The Two Sticks
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2026 9:01 am
The LDS Church commonly appeals to Ezekiel 37:15–28, claiming that the "stick of Judah" represents the Bible and the "stick of Joseph" represents the Book of Mormon. They argue that God foretold two sacred books becoming one. However, this interpretation does not fit the text, its historical context, or the Hebrew language.
The context is about two kingdoms, not two books
The entire chapter concerns the restoration of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:1–14: The valley of dry bones symbolises Israel's national restoration.
Ezekiel 37:15–28: The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah are reunited under one king.
Verse 22 explains the meaning plainly:
"I will make them one nation in the land... and one king shall be king over them all."
The chapter itself interprets the sign. It says nothing about future scriptures.
The "sticks" represent people
God tells Ezekiel:
"Take one stick and write on it, 'For Judah'... Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph...'" - Ezekiel 37:16
The inscriptions identify the tribes, not books.
When the people ask what the sticks mean, God answers:
"Behold, I will take the people of Israel... and gather them." - vv. 21–22
God explains that the sticks symbolise the reunification of the people, not the joining of two volumes of scripture.
The Hebrew word does not mean a scroll or book
The Hebrew word is עֵץ (ʿēṣ), meaning:
tree, wood, branch, stick
it is an ordinary piece of wood.
Ancient Hebrew has words for books and scrolls:
סֵפֶר (sepher) – book, scroll, writing
מְגִלָּה (megillah) – scroll
If God intended two books of Scripture, these would have been the obvious words. Instead, He deliberately chose ʿēṣ, a stick held in Ezekiel's hand as a prophetic object lesson.
The prophecy is fulfilled in the Messiah
The passage repeatedly points to Christ:
"David my servant shall be king over them..." (v.24)
This is a Messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who unites Jew and Gentile into one people of God - Ephesians 2:11–22.
The emphasis is unity under one Shepherd—not additional scripture.
The Book of Mormon is never mentioned
Nothing in Ezekiel says: another testament, another scripture, another book, records from America, Nephites or Lamanites, or a future volume alongside the Bible.
Those ideas must be inserted into the passage; they are not drawn from it.
Scripture warns against adding prophetic meanings foreign to the text.
A sound interpretation lets Scripture explain itself and Ezekiel does exactly that.
The prophet asks no one to guess the symbolism. God Himself explains it:
"I will make them one nation... and one king shall be king over them." - Ezekiel 37:22
Once God has given the interpretation, there is no warrant to replace it with an entirely different meaning.
The New Testament never interprets Ezekiel this way
The apostles quote and allude to Ezekiel's restoration prophecies frequently, but never suggest that Ezekiel 37 predicts another volume of Scripture.
Instead, they see its fulfilment in Christ gathering God's people into one flock.
Jesus declared in John 10:16
"There will be one flock, one shepherd."
This echoes Ezekiel 37 far more naturally than the LDS interpretation.
Conclusion
The Mormon "two sticks" interpretation fails because:
it ignores the immediate context; it changes a prophecy about two kingdoms into one about two books; it ignores the Hebrew word ʿēṣ ("stick" or "piece of wood"); it disregards God's own explanation of the symbol; and it overlooks the New Testament's fulfilment of the prophecy in Jesus Christ, who reunites God's people under one Shepherd.
Ezekiel 37 is not a prophecy of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. It is a prophecy of the reunification of God's covenant people under the reign of the Messiah. The text itself supplies its interpretation, leaving no biblical basis for the LDS "two sticks" doctrine.
The context is about two kingdoms, not two books
The entire chapter concerns the restoration of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:1–14: The valley of dry bones symbolises Israel's national restoration.
Ezekiel 37:15–28: The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah are reunited under one king.
Verse 22 explains the meaning plainly:
"I will make them one nation in the land... and one king shall be king over them all."
The chapter itself interprets the sign. It says nothing about future scriptures.
The "sticks" represent people
God tells Ezekiel:
"Take one stick and write on it, 'For Judah'... Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph...'" - Ezekiel 37:16
The inscriptions identify the tribes, not books.
When the people ask what the sticks mean, God answers:
"Behold, I will take the people of Israel... and gather them." - vv. 21–22
God explains that the sticks symbolise the reunification of the people, not the joining of two volumes of scripture.
The Hebrew word does not mean a scroll or book
The Hebrew word is עֵץ (ʿēṣ), meaning:
tree, wood, branch, stick
it is an ordinary piece of wood.
Ancient Hebrew has words for books and scrolls:
סֵפֶר (sepher) – book, scroll, writing
מְגִלָּה (megillah) – scroll
If God intended two books of Scripture, these would have been the obvious words. Instead, He deliberately chose ʿēṣ, a stick held in Ezekiel's hand as a prophetic object lesson.
The prophecy is fulfilled in the Messiah
The passage repeatedly points to Christ:
"David my servant shall be king over them..." (v.24)
This is a Messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who unites Jew and Gentile into one people of God - Ephesians 2:11–22.
The emphasis is unity under one Shepherd—not additional scripture.
The Book of Mormon is never mentioned
Nothing in Ezekiel says: another testament, another scripture, another book, records from America, Nephites or Lamanites, or a future volume alongside the Bible.
Those ideas must be inserted into the passage; they are not drawn from it.
Scripture warns against adding prophetic meanings foreign to the text.
A sound interpretation lets Scripture explain itself and Ezekiel does exactly that.
The prophet asks no one to guess the symbolism. God Himself explains it:
"I will make them one nation... and one king shall be king over them." - Ezekiel 37:22
Once God has given the interpretation, there is no warrant to replace it with an entirely different meaning.
The New Testament never interprets Ezekiel this way
The apostles quote and allude to Ezekiel's restoration prophecies frequently, but never suggest that Ezekiel 37 predicts another volume of Scripture.
Instead, they see its fulfilment in Christ gathering God's people into one flock.
Jesus declared in John 10:16
"There will be one flock, one shepherd."
This echoes Ezekiel 37 far more naturally than the LDS interpretation.
Conclusion
The Mormon "two sticks" interpretation fails because:
it ignores the immediate context; it changes a prophecy about two kingdoms into one about two books; it ignores the Hebrew word ʿēṣ ("stick" or "piece of wood"); it disregards God's own explanation of the symbol; and it overlooks the New Testament's fulfilment of the prophecy in Jesus Christ, who reunites God's people under one Shepherd.
Ezekiel 37 is not a prophecy of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. It is a prophecy of the reunification of God's covenant people under the reign of the Messiah. The text itself supplies its interpretation, leaving no biblical basis for the LDS "two sticks" doctrine.