The traditional interpretation is that Ezekiel embarked on his mission with bitterness and anger, either reflecting God’s attitude toward the sinful people or his own feelings about having to carry out such an unpleasant task. L. C. Allen ( Ezekiel [WBC], 1:13) takes “bitterly” as a misplaced marginal note and understands the following word, normally translated “anger,” in the sense of fervor or passion. He translates, “I was passionately moved” (p. 4). Another option is to take the word translated “bitterly” as a verb meaning “strengthened” (attested in Ugaritic). See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends , 152.


Heb “the hand of the Lord was on me heavily.” The “hand of the Lord” is a metaphor for his power or influence; the modifier conveys intensity. sn In Ezekiel God’s “hand” being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God ( 1:3; 3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1 ).


Or “canal.”


The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24 ; 2 Kgs 9:17 .


Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and v. 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”


Heb “his blood I will seek from your hand.” The expression “seek blood from the hand” is equivalent to requiring the death penalty ( 2 Sam 4:11-12 ).


Verses 17-19 are repeated in Ezek 33:7-9 .


Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14 .


Heb “the righteous man.”


Or “power.” sn Hand in the OT can refer metaphorically to power, authority, or influence. In Ezekiel God’s hand being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God ( 1:3; 3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1 ).


See the note on “wind” in 2:2 .


Heb “he.”


Heb “you will not be to them a reprover.” In Isa 29:21 and Amos 5:10 “a reprover” issued rebuke at the city gate.


Heb “open your mouth.”


Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”


Or perhaps “draw.”


Or “a barricade.”


Heb “set camps against it.”


Or “a griddle,” that is, some sort of plate for cooking.


That is, a symbolic object lesson.


Or “punishment” (also in vv. 5, 6 ).


Heb “I have assigned for you that the years of their iniquity be the number of days.” Num 14:33-34 is an example of the reverse, where the days were converted into years, the number of days spying out the land becoming the number of years of the wilderness wanderings.


The LXX reads “190 days.” sn The significance of the number 390 is not clear. The best explanation is that “days” are used figuratively for years and the number refers to the years of the sinfulness of Israel during the period of the First Temple. Some understand the number to refer to the length of the division of the northern and southern kingdoms down to the fall of Jerusalem (931-586 b.c. ), but this adds up to only 345 years.


Or “When you have carried the iniquity of the house of Israel,” and continuing on to the next verse.


Heb “bread.”


The LXX reads “190 days.”


Heb “from time to time.”


The Hebrew term refers to sacrificial meat not eaten by the appropriate time ( Lev 7:18; 19:7 ).


Heb, “break the staff of bread.” The bread supply is compared to a staff that one uses for support.


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


Or “in their punishment.” Ezek 4:16-17 alludes to Lev 26:26, 39 . The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here, 3:18, 19; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.


Heb, “pass (it) over your head and your beard.”


Heb “from there a few in number.” The word “strands” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “into the midst of” (so KJV, ASV). This phrase has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.


Heb “she defied my laws, becoming wicked more than the nations, and [she defied] my statutes [becoming wicked] more than the countries around her.”


Traditionally this difficult form has been derived from a hypothetical root הָמוֹן ( hamon ), supposedly meaning “be in tumult/uproar,” but such a verb occurs nowhere else. It is more likely that it is to be derived from a root מָנוֹן ( manon ), meaning “disdain” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:52). A derivative from this root is used in Prov 29:21 of a rebellious servant. See HALOT 600 s.v. מָנוֹן .


Some Hebrew mss and the Syriac omit the words “not even.” In this case they are being accused of following the practices of the surrounding nations. See Ezek 11:12 .


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. The Hebrew text switches to a second feminine singular form here, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed (see vv. 5-6 a). The address to Jerusalem continues through v. 15 . In vv. 16-17 the second masculine plural is used, as the people are addressed.


The Hebrew text uses wordplay here to bring out the appropriate nature of God’s judgment. “Execute” translates the same Hebrew verb translated “carried out” (literally meaning “do”) in v. 7 , while “judgment” in v. 8 and “regulations” in v. 7 translate the same Hebrew noun (meaning “regulations” or in some cases “judgments” executed on those who break laws). The point seems to be this: God would “carry out judgments” against those who refused to “carry out” his “laws.”


Heb “in the sight of the nations.” sn This is one of the ironies of the passage. The Lord set Israel among the nations for honor and praise as they would be holy and obey God’s law as told in Ezek 5:5 and Deut 26:16-19 . The practice of these laws and statutes would make the peoples consider Israel wise. (See Deut 4:5-8 , where the words for laws and statutes are the same as those used here). Since Israel did not obey, they are made a different kind of object lesson to the nations, not by their obedience but in their punishment as told in Ezek 5:8 and Deut 29:24-29 . Yet goes on to say that when they remember the cursings and blessings of the covenant and repent, God will restore them from the nations to which they have been scattered.


Or “abominable idols.”


In context “you” refers to the city of Jerusalem. To make this clear for the modern reader, “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation in apposition to “you.” sn This cannibalism would occur as a result of starvation due to the city being besieged. It is one of the judgments threatened for a covenant law violation ( Lev 26:29 ; see also Deut 28:53 ; Jer 19:9 ; Lam 2:20 ; Zech 11:9 ).


Heb “all of your survivors.”


Heb “to every wind.”


The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.


Or “calm myself.”


The Hebrew noun translated “jealousy” is used in the human realm to describe suspicion of adultery ( Num 5:14 ff.; Prov 6:34 ). Since Israel’s relationship with God was often compared to a marriage this term is appropriate here. The term occurs elsewhere in Ezekiel in 8:3, 5; 16:38, 42; 23:25 .


This reading is supported by the versions and by the Dead Sea Scrolls (11QEzek). Most Masoretic Hebrew mss read “it will be,” but if the final he ( ה ) is read as a mater lectionis , as it can be with the second masculine singular perfect, then they are in agreement. In either case the subject refers to Jerusalem.


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT. A related verb means “revile, taunt” (see Ps 44:16 ).


Heb “discipline and devastation.” These words are omitted in the Old Greek. The first term pictures Jerusalem as a recipient or example of divine discipline; the second depicts her as a desolate ruin (see Ezek 6:14 ).


Heb “in anger and in fury and in rebukes of fury.” The heaping up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of God’s anger.


The Hebrew word carries the basic idea of “bad, displeasing, injurious,” but when used of weapons has the nuance “deadly” (see Ps 144:10 ).


Heb “which are/were to destroy.”


The language of this verse may have been influenced by Deut 32:23 .


Or “which were to destroy those whom I will send to destroy you” (cf. NASB).


Heb, “break the staff of bread.” The bread supply is compared to a staff that one uses for support. See 4:16 , as well as the covenant curse in Lev 26:26 .


Heb “will bereave you.”


Heb “will pass through you.” This threat recalls the warning of Lev 26:22, 25 and Deut 32:24-25 .


Heb “set your face against.” The expression occurs at the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophetic oracles in Ezek 13:17; 20:46; 21:2; 25:2; 28:21; 29:2; 35:2; 38:2 . sn Based on comparison to a similar expression in Ugaritic, the phrase may imply that Ezekiel was to actually go to these locations to deliver his message.


The phrase “mountains of Israel” occurs only in the book of Ezekiel ( 6:2, 3; 19:9; 33:28; 34:13, 14; 35:12; 36:1, 4, 8; 37:22; 38:8; 39:2, 4, 17 ). The expression refers to the whole land of Israel. sn The mountainous terrain of Israel would contrast with the exiles’ habitat in the river valley of Babylonia.


