Bible Strands
Ezekiel 20:37
I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD addresses the exiled Israelites through Ezekiel, placing this declaration between warnings of wilderness-style judgment and the expulsion of rebels.
The words — The Hebrew ha'shaVet ("the rod") and maSoRet ("bond") denote the instrument of passage and the binding nature of the covenant relationship.
The thread — The rod imagery parallels Leviticus 27:32 for consecrated livestock, while the covenant binding and separation themes align with Jeremiah 33:13 and Matthew 25:32.
Why it lands — The verse states that God will forcibly move His people under a measuring rod into a binding covenant, requiring readers to accept that divine judgment precedes and secures covenant loyalty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
Cross-references
- Leviticus 27:32 Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD.
- Jeremiah 33:13 In the cities of the hill country, the foothills, and the Negev, in the land of Benjamin and the cities surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.
- Matthew 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
- Psalms 89:30 If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments,
- Ezekiel 16:59 For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal with you according to your deeds, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
- Leviticus 26:25 And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
- Amos 3:2 “Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
- Ezekiel 34:17 This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.