticke, and wryte vpon it: Vnto Ioseph the stocke of Ephraim, and to all the housholde of Israel his companyons.

American Standard Version
And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

Bible in Basic English
And you, son of man, take one stick, writing on it, For Judah and for the children of Israel who are in his company: then take another stick, writing on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel who are in his company:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it: For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions;

King James Version (1611)
Moreouer thou sonne of man, take thee one sticke, and write vpon it, For Iudah and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another sticke, and write vpon it; For Ioseph the sticke of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sonne of man, take one sticke, and write vpon it, Unto Iuda and to the children of Israel his companios. Then take another sticke and write vpon it, Unto Ioseph the stocke of Ephraim, & to all the housholde of Israel his companions.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Son of man, take for thyself a rod, and write upon it, Juda, and the children of Israel his adherents; and thou shalt take for thyself another rod, and thou shalt inscribe it for Joseph, the rod of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel that belong to him.

English Revised Version
And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

World English Bible
You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide, And thou, sone of man, take to thee o tree, and write thou on it, To Juda, and to the sones of Israel, and to hise felowis. And take thou an other tree, and write on it, Joseph, the tree of Effraym, and of al the hous of Israel, and of hise felowis.

Update Bible Version
And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:

Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:

New English Translation
"As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another branch and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.'

New King James Version
"As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: "For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.'

New Living Translation
"Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words: ‘This represents Judah and its allied tribes.' Then take another piece and carve these words on it: ‘This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.'

New Life Bible
"Son of man, take one stick of wood and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the people of Israel with him.' Then take another stick of wood and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the people of Israel with him.'

New Revised Standard
Mortal, take a stick and write on it, "For Judah, and the Israelites associated with it"; then take another stick and write on it, "For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with it";

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou therefore Son of man Take thee one stick, and write upon it For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions, Then take thou another stick, and write upon it For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou son of man, take thee a stick: and write upon it: Of Juda, and of the children of Israel his associates: and take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, and of his associates.

Revised Standard Version
"Son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and the children of Israel associated with him'; then take another stick and write upon it, 'For Joseph (the stick of E'phraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him';

Young's Literal Translation
`And thou, son of man, take to thee one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel, his companions; and take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions,

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me again. He said, ¹⁶ "Son of man, get one stick and write this message on it: ‘This stick belongs to Judah and his friends, the people of Israel.' Then take another stick and write on it, ‘This stick of Ephraim belongs to Joseph and his friends, the people of Israel.' ¹⁷ Then join the two sticks together. In your hand, they will be one stick. ¹⁸ "Your people will ask you to explain what that means. ¹⁹ 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 his friends, the people of Israel. Then I will put that stick with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick. In my hand, they will become one stick!' ²⁰ "Take the sticks that you wrote on and hold them in front of you. ²¹ Tell the people that this is what the Lord God says: ‘I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will gather them from all around and bring them back to their own land. ²² I will make them one nation in their land among the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over them all. They will no longer be two nations. They will not be split into two kingdoms anymore. ²³ And they will no longer continue to make themselves filthy with their idols and horrible statues or with any of their other crimes. Instead, I will save them from all the places where they have sinned, and I will wash them and make them pure. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²⁴ "‘And my servant David will be the king over them. There will be only one shepherd over all of them. They will live by my rules and obey my laws. They will do the things I tell them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

take thee: Numbers 17:2, Numbers 17:3

For Judah: 2 Chronicles 10:17, 2 Chronicles 11:11-17, 2 Chronicles 15:9, 2 Chronicles 30:11-18

For Joseph: 1 Kings 12:16-20, 2 Chronicles 10:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 30:24 - And she 1 Kings 18:31 - twelve stones Isaiah 7:2 - is confederate with Isaiah 11:13 - the envy Jeremiah 3:18 - In Jeremiah 31:1 - of Jeremiah 50:4 - the children of Israel Ezekiel 37:4 - Prophesy Ezekiel 37:11 - whole house Ezekiel 37:19 - Behold Hosea 1:11 - the children of Judah Amos 3:1 - against Obadiah 1:18 - the house of Joseph Zechariah 8:13 - O house Zechariah 10:6 - I will strengthen Zechariah 11:7 - one Zechariah 11:14 - I cut John 17:21 - they all

Cross-References

Song of Solomon 1:7
I love you with all my soul! Tell me, where do you feed your sheep? Where do you lay them down at noon? I should come to be with you or I will be like a hired woman caring for the sheep of your friends.