The introductory formula “Hear the word of the sovereign Lord ” parallels a pronouncement delivered by the herald of a king ( 2 Kgs 18:28 ).


Heb “Look I, I am bringing.” The repetition of the pronoun draws attention to the speaker. The construction also indicates that the action is soon to come; the Lord is “about to bring a sword against” them.


The Hebrew term refers to elevated platforms where pagan sacrifices were performed.


Thirty-nine of the forty-eight biblical occurrences of this Hebrew word are found in the book of Ezekiel. sn This verse is probably based on Lev 26:30 in which God forecasts that he will destroy their high places, cut off their incense altars, and set their corpses by the corpses of their idols.


This first sentence, which explains the meaning of the last sentence of the previous verse, does not appear in the LXX and may be an instance of a marginal explanatory note making its way into the text.


The Hebrew verb translated “wiped out” is used to describe the judgment of the Flood ( Gen 6:7; 7:4, 23 ).


Heb “when you have fugitives from the sword among the nations, when you are scattered among the lands.”


The words “they will realize” are not in the Hebrew text; they are added here for stylistic reasons since this clause assumes the previous verb “to remember” or “to take into account.”


Heb “how I was broken by their adulterous heart.” The image of God being “broken” is startling, but perfectly natural within the metaphorical framework of God as offended husband. The idiom must refer to the intense grief that Israel’s unfaithfulness caused God. For a discussion of the syntax and semantics of the Hebrew text, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 1:134.


Heb adds “in their faces.”


Heb “not in vain did I speak to do to them this catastrophe.” The wording of the last half of v. 10 parallels God’s declaration after the sin of the golden calf ( Exod 32:14 ).


Heb “the one who is left, the one who is spared.”


The Vulgate reads the name as “Riblah,” a city north of Damascus. The MT reads Diblah, a city otherwise unknown. The letters resh ( ר ) and dalet ( ד ) may have been confused in the Hebrew text. The town of Riblah was in the land of Hamath ( 2 Kgs 23:33 ) which represented the northern border of Israel ( Ezek 47:14 ).


Or “earth.” Elsewhere the expression “four corners of the earth” figuratively refers to the whole earth ( Isa 11:12 ).


Or “punish” (cf. BDB 1047 s.v. שָׁפַט 3.c).


Heb “ways.”


Heb “I will place on you.”


The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.


The pronoun “you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.


“I will set your behavior on your head.”


Heb “and your abominable practices will be among you.”


The Hebrew term often refers to moral evil (see Ezek 6:10; 14:22 ), but in many contexts it refers to calamity or disaster, sometimes as punishment for evil behavior.


So most Hebrew mss ; many Hebrew mss read “disaster after disaster” (cf. NAB, NCV, NRSV, NLT).


Or “has come.”


With different vowels the verb rendered “it has awakened” would be the noun “the end,” as in “the end is upon you.” The verb would represent a phonetic wordplay. The noun by virtue of repetition would continue to reinforce the idea of the end. Whether verb or noun, this is the only instance to occur with this preposition.


For this entire verse, the LXX has only “the end is come.” tn In each of the three cases of the verb translated with forms of “to come,” the form may either be a participle (“comes/is coming”) or a perfect (“has come”). Either form would indicate that the end is soon to arrive. This last form appears also to be feminine, although “end” is masculine. This shift may be looking ahead to the next verse, whose first noun (“Doom”) is feminine.


The LXX reads “neither tumult nor birth pains.” The LXX varies at many points from the MT in this chapter. The context suggests that one or both of these would be present on a day of judgment, thus favoring the MT. Perhaps more significant is the absence of “the mountains” in the LXX. If the ר ( resh ) in הָרִים ( harim , “the mountains” not “on the mountains”) were a ד ( dalet ), which is a common letter confusion, then it could be from the same root as the previous word, הֵד ( hed ), meaning “the day is near – with destruction, not joyful shouting.”


The expression “to pour out rage” also occurs in Ezek 9:8; 14:19; 20:8, 13, 21; 22:31; 30:15; 36:18 .


Heb “According to your behavior I will place on you.”


The MT lacks “you.” It has been added for clarification.


Heb “the violence.”


The LXX reads “he will crush the wicked rod without confusion or haste.” tn The verb has been supplied for the Hebrew text to clarify the sense.


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.


Heb “wrath.” Context clarifies that God’s wrath is in view.


The translation follows the LXX for the first line of the verse, although the LXX has lost the second line due to homoioteleuton (similar endings of the clauses). The MT reads “The seller will not return to the sale.” This Hebrew reading has been construed as a reference to land redemption, the temporary sale of the use of property, with property rights returned to the seller in the year of Jubilee. But the context has no other indicator that land redemption is in view. If correct, the LXX evidence suggests that one of the cases of “the customer” has been replaced by “the seller” in the MT, perhaps due to hoimoioarcton (similar beginnings of the words).


The Hebrew word refers to the din or noise made by a crowd, and by extension may refer to the crowd itself.


Or “in their punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in v. 16; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 18:17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”


Heb “their knees will run with water.” The expression probably refers to urination caused by fright, which is how the LXX renders the phrase. More colloquial English would simply be “they will wet their pants,” but as D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:261, n. 98) notes, the men likely wore skirts which were short enough to expose urine on the knees.


Heb “baldness will be on their heads.”


The Hebrew term can refer to menstrual impurity. The term also occurs at the end of v. 20 .


Heb “it.” Apparently the subject is the silver and gold mentioned earlier (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:102).


The “stumbling block of their iniquity” is a unique phrase of the prophet Ezekiel ( Ezek 14:3, 4, 7; 18:30; 44:12 ).


The MT reads “he set up the beauty of his ornament as pride.” The verb may be repointed as plural without changing the consonantal text. The Syriac reads “their ornaments” (plural), implying עֶדְיָם (’ edyam ) rather than עֶדְיוֹ (’ edyo ) and meaning “they were proud of their beautiful ornaments.” This understands “ornaments” in the common sense of women’s jewelry, which then were used to make idols. The singular suffix “his ornaments” would refer to using items from the temple treasury to make idols. D. I. Block points out the foreshadowing of Ezek 16:17 which, with Rashi and the Targum, supports the understanding that this is a reference to temple items. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:265.


The Hebrew word “the chain” occurs only here in the OT. The reading of the LXX (“and they will make carnage”) seems to imply a Hebrew text of ַהבַּתּוֹק ( habbattoq , “disorder, slaughter”) instead of הָרַתּוֹק ( haratoq , “the chain”). The LXX is also translating the verb as a third person plural future and taking this as the end of the preceding verse. As M. Greenberg ( Ezekiel [AB], 1:154) notes, this may refer to a chain for a train of exiles but “the context does not speak of exile but of the city’s fall. The versions guess desperately and we can do little better.”


Heb “judgment for blood,” i.e., indictment or accountability for bloodshed. The word for “judgment” does not appear in the similar phrase in 9:9 .


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT. It is interpreted based on a Syriac cognate meaning “to bristle or stiffen (in terror).”


Heb “and by their judgments.”


The LXX reads “In the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month.” sn In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month would be September 17, 592 b.c. , about fourteen months after the initial vision.


Or “power.” sn Hand in the OT can refer metaphorically to power, authority, or influence. In Ezekiel God’s hand being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God ( 3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1 ).


Heb “fell upon me there,” that is, God’s influence came over him.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb (so also throughout the chapter).


The MT reads “fire” rather than “man,” the reading of the LXX. The nouns are very similar in Hebrew.


The MT reads “what appeared to be his waist and downwards was fire.” The LXX omits “what appeared to be,” reading “from his waist to below was fire.” Suggesting that “like what appeared to be” belongs before “fire,” D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:277) points out the resulting poetic symmetry of form with the next line as followed in the translation here.


The LXX omits “like a brightness.”


See Ezek 1:4 .


The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8 ; 1 Chr 28:11 ).


Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2 .


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


Or “image.”


Heb “lift your eyes (to) the way of.”


Heb “house.”


Or “pattern.”


Heb “detestable.” The word is often used to describe the figures of foreign gods.


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.


Heb “the room of his images.” The adjective “idolatrous” has been supplied in the translation for clarity. sn This type of image is explicitly prohibited in the Mosaic law ( Lev 26:1 ).


Given the context this could be understood as a shock, e.g., idiomatically “Good grief! I saw….”


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something.


The LXX reads “twenty” instead of twenty-five, perhaps because of the association of the number twenty with the Mesopotamian sun god Shamash. tn Or “exactly twenty-five.”


Or “the sun god.” sn The worship of astral entities may have begun during the reign of Manasseh ( 2 Kgs 21:5 ).


It is not clear what the practice of “holding a branch to the nose” indicates. A possible parallel is the Syrian relief of a king holding a flower to his nose as he worships the stars ( ANEP 281). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:145-46. The LXX glosses the expression as “Behold, they are like mockers.”


The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.


Heb “they approached.” Reading the imperative assumes the same consonantal text but different vowels.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


Or “a scribe’s inkhorn.” The Hebrew term occurs in the OT only in and is believed to be an Egyptian loanword.


Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.” map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת ( tav ). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35 . In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X. sn For a similar concept in the Bible, see Rev 7:2-4; 13:16; 14:9, 11; 20:4; 22:4 .


Heb “to these he said in my ears.”


Or “lawlessness” (NAB); “perversity” (NRSV). The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT, and its meaning is uncertain. The similar phrase in 7:23 has a common word for “violence.”


Heb “their way on their head I have placed.” The same expression occurs in 1 Kgs 8:32 ; Ezek 11:21; 16:43; 22:31 .


Or “like a dome.” See 1:22-26 .


Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The Hebrew term often refers to chariot wheels ( Isa 28:28 ; Ezek 23:24; 26:10 ).


The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum mss read plural “cherubim” while the MT is singular here, “cherub.” The plural ending was probably omitted in copying the MT due to the similar beginning of the next word.


Heb “right side.”


The name (“El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram ,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd ,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God , 69-72.


Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “the wheel.”


Heb “the cherub.”


The Hebrew text adds, “from among the cherubim.”


The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the plan or pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8 ; 1 Chr 28:11 ).


The MT repeats this phrase, a clear case of dittography.


Heb “Tarshish stone.” The meaning is uncertain. The term has also been translated “topaz” (NEB), “beryl” (KJV, NASB, NRSV), and “chrysolite” (RSV, NIV).


Or “like a wheel at right angles to another wheel.” Some envision concentric wheels here, while others propose “a globe-like structure in which two wheels stand at right angles” (L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:33-34). See also 1:16 .


Many interpreters assume that the human face of each cherub was the one that looked forward.


The phrase “along with their entire bodies” is absent from the LXX and may be a gloss explaining the following words.


Or “the whirling wheels.”


Heb “each one”; the referent (the cherubim) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “it was the living creature.”


Heb “lifted.”


Heb “they”; the referent (the cherubim) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “they”; the referent (the wheels) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Or “wind.”


Heb “living creature.”


Heb “them”; the referent (the wheels) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Or “the ground” (NIV, NCV).


Heb “That was the living creature.”


Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2 .


Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The Hebrew verb may mean “think” in this context. This content of what they say (or think) represents their point of view.


Heb “she” or “it”; the feminine pronoun refers here to Jerusalem.


Heb “fell.”


The Hebrew verb commonly means “to say,” but may also mean “to think” (see also v. 3 ).


Heb “I know the steps of your spirits.”


Heb “placed.”


Heb “in its midst.”


Heb “she/it.” See v. 3 .


Many of the versions read “I will bring you out” (active) rather than “he brought out” (the reading of MT).


Heb “its midst.”


The Hebrew text does not have the negative particle, but it is implied. The negative particle in the previous line does double duty here.


The LXX reads this statement as a question. Compare this to the question in 9:8 . It is possible that the interrogative particle has been omitted by haplography. However, an exclamatory statement as in the MT also makes sense and the LXX may have simply tried to harmonize this passage with 9:8 .


The MT reads “your brothers, your brothers” either for empahsis (D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:341, n. 1; 346) or as a result of dittography.


The MT reads גְאֻלָּתֶךָ ( gÿ ’ ullatekha , “your redemption-men”), referring to the relatives responsible for deliverance in times of hardship (see Lev 25:25-55 ). The LXX and Syriac read “your fellow exiles,” assuming an underlying Hebrew text of גָלוּתֶךָ ( galutekha ) or having read the א ( aleph ) as an internal mater lectionis for holem .


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


The MT has an imperative form (“go far!”), but it may be read with different vowels as a perfect verb (“they have gone far”).


Or “have been partially a sanctuary”; others take this as temporal (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV “a little while”).


The MT reads “you”; many Hebrew mss along with the LXX and other ancient versions read “within them.”


Heb “their flesh.”


Heb “heart of flesh.”


Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”


Heb “lifted.”


Heb “stood.”


Heb “to Chaldea.”


Heb “all the words of.”


Heb “see.” This plays on the uses of “see” in v. 2 . They will see his actions with their eyes and perhaps they will “see” with their mind, that is, understand or grasp the point.


Apart from this context the Hebrew term occurs only in Gen 15:17 in reference to the darkness after sunset. It may mean twilight.


Or “land” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).


The words “my baggage” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied from the context.


The nearly incoherent Hebrew reads “The prince is this burden (prophetic oracle?) in Jerusalem.” The Targum, which may only be trying to make sense of a very difficult text, says “Concerning the prince is this oracle,” assuming the addition of a preposition. This would be the only case where Ezekiel uses this term for a prophetic oracle. The LXX reads the word for “burden” as a synonym for leader, as both words are built on the same root ( נָשִׂיא , nasi ’), but the verse is still incoherent because it is only a phrase with no verb. The current translation assumes that the verb יִשָּׂא ( yisa ’) from the root נָשִׂיא has dropped out due to homoioteleuton. If indeed the verb has dropped out (the syntax of the verbless clause being the problem), then context clearly suggests that it be a form of נָשִׂיא (see vv. 7 and 12 ). Placing the verb between the subject and object would result in three consecutive words based on the root נָשִׂיא and an environment conducive to an omission in copying: הַנָּשִׂיא יִשָּׁא הַמַּשָּׂא הַזֶּה ( hannasi ’ yisha ’ hammasa ’ hazzeh , “the Prince will raise this burden”). sn The prince in Jerusalem refers to King Zedekiah. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


The MT reads “within them.” Possibly a scribe copied this form from the following verse “among them,” but only “within it” makes sense in this context.


The words “his belongings” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.


The MT reads “they”; the LXX and Syriac read “he.”


Or “Babylonians” (NCV, NLT). sn The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah, while Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, uses both terms.


The Hebrew term normally refers to an earthquake (see 1 Kgs 19:11 ; Amos 1:1 ).


Heb “the days draw near and the word of every vision (draws near).”


Heb “from their mind.” sn Who prophesy from their imagination . Note the testimony of Moses in Num 16:28 , which contains a similar expression.


Or “confirmed”; NIV “to be fulfilled”; TEV “to come true.”


The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


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.


The Hebrew term may refer to the secret council of the Lord ( Jer 23:18 ; Job 15:8 ), but here it more likely refers to a human council comprised of civic leaders ( Gen 49:6 ; Jer 6:11; 15:17 Ps 64:3; 111:1 ).


The reference here is probably to a civil list (as in Ezra 2:16 ; Neh 7:64 ) rather than to a “book of life” ( Exod 32:32 ; Isa 4:3 ; Ps 69:29 ; Dan 12:1 ). This registry may have been established at the making of David’s census ( 2 Sam 24:2, 9 ).


Or “peace.”


The Hebrew word only occurs here in the Bible. According to L. C. Allen ( Ezekiel [WBC], 1:202-3) it is also used in the Mishnah of a wall of rough stones without mortar. This fits the context here comparing the false prophetic messages to a nice coat of whitewash on a structurally unstable wall.


Heb “and you, O hailstones.”


Or “within it,” referring to the city of Jerusalem.


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


Heb “set your face against.”


Heb “from their heart.”


Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.


The Hebrew term occurs in the Bible only here and in v. 21 . It has also been understood as a veil or type of head covering. D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:414) suggests that given the context of magical devices, the expected parallel to the magical arm bands, and the meaning of this Hebrew root ( סָפַח [ safakh , “to attach” or “join”]), it may refer to headbands or necklaces on which magical amulets were worn.


Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19 ).


Heb “human lives” or “souls.”


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


Heb “from your hand(s).” This refers to their power over the people.


The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.


Heb “the stumbling block of their iniquity.” This phrase is unique to the prophet Ezekiel.


Or “I will not reveal myself to them.” The Hebrew word is used in a technical sense here of seeking an oracle from a prophet ( 2 Kgs 1:16; 3:11; 8:8 ).


Heb “in accordance with the multitude of his idols.”


Heb “proverbs.”


The translation is uncertain due to difficulty both in determining the meaning of the verb’s stem and its conjugation in this context. In the Qal stem the basic meaning of the verbal root פָּתַה ( patah ) is “to be gullible, foolish.” The doubling stems (the Pual and Piel used in this verse) typically give such stative verbs a factitive sense, hence either “make gullible” (i.e., “entice”) or “make into a fool” (i.e., “to show to be a fool”). The latter represents the probable meaning of the term in Jer 20:7, 10 and is followed here (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:193; R. Mosis “Ez 14, 1-11 - ein Ruf zur Umkehr,” BZ 19 [1975]: 166-69 and ThWAT 4:829-31). In this view, if a prophet speaks when not prompted by God, he will be shown to be a fool, but this does not reflect negatively on the Lord because it is God who shows him to be a fool. Secondly, the verb is in the perfect conjugation and may be translated “I have made a fool of him” or “I have enticed him,” or to show determination (see IBHS 439-41 §27.2f and g), or in certain syntactical constructions as future. Any of these may be plausible if the doubling stems used are understood in the sense of “making a fool of.” But if understood as “to make gullible,” more factors come into play. As the Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, it is often translated as present perfect: “I have enticed.” In this case the Lord states that he himself enticed the prophet to cooperate with the idolaters. Such enticement to sin would seem to be a violation of God’s moral character, but sometimes he does use such deception and enticement to sin as a form of punishment against those who have blatantly violated his moral will (see, e.g., ). If one follows this line of interpretation in Ezek 14:9 , one would have to assume that the prophet had already turned from God in his heart. However, the context gives no indication of this. Therefore, it is better to take the perfect as indicating certitude and to translate it with the future tense: “I will entice.” In this case the Lord announces that he will judge the prophet appropriately. If a prophet allows himself to be influenced by idolaters, then the Lord will use deception as a form of punishment against that deceived prophet. A comparison with the preceding oracles also favors this view. In 14:4 the perfect of certitude is used for emphasis (see “I will answer”), though in v. 7 a participle is employed. For a fuller discussion of this text, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 23-25.


Or “They will bear responsibility for their iniquity.” The Hebrew term “iniquity” (three times in this verse) often refers by metonymy to the consequence of sin (see Gen 4:13 ).


Or “As is the guilt of the inquirer so is the guilt of the prophet.”


Heb “break its staff of bread.”


Most modern translations take the statement as a comparison (“how is vine wood better than any forest wood?”) based on the preposition מִן ( min ). But a comparison should have a word as an adjective or stative verb designating a quality, i.e., a word for “good/better” is lacking. The preposition is translated above in its partitive sense. sn Comparing Israel to the wood of the vine may focus on Israel’s inferiority to the other nations. For the vine imagery in relation to Israel and the people of God, see Ps 80:8-13 ; John 15:1-7 ; Rom 11:17-22 .


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) draws one’s attention to something. Sometimes it may be translated as a verb of perception; here it is treated as a particle that fits the context (so also in v. 5 , but with a different English word).


The words “as fuel” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.


The word translated “set” is the same Hebrew word translated as “provide” in the previous verse.


The word translated “make” is the same Hebrew word translated as “provide” in v. 6 .


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


Heb “in water you were not washed for cleansing” or “with water you were not washed smooth” (see D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:473, n. 57, for a discussion of possible meanings of this hapax legomenon ).


The translation reflects the Hebrew text, which repeats the statement, perhaps for emphasis. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Old Greek, and the Syriac do not include the repetition. The statement could have been accidentally repeated or the second occurrence could have been accidentally omitted. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to know which is more likely.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a participle.


See similar use of this term in Ezek 23:17 ; Prov 7:16 ; Song of Songs 4:10; 7:13 .


Heb “wing” or “skirt.” The gesture symbolized acquiring a woman in early Arabia (similarly, see Deut 22:30 ; Ruth 3:9 ).


Heb “name.”


Heb “it” (so KJV, ASV); the referent (the beauty in which the prostitute trusted, see the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The text as written in the MT is incomprehensible (“not coming [plural] and he will not”). Driver has suggested a copying error of similar-sounding words, specifically לֹא ( lo ’) for לוֹ ( lo ). The feminine participle בָאוֹת ( va ’ ot ) has also been read as the feminine perfect בָאת ( va ’ t ). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:228, n. 15.b, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:486, n. 137.


Or perhaps “and worshiped them,” if the word “prostitution” is understood in a figurative rather than a literal sense (cf. CEV, NLT).


Heb “and you gave them, by passing them through to them.” Some believe this alludes to the pagan practice of making children pass through the fire.


The Hebrew גֶּב ( gev ) may represent more than one word, each rare in the Old Testament. It may refer to a “mound” or to “rafters.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate interpret this as a brothel.


Or “lofty place” (NRSV). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:229, and B. Lang, Frau Weisheit , 137.


Heb “treated as if abominable,” i.e., repudiated.


The only other occurrence of the Hebrew root is found in Prov 13:3 in reference to the talkative person who habitually “opens wide” his lips.


Heb “your neighbors, large of flesh.” The word “flesh” is used here of the genitals. It may simply refer to the size of their genitals in general, or, as the translation suggests, depicts them as sexually aroused.


Heb “Chaldea.” The name of the tribal group ruling Babylon (“Chaldeans”) and the territory from which they originated (“Chaldea”) is used as metonymy for the whole empire of Babylon.


The Hebrew term, which also occurs in vv. 34 and 41 of this chapter, always refers to the payment of a prostitute ( Deut 23:19 ; Isa 23:17 ; Hos 9:1 ; Mic 1:7 ).


The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.


Heb “With you it was opposite of women in your prostitution.”


Heb “and I will judge you (with) the judgments of adulteresses and of those who shed blood.”


Heb “and I will give you the blood of rage and zeal.”


The words “to your clients” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.


Heb “your way on (your) head I have placed.”


Heb “left.”


Heb “right.”


Heb “walked in their ways.”


The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7 .


Or “guilt.”


Heb “strengthen the hand of.”


Or “you have multiplied your abominable deeds beyond them.”


Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”


Or “pride.”


So MT, LXX, and Vulgate; many Hebrew mss and Syriac read “Edom.”


Or “eternal.”


Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”


Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”


The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.


Hebrew has two words for wings; it is unknown whether they are fully synonymous or whether one term distinguishes a particular part of the wing such as the wing coverts (nearest the shoulder), secondaries (mid-feathers of the wing) or primaries (last and longest section of the wing).


This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.


Heb “took of the seed of the land.” For the vine imagery, “seedling” is a better translation, though in its subsequent interpretation the “seed” refers to Zedekiah through its common application to offspring.


Heb “a field for seed.”


Heb “short of stature.”


That is, the eagle.


Or “him,” i.e., the eagle.


The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT and appears to have the meaning of “strip off.” In application to fruit the meaning may be “cause to rot.”


Heb “all the טַרְפֵּי ( tarpey ) of branches.” The word טַרְפֵּי occurs only here in the Bible; its precise meaning is uncertain.


Or “there will be no strong arm or large army when it is pulled up by the roots.”


The words “of Israel” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation as a clarification of the referent. sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house ( Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3 ).


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


Or “descendants”; Heb “seed” (cf. v. 5 ).


Heb “caused him to enter into an oath.”


Heb “he”; the referent (the member of the royal family, v. 13 ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


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


Heb “place.”


Heb “deal with” or “work with.”


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something.


Heb “place it on his head.”


Some manuscripts and versions read “choice men,” while most manuscripts read “fugitives”; the difference arises from the reversal, or metathesis, of two letters, מִבְרָחָיו ( mivrakhyv ) for מִבְחָריו ( mivkharyv ).


Heb “fall.”


The LXX lacks “and plant it.”


This word only occurs here and in the parallel passage in Jer 31:29-30 in the Qal stem and in Eccl 10:10 in the Piel stem. In the latter passage it refers to the bluntness of an ax that has not been sharpened. Here the idea is of the “bluntness” of the teeth, not from having ground them down due to the bitter taste of sour grapes but to the fact that they have lost their “edge,” “bite,” or “sharpness” because they are numb from the sour taste. For this meaning for the word, see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:197.


This expression occurs often in Ezekiel ( 5:11; 14:16, 18, 20; 16:48; 17:16, 19; 20:3, 31, 33; 33:11, 27; 34:8; 35:6, 11 ).


Heb “life.”


Heb, “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten ( Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6 ).


Heb, “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.


Heb, “does not draw near to.” “Draw near” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse ( Lev 18:14 ; Deut 22:14 ; Isa 8:3 ).


Heb “restores to the debtor his pledge.” The root occurs in Exod 22:25 in reference to restoring a man’s garment as a pledge before nightfall.


The Hebrew term refers to seizure of property, usually by the rich ( Isa 3:14; 10:2 ; Mic 2:2 [see Lev 5:21, 22]).


Heb, “turns back his hand.”


Heb “justice of truth.”


The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת ( la ’ asot ’ emet , “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם ( la ’ asot ’ otam ). The ם ( mem ) and ת ( tav ) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX refelcts the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19 .


Heb “he.”


Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.


Heb “begets.”


Heb “and he does, a brother, from one of these.” If “brother” is retained, it may be an adverbial accusative, “against a brother” (i.e., fellow Israelite). But the form is likely dittographic (note the אח [ aleph-heth ] combination in the following form).


Heb “and he all of these did not do.” The parenthetical note refers back to the father described in the preceding verses.


Heb “lifts up his eyes.”


Heb “be put to death.” The translation follows an alternative reading that appears in several ancient textual witnesses.


Heb “his blood will be upon him.”


Heb “and he sees and does not do likewise.”


This translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “restrains his hand from the poor,” which makes no sense here.


Or “in his father’s punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 18, 19, 20; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”


Heb “lift up, bear.”


Heb “the righteousness of the righteous one will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked one will be upon him.”


Heb “remembered.”


Heb “because of them he will die.”


Heb “way.”


Heb “for them” or “because of them.”


Heb “he saw.”


Heb “ways.”


The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.


Or “leading to punishment.”


Heb “the death of the one dying.”


Heb “lift up.”


Heb “a man.”


The Hebrew text reads “knew,” but is apparently the result of a ר - ד ( dalet-resh ) confusion. For a defense of the emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:284. However, Allen retains the reading “widows” as the object of the verb, which he understands in the sense of “do harm to,” and translates the line: “He did harm to women by making them widows” (p. 282). The line also appears to be lacking a beat for the meter of the poem.


The Hebrew text reads “widows” instead of “strongholds,” apparently due to a confusion of ר ( resh ) and ל ( lamed ). L. C. Allen ( Ezekiel [WBC], 1:284) favors the traditional text, understanding “widows” in the sense of “women made widows.” D. I. Block, ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:602) also defends the Hebrew text, arguing that the image is that of a dominant male lion who takes over the pride and by copulating with the females lays claim to his predecessor’s “widows.”


Or “They put him in a neck stock with hooks.” The noun סּוּגַר ( sugar ), translated “collar,” occurs only here in the Bible. L. C. Allen and D. I. Block point out a Babylonian cognate that refers to a device for transporting prisoners of war that held them by their necks (D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:597, n. 35; L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:284). Based on the Hebrew root, the traditional rendering had been “cage” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).


The term in the MT occurs only here and in Eccl 9:12 where it refers to a net for catching fish. The LXX translates this as “prison,” which assumes a confusion of dalet and resh took place in the MT.


The Hebrew text reads “in your blood,” but most emend to “in your vineyard,” assuming a ב - כ ( beth-kaph ) confusion. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:284. Another attractive emendation assumes a faulty word division and yields the reading “like a vine full of tendrils, which/because…”; see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:607, n. 68.


The word “fit” does not occur in the Hebrew text.


Heb “and it was seen by its height and by the abundance of its branches.”


The verse describes the similar situation recorded in Judg 9:20 .


Heb “men from the elders.”


See the note at 14:3 .


Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”


Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment.


Heb “I lifted up my hand.”


Heb “seed.”


Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”


Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan ( Num 13-14 ); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”


Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.


Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”


Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”


Heb “for the sake of my name.”


Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”


Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.


Heb “the man.”


Heb “does.”


The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19 .


Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”


Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13 .


Heb “to bring them to an end.”


The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.


Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.


Heb “my eye pitied.”


Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.


Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27 .


Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”


Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”


Heb “sons.”


Or “carries them out.”


Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”


Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11 .


Heb “I lifted up my hand.”


The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.


Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16 ).


Or “permitted.” sn The content of the verse is shocking: that God would “give” bad decrees. This probably does not refer to the Mosaic law but to the practices of the Canaanites who were left in the land in order to test Israel. See Judg 2:20-23 , the note on “decrees” in v. 25 , and the note on “pass through the fire” in v. 26 .


The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת ( khuqot ; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים ( khuqim ). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13 , which lead to life.


Or “gifts.”


Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”


The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”


Heb “in the way of your fathers.”


Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”


Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”


Heb “what comes upon your mind.”


The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”


Heb “serving wood and stone.” sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20 .


This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.


See the note at 2:3 .


Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg ( Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.


Heb “all of it.”


Heb “I lifted up my hand.”


Heb “ways.”


Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”


Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17 .


Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.


Or “toward Darom.” Darom may mean the south or a region just north of southern city of Beer Sheba. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:417-18.


The Hebrew term can also mean “forest,” but a meaning of uncultivated wasteland fits the Negev region far better. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:418.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14 .


Heb “all flesh.”


Heb “set your face toward.”


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


Heb “the land of Israel.”


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


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.


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


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


Heb “breaking loins.”


Heb “every spirit will be dim.”


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 ).


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.


Heb “Put to.”


Heb “face.”


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.


Heb “mother.”


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


Heb “sees.”


Heb “the liver.”


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


Heb “to open the mouth” for slaughter.


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


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


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


Or “iniquity.”


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 ).


Heb “caused to be remembered.”


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.”


This probably refers to King Zedekiah.


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.


Heb “This not this.”


Heb “the high one.”


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.


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.”


Heb “their reproach.”


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.


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.


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


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.


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


Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment upon the city. See 20:4 .


The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1 .


Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4 ).


Heb “you have brought near your days.” The expression “bring near your days” appears to be an adaptation of the idiom “days draw near,” which is used to indicate that an event, such as death, is imminent (see Gen 27:41; 47:29 ; Deut 31:14 ; 1 Kgs 2:1 ; Ezek 12:23 ). Here “your days” probably refers to the days of the personified city’s life, which was about to come to an end through God’s judgment.


Heb “and you have come to your years.” This appears to mean that she has arrived at the time when her years (i.e., life) would end, though it may mean that her years of punishment will begin. Because “day” and “time” are so closely associated in the immediate context (see 21:25, 29 ) some prefer to emend the text and read “you have brought near your time.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:31, as well as the translator’s note on verse 3 .


The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, emphasizing that the action is as good as done from the speaker’s perspective.


Heb “unclean of name.”


Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”


Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”


Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT ( Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13 ; Jer 7:6; 22:3 ). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.


Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”


Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6 .


Heb “the nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6 ). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother ( Lev 18:7 ), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother ( Lev 18:8 ; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4 ).


Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law ( Lev 18:19; 20:18 ).


Heb “a man.”


The verb is the same one used in verse 10 b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.


Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17 . This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36 .


The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.


Heb “the blood which was in you.”


Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.


Heb “in the days when I act against you.”


Several ancient versions read the verb as first person, in which case the Lord refers to how his people’s sin brings disgrace upon him. For a defense of the Hebrew text, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:712, n. 68, and M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:457-58. tn The phrase “within yourself” is the same as the several previous occurrences of “within you” but adjusted to fit this clause which is the culmination of the series of indictments.


For similar imagery, see Isa 1:21-26 ; Jer 6:27-30 .


The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19 b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.


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


Heb “I will put.” No object is supplied in the Hebrew, prompting many to emend the text to “I will blow.” See BHS and verse 21 .


The MT reads “that is not cleansed”; the LXX reads “that is not drenched,” which assumes a different vowel pointing as well as the loss of a מ ( mem ) due to haplography. In light of the following reference to showers, the reading of the LXX certainly fits the context well. For a defense of the emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32. Yet the MT is not an unreasonable reading since uncleanness in the land also fits the context, and a poetic connection between rain and the land being uncleansed may be feasible since washing with water is elsewhere associated with cleansing ( Num 8:7; 31:23 ; Ps 51:7 ).


Heb “in a day of anger.”


Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28 ). If one follows the LXX in verse 25 , then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29 : princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.


Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.


Or “between the consecrated and the common.”


Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4 ; 1 Sam 12:3 ; Prov 28:27 ; Isa 1:15 ).


Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15 .


Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”


Heb “I did not find.”


Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”


In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.


The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”


Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29 . sn Played the harlot refers to alliances with pagan nations in this context. In harlotry described the sin of idolatry.


Heb “Assyria.”


The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.


Heb “lusted after.”


Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”


Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”


Heb “name.”


The word “this” is not in the original text.


The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14 .


Heb “the sons of Babel.”


Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”


Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”


Heb “her soul.”


Heb “She exposed her harlotry and she exposed her nakedness.”


Heb “my soul.”


Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?) whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is extremely problematic here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” but this still fails to explain how the pronoun relates to the noun. It is more likely that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of their genitals.


Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד ( paqad ) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.


Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8 . See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.


Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


Heb “come against.”


This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.


Heb “an assembly of peoples.”


Heb “I will place before them judgment.”


Heb “give.”


Heb “they will remove.” sn This method of punishment is attested among ancient Egyptian and Hittite civilizations. See W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:489.


Heb “fall.”


Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”


Heb “lift your eyes to them.”


Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”


The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.


Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”


The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28 : “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.


Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28 ; Hab 2:16 .) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT ( Mark 14:36 ).


Heb “filled with.”


Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”


D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place ( Num 24:8 ), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.


Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9 ).


The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.


Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4; 22:2 .


Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35 .


Heb “in that day.”


Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.


The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42 a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42 b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.


Heb “(was) in her.”


Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”


An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.


Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.


Heb “and they came to her.”


Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”


Heb “assembly.”


Heb “give them to.”


The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”


Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.


The date of this oracle was January 15, 588 b.c .


Heb “lean on, put pressure on.”


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


Or “rust.”


Heb “has not gone out.”


Here “lot” may refer to the decision made by casting lots; it is not chosen at all.


Heb “set it upon its coals, empty.”


Or “rust” (so also in v. 12 ).


Heb “(with) toil she has wearied.” The meaning of the statement is unclear in the Hebrew text; some follow the LXX and delete it. The first word in the statement (rendered “toil” in the literal translation above) occurs only here in the OT, and the verb “she has wearied” lacks a stated object. Elsewhere the Hiphil of the verb refers to wearying someone or trying someone’s patience. The feminine subject is apparently the symbolic pot.


Heb “does not go out.”


Heb “in fire its rust.” The meaning of the expression is unclear. The translation understands the statement as a command to burn the rust away. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:768.


Heb “in your uncleanness (is) obscene conduct.”


Heb “because I cleansed you.” In this context (see especially the very next statement), the statement must refer to divine intention and purpose. Despite God’s efforts to cleanse his people, they resisted him and remained morally impure.


The Hebrew text adds the word “again.”


Heb “it”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Or perhaps, “change my mind.”


Some medieval Hebrew mss and the major ancient versions read a first person verb here. Most Hebrew mss read have an indefinite subject, “they will judge you,” which could be translated, “you will be judged.”


Heb “ways.”


Heb “a strike.”


Or “Groan silently. As to the dead….” Cf. M. Greenberg’s suggestion that דֹּם מֵתִים ( dom metim ) be taken together and דֹּם be derived from ָדּמַם ( damam , “to moan, murmur”). See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:508.


Heb “(For) the dead mourning you shall not conduct.” In the Hebrew text the word translated “dead” is plural, indicating that mourning rites are in view. Such rites would involve outward demonstrations of one’s sorrow, including wailing and weeping.


Heb “the bread of men.” The translation follows the suggestion accepted by M. Greenberg ( Ezekiel [AB], 2:509) that this refers to a meal brought by comforters to the one mourning. Some repoint the consonantal text to read “the bread of despair” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:56), while others, with support from the Targum and Vulgate, emend the consonantal text to read “the bread of mourners” (see D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:784).


This may refer to the following morning. For a discussion of various interpretive options in understanding the chronology reflected in verse 18 , see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:790.


Heb “the pride of your strength” means “your strong pride.”


Heb “the object of compassion of your soul.” The accentuation in the traditional Hebrew text indicates that the descriptive phrases (“the source of your confident pride, the object in which your eyes delight, and your life’s passion”) modify the preceding “my sanctuary.”


Heb “fall.”


See v. 17 .


The same verb appears in 4:17 and 33:10 .


Or “in your punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18:17, 18, 19, 20; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.


Heb “(Will) it not (be) in the day I take?”


Heb “the uplifting of their soul.” According to BDB 672 s.v. מַשָּׂא 2, the term “uplifting” refers to “that to which they lift up their soul, their heart’s desire.” However, this text is the only one listed for this use. It seems more likely that the term has its well-attested nuance of “burden, load,” here and refers to that which weighs them down emotionally and is a constant source of concern or worry.


In the Hebrew text there is no conjunction before “their sons and daughters.” For this reason one might assume that the preceding descriptive phrases refer to the sons and daughters, but verse 21 suggests otherwise. The descriptive phrases appear to refer to the “stronghold,” which parallels “my sanctuary” in verse 21 . The children constitute a separate category.


Heb “to make the ears hear.”


Heb “your mouth will open.”


Heb “set your face toward.”


Heb “the sons of Ammon.” Ammon was located to the east of Israel.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something and has been translated here with a verb (so also throughout the chapter).


Heb “Look I am about to give you for a possession to.”


Heb “sons.”


Heb “the sons of Ammon.”


Heb “with all your scorn in (the) soul.”


The translation here follows the marginal reading ( Qere ) of the Hebrew text. The consonantal text ( Kethib ) is meaningless.


Heb “shoulder.”


Heb “from the cities.” The verb “eliminating” has been added in the translation to reflect the privative use of the preposition (see BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b).


Heb “from its cities, from its end.”


Heb “I will give it for a possession.”


Heb “the sons of Ammon” (twice in this verse).


Heb “the sons.”


Heb “and they have become guilty, becoming guilty.” The infinitive absolute following the finite verb makes the statement emphatic and draws attention to the degree of guilt incurred by Edom due to its actions.


Heb “and they have taken vengeance.”


Heb “and I will cut off from her man and beast.”


Heb “fall.”


Heb “know.”


Heb “have acted with vengeance and taken vengeance with vengeance.” The repetition emphasizes the degree of vengeance which they exhibited, presumably toward Judah.


Heb “with scorn in (the) soul.”


The object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but has been clarified as “Judah” in the translation.


Heb “to destroy (with) perpetual hostility.” Joel 3:4-8 also speaks of the Philistines taking advantage of the fall of Judah.


In Hebrew the verb “and I will cut off” sounds like its object, “the Cherethites,” and draws attention to the statement.


Heb “with acts of punishment of anger.”


Date formulae typically include the month. According to D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:34, n. 27) some emend to “in the twelfth year in the eleventh month” based partially on the copy of the LXX from Alexandrinus, where Albright suggested that “eleventh month” may have dropped out due to haplography. sn April 23, 587 b.c .


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


Heb “I will be filled.”


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


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. The Hebrew text switches to a second feminine singular form here, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed (see vv. 5-6 a). The address to Jerusalem continues through v. 15 . In vv. 16-17 the second masculine plural is used, as the people are addressed.


Or “debris.”


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something.


Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an an “ r ” rather than an “ n .”


Heb “swords.”


Heb “From the abundance of his horses he will cover you (with) their dust.”


Heb “like those who enter a breached city.”


Heb “desirable.”


Heb “set.”


Heb “into the midst of the water.”


Heb “cause to end.”


Heb “descend from.”


Heb “and they will be astonished over you.”


Heb “and they will lift up over you a lament and they will say to you.”


Heb “O inhabitant.” The translation follows the LXX and understands a different Hebrew verb, meaning “cease,” behind the consonantal text. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:72, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:43.


Heb “she and her inhabitants who placed their terror to all her inhabitants.” The relationship of the final prepositional phrase to what precedes is unclear. The preposition probably has a specifying function here, drawing attention to Tyre’s inhabitants as the source of the terror mentioned prior to this. In this case, one might paraphrase verse 17 b: “she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror; yes, her inhabitants (were the source of this terror).”


Heb “from your going out.”


Heb “many.”


Heb “to the people of antiquity.”


Heb “like.” The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition כְּ ( kÿ , “like”), to בְּ ( bÿ , “in, among”).


Heb “and I will place beauty.” This reading makes little sense; many, following the lead of the LXX, emend the text to read “nor will you stand” with the negative particle before the preceding verb understood by ellipsis; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:73. D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:47) offers another alternative, taking the apparent first person verb form as an archaic second feminine form and translating “nor radiate splendor.”


Heb “lift up over Tyre a lament.”


Heb “entrances.” The plural noun may reflect the fact that Tyre had two main harbors.


The city of Tyre is described in the following account as a merchant ship.


Heb “built.”


Perhaps the hull or deck. The term is dual, so perhaps it refers to a double-decked ship.


Or “hull.”


The Hebrew reads “Your deck they made ivory, daughter of Assyria.” The syntactically difficult “ivory” is understood here as dittography and omitted, though some construe this to refer to ivory inlays. “Daughter of Assyria” is understood here as improper word division and the vowels repointed as “cypresses.”


Heb “from the coastlands (or islands) of Kittim,” generally understood to be a reference to the island of Cyprus, where the Phoenicians had a trading colony on the southeast coast. Many modern English versions have “Cyprus” (CEV, TEV), “the coastlands of Cyprus” (NASB), “the coasts of Cyprus” (NIV, NRSV), or “the southern coasts of Cyprus” (NLT). sn The Kittean isles is probably a reference to southeast Cyprus where the Phoenicians had a colony.


The MT reads “the residents of”; the LXX reads “your rulers who dwell in.” With no apparent reason for the LXX to add “the rulers” many suppose something has dropped out of the Hebrew text. While more than one may be possible, Allen’s proposal, positing a word meaning “elders,” is the most likely to explain the omission in the MT from a graphic standpoint and also provides a parallel to the beginning of v. 9 . See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:81.a parallel to v. 9 .


For location see Map1-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


Or “wise.”


Heb “strengthening damages.” Here “to strengthen” means to repair. The word for “damages” occurs several times in about some type of damage to the temple, which may have referred to or included cracks. Since the context describes Tyre in its glory, we do not expect this reference to damages to be of significant scale, even if there are repairmen. This may refer to using pitch to seal the seams of the ship, which had to be done periodically and could be considered routine maintenance rather than repair of damage.


Heb “sons of Arvad.”


See note on “quivers” in Jer 51:11 on the meaning of Hebrew שֶׁלֶט ( shelet ) and also M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:553.


The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. ASV “war-horses” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV all similar); NLT “chariot horses.”


Heb “sons of Dedan.”


Heb “they returned as your gift.”


Many Hebrew mss , Aquila’s Greek translation, and the Syriac version read “Edom.” The LXX reads “man,” a translation which assumes the same consonants as Edom. This reading is supported from the context as the text deals with Damascus, the capital of Syria (Aram), later (in v. 18 ).


The MT leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The LXX mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod . See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:82.


Or perhaps “Large merchant ships.” The expression “ships of Tarshish” may describe a class of vessel, that is, large oceangoing merchant ships.


Heb “your repairers of damage.” See v. 9 .


Compare this phrase to Isa 57:20 and Amos 8:8 . See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:561.


Heb “make heard over you with their voice.”


Note a similar expression to “roll in the ashes” in Mic 1:10 .


Heb “and they will weep concerning you with bitterness of soul, (with) bitter mourning.”


As it stands, the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The translation follows the suggestion of M. Dahood, “Accadian-Ugaritic dmt in Ezekiel 27:32 ,” Bib 45 (1964): 83-84. Several other explanations and emendations have been offered. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:83, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:85-86, for a list of options.


Heb “fallen.”


Heb “in the midst of you.”


Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).


Heb “lifted up.” sn See Prov 16:5 .


Or “I am divine.”


Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”


Or “wisdom.”


Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”


Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”


Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”


Heb “lift up.”


For a discussion of possible nuances of this phrase, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:580-81.


The exact identification of each gemstone is uncertain. The list should be compared to that of the priest in Exod 28:17-20 , which lists twelve stones in rows of three. The LXX apparently imports the list. See reference to the types of stones in L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.


Or “winged”; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.


The meaning of this phrase in Hebrew is uncertain. The word translated here “guards” occurs in Exod 25:20 in reference to the cherubim “covering” the ark.


Heb “you (were) an anointed cherub that covers and I placed you.” In the Hebrew text the ruler of Tyre is equated with a cherub, and the verb “I placed you” is taken with what follows (“on the holy mountain of God”). However, this reading is problematic. The pronoun “you” at the beginning of verse 14 is feminine singular in the Hebrew text; elsewhere in this passage the ruler of Tyre is addressed with masculine singular forms. It is possible that the pronoun is a rare (see Deut 5:24 ; Num 11:15 ) or defectively written (see 1 Sam 24:19 ; Neh 9:6 ; Job 1:10 ; Ps 6:3 ; Eccl 7:22 ) masculine form, but it is more likely that the form should be repointed as the preposition “with” (see the LXX). In this case the ruler of Tyre is compared to the first man, not to a cherub. If this emendation is accepted, then the verb “I placed you” belongs with what precedes and concludes the first sentence in the verse. It is noteworthy that the verbs in the second and third lines of the verse also appear at the end of the sentence in the Hebrew text. The presence of a conjunction at the beginning of “I placed you” is problematic for the proposal, but it may reflect a later misunderstanding of the syntax of the verse. For a defense of the proposed emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.


Heb “ways.”


Heb “they filled your midst with violence.”


Heb “I defiled you.” The presence of the preposition “from” following the verb indicates that a verb of motion is implied as well. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.


Heb “and I expelled you, O guardian cherub.” The Hebrew text takes the verb as first person and understands “guardian cherub” as a vocative, in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the verb. However, if the emendation in verse 14 a is accepted (see the note above), then one may follow the LXX here as well and emend the verb to a third person perfect. In this case the subject of the verb is the guardian cherub. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.


Heb “set your face against.”


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.


Or “reveal my holiness.” God’s “holiness” is fundamentally his transcendence as sovereign ruler of the world. The revelation of his authority and power through judgment is in view in this context.


Heb “into it”; the referent of the feminine pronoun has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “by a sword against it.”


Heb “and there will not be for the house of Israel a brier that pricks and a thorn that inflicts pain from all the ones who surround them, the ones who scorn them.”


Or “reveal my holiness.” See verse 22 .


January 7, 587 b.c .


Heb “jackals,” but many medieval Hebrew mss read correctly “the serpent.” The Hebrew term appears to refer to a serpent in Exod 7:9-10, 12 ; Deut 32:33 ; and Ps 91:13 . It also refers to large creatures that inhabit the sea ( Gen 1:21 ; Ps 148:7 ). In several passages it is associated with the sea or with the multiheaded sea monster Leviathan ( Job 7:12 ; Ps 74:13 ; Isa 27:1; 51:9 ). Because of the Egyptian setting of this prophecy and the reference to the creature’s scales (v. 4 ), many understand a crocodile to be the referent here (e.g., NCV “a great crocodile”; TEV “you monster crocodile”; CEV “a giant crocodile”).


Some Hebrew mss , the Targum, and the LXX read “buried.”


The Hebrew consonantal text ( Kethib ) has “by your hand,” but the marginal reading ( Qere ) has simply “by the hand.” The LXX reads “with their hand.”


Or perhaps “dislocated.”


Heb “you caused to stand for them all their hips.” An emendation which switches two letters but is supported by the LXX yields the reading “you caused all their hips to shake.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:103. In 2 Kgs 18:21 and Isa 36:6 trusting in the Pharaoh is compared to leaning on a staff. The oracle may reflect Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem ( Jer 37:5-8 ).


Heb “I will cut off from you.”


Thus the Masoretic Text. The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate translate as though the Hebrew read “cause to inhabit.”


Heb “reminding of iniquity when they turned after them.”


Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an “ r ” rather than an “ n ” (so also in v. 19 ).


Heb “for which he worked,” referring to the assault on Tyre (v. 18 ).


Heb “I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel.” The horn is used as a figure for military power in the OT ( Ps 92:10 ). A similar expression is made about the Davidic dynasty in Ps 132:17 .


Heb “I will grant you an open mouth.”


Heb “Alas for the day.”


Heb “a day of clouds.” The expression occurs also in Joel 2:2 and Zeph 1:15 ; it recalls the appearance of God at Mount Sinai ( Exod 19:9, 16, 18 ).


Heb “a time.” The words “of judgment” have been added in the translation for clarification (see the following verses).


The same expression appears in Exod 12:38 ; Jer 25:20; 50:37 ; Neh 13:3 . It may refer to foreign mercenaries serving in the armies of the nations listed here.


Heb “sons.”


The expression “sons of the covenant land” possibly refers to Jews living in Egypt ().


Heb “come down.”


Heb “all who aid her are broken.”


Heb “in the day of Egypt.” The word “doom” has been added in the translation to clarify the nature of this day.


Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an “ r ” rather than an “ n .”


The Babylonians were known for their cruelty ( 2 Kgs 25:7 ).


Heb “and I will sell the land into the hand of.”


Heb “I will put fear in the land of Egypt.”


Heb “Sin” (so KJV, NASB), a city commonly identified with Pelusium, a fortress on Egypt’s northeastern frontier.


Or “kill.”


The LXX reads “Syene,” which is Aswan in the south. The MT reads Sin, which has already been mentioned in v. 15 .


Heb “they will go.” The pronoun and verb are feminine plural, indicating that the cities just mentioned are the antecedent of the pronoun and the subject of the verb. The translation makes this clear by stating the subject as “the cities.”


April 29, 587 b.c .


The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


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.


Heb “him”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “Waters made it grow; the deep made it grow tall. It (the deep) was flowing with its rivers around the place it (the tree) was planted, it (the deep) sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.”


Heb “when it sends forth.” Repointing the consonants of the Masoretic text would render the proposed reading “shoots” (cf. NRSV).


Or “many.”


Or “cypress trees” (cf. NASB, NLT); NIV “pine trees.”


Heb “acting he has acted with regard to it.” The infinitive absolute precedes the main verb to emphasize the certainty and decisiveness of the action depicted.


Or “earth” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).


Heb “gone down.”


Heb “the beasts of the field,” referring to wild as opposed to domesticated animals.


Heb “be.”


Heb “and they will not stand to them in their height, all the drinkers of water.”


Heb “for death, to the lower earth.”


Heb “the sons of men.”


Or “he.”


Heb “I caused lamentation.” D. I. Block ( Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:194-95) proposes an