Ezekiel 20:37

Modern

I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

Traditional

And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

Literal

And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

Latin

Et subjiciam vos sceptro meo, et inducam vos in vinculis fœderis.

Hebrew

English

I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

In the past, Israel rebelled against God. Because of this, God judged them in limited ways. As a result, they were scattered among other nations again.
However, judgment was not the end of the story. Earlier events in Israel’s history showed that God does not forget his promises. God’s own honor required him to keep his covenant with his people, even when they sinned.
Israel could never become like the surrounding nations who worship idols made of wood and stone (Ezekiel 20:32). God had chosen Israel to belong to him. Because of this, he would gather them again.
God said he would bring them into the wilderness, as he did in the first exodus from Egypt. This would be like a new exodus. But this was not only good news.
After the first exodus, an entire generation died in the wilderness because of their sin. In the same way, God would judge this new generation. He would remove those who continued to rebel and refuse to obey him.
Those rebels would not enter the land of Israel. The wilderness among the nations would become their final resting place.

Theme notes and profiles

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 25:32–33
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.
Psalm 89:30–32
If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments,
Ezekiel 16:59–60
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.
Amos 3:2
“Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
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.
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.