Luke 19:10
The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick,.... Or "wood" a; a stick of wood; or table, as the Targum; a board or plank. The Septuagint version renders it a "rod"; and so the Arabic; an emblem of a kingdom or government, as this was:

and write upon it; the following words:

for Judah, and the children of Israel his companions; for the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, which adhered together, and as many of the other tribes which joined them; the godly and religious of the rest of the tribes, who could not give into the idolatry of Jeroboam:

then take another stick; like the former:

and write upon it; these words:

for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions; for the tribe of Ephraim, and the other nine tribes, which together made up one kingdom. It should be observed, that in the times of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, there was a division in the kingdom of Israel; ten tribes revolted from him, and only the two whole tribes of Judah and Benjamin continued with him; and from that time to the captivity, and even during that, as it seems, there were continual animosities and bickerings between the two kingdoms, on account both of their political and religious affairs, especially the latter; and an union between them this emblem is designed to signify, as will hereafter appear. Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes, was of the tribe of Ephraim; and Samaria, the metropolis of the kingdom, was in that tribe; hence Ephraim often stands for all the ten tribes, for the kingdom of Israel, as distinct from that of Judah. Writing words on sticks or rods seems to be in allusion to what was done Numbers 17:2.

a עץ אחד "lignum unuin", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A prophecy of the reunion of Israel and Judah, the incorporation of Israel under one Ruler, the kingdom of Messiah upon earth and in heaven.

Ezekiel 37:16

One stick - So in the marginal reference the names of the tribes had been written on rods or sticks.

For Judah ... - To the house of David had remained faithful, not only Judah, but also Benjamin, Levi, and part of Simeon, and individual members of various tribes 2 Chronicles 11:12-16. Compare the marginal references.

Joseph ... Ephraim - Compare Psalms 78:67; Hosea 5:5 ff “Joseph” is the general name here for the ten tribes, including “Ephraim,” the chief tribe, and his companions. Omit “for” before “all.” “All the house of Israel” is here the ten tribes.

Ezekiel 37:19

In the hand of Ephraim - Because Ephraim was the ruling tribe; the words are contrasted with “in mine hand.”

Ezekiel 37:20

This sign was literally enacted in the presence of the people, not, like some signs, merely in vision (see the Ezekiel 3:1 note).

Ezekiel 37:21

The gathering together of the children of Israel was to take effect in the first place in the return from Babylon, when the distinction of Israel and Judah should cease. The full completion concerns times still future, when all Israel shall come in to acknowledge the rule of Christ.

Ezekiel 37:22

One king - The restoration of Israel to their native soil will lead the way to the coming of the promised King, the Son of David, who will gather into His kingdom the true Israel, all who shall by faith be acknowledged as the Israel of God. The reign of the One King David is the reign of Christ in His kingdom, the Church.

Ezekiel 37:25, Ezekiel 37:26

An enlargement of the promises. The kingdom is to be “forever,” the covenant “everlasting.” This looks forward to the consummation of all God’s promises 1 Corinthians 15:24, 1 Corinthians 15:28.

Ezekiel 37:27

This gives a final blessing reserved for God’s accepted servants. The tabernacle and temple were outward symbols of His presence. The re-erection of the temple by Zerubbabel was the first step to a restoration of the presence of God. The second step was the presence of Christ, first in the flesh, then in His Church, and finally the eternal presence of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:0.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 37:16. Son of man, take thee one stick — The two sticks mentioned in this symbolical transaction represented, as the text declares, the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which vere formed in the days of Rehoboam, and continued distinct till the time of the captivity. The kingdom of Judah was composed of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites; all the rest went off in the schism with Jeroboam, and formed the kingdom of Israel. Though some out of those tribes did rejoin themselves to Judah, yet no whole tribe ever returned to that kingdom. Common sufferings in their captivity became the means of reviving a kinder feeling; and to encourage this, God promises that he will reunite them, and restore them to their own land; and that there shall no more be any divisions or feuds among them. To represent this in such a way as would make it a subject of thought, reflection, and inquiry, the prophet is ordered to take the two sticks mentioned above, to write on them the distinguishing names of the divided kingdoms, and then by a notch, dovetail, glue, or some such method, to unite them both before the people. He did so, and on their inquiry, showed them the full meaning of this symbolical action.