translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EZK

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “set your face toward.”


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Heb “the land of Israel.”


text: The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.


text: Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘ h!nn#n' ?l?K> ,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.


text: Heb “all flesh” (also in the following verse).


text: Heb “Negev.” The Negev is the south country.


text: Heb “breaking loins.”


text: Heb “every spirit will be dim.”


text: Heb “Or shall we rejoice, scepter of my son, it despises every tree.” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned just before this. Alternatively, the line may be understood as “let us not rejoice, O tribe of my son; it despises every tree.” The same word in Hebrew may be either “rod,” “scepter,” or “tribe.” The word sometimes translated as “or” or taken as an interrogative particle may be a negative particle. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:672, n. 79. sn The people of Judah should not place false hope in their king, symbolized by his royal scepter, for God’s judgment (symbolized by fire and then a sword) would destroy every tree (see 20:47 ), symbolizing the righteous and wicked (see 21:3-4 ).


text: Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.


text: Heb “Put to.”


text: Heb “face.”


label: NET textual note

text: The MT reads “Judah in fortified Jerusalem,” a geographic impossibility. The translation follows the LXX, which assumes בְּתוֹכָהּ ( bÿtokhah , “in it”) for בְּצוּרָה ( bÿtsurah , “fortified”). sn As the Babylonians approached from the north, one road would branch off to the left and lead down the east side of the Jordan River to Ammon. The other road would veer to the right and lead down west of the Jordan to Jerusalem.


text: Heb “mother.”


text: This word refers to personal idols that were apparently used for divination purposes ( Gen 31:19 ; 1 Sam 19:13, 16 ).


text: Heb “sees.”


text: Heb “the liver.”


text: Or “on the right side,” i.e., the omen mark on the right side of the liver.


text: Heb “to open the mouth” for slaughter.


text: Heb “to raise up a voice in a battle cry.”


text: Heb “they”; the referent (the people in Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Or “iniquity.”


text: Heb “and he will remind of guilt for the purpose of being captured.” The king would counter their objections by pointing out that they had violated their treaty with him (see 17:18 ).


text: Heb “caused to be remembered.”


text: Heb “Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt when your transgressions are uncovered so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds – because you are remembered, by the hand you will be seized.”


text: This probably refers to King Zedekiah.


text: Elsewhere in the Bible the turban is worn by priests ( Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:28, 31 ; Lev 8:9; 16:4 ), but here a royal crown is in view.


text: Heb “This not this.”


text: Heb “the high one.”


text: Heb “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it.” The threefold repetition of the noun “ruin” is for emphasis and draws attention to the degree of ruin that would take place. See IBHS 233 §12.5a and GKC 431-32 §133. k . The pronominal suffix (translated “it”) on the verb “make” is feminine in Hebrew. The probable antecedent is the “turban/crown” (both nouns are feminine in form) mentioned in verse 26 . The point is that the king’s royal splendor would be completely devastated as judgment overtook his realm and brought his reign to a violent end.


text: Heb “Also this, he was not, until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it.” The Hebrew text, as it stands, is grammatically difficult. The pronoun “this” is feminine, while the following negated verb (“was not”) is masculine. Some emend the verb to a feminine form (see BHS ). In this case the statement refers to the destiny of the king’s turban/crown (symbolizing his reign). See the previous note. The preposition translated “when” normally means “until,” but here it seems to refer to the period during which the preceding situation is realized, rather than its termination point. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:19, 21. The second part of the statement, though awkward, probably refers to the arrival of the Babylonian king, to whom the Lord had assigned the task of judgment (see 23:24 ). Or the verse may read “A total ruin I will make, even this. It will not be until the one comes to whom is (the task of) judgment and I have assigned it.”


text: Heb “their reproach.”


text: Heb “to contain, endure.” Since the Hebrew text as it stands makes little, if any, sense, most emend the text to read either “to consume” or “for destruction.” For discussion of options see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:693.


text: Heb “in the seeing concerning you falsehood, in divining concerning you a lie.” This probably refers to the attempts of the Ammonites to ward off judgment through prophetic visions and divination.


text: Heb “you”; the referent (the sword mentioned in v. 28 ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: In the Hebrew text of vv. 30-32 the second person verbal and pronominal forms are feminine singular. This may indicate that the personified Babylonian sword is being addressed. The Hebrew word for “sword” (see v. 28 ) is feminine. However, it may refer to the Ammonites.


text: Heb “your blood will be in the middle of the land.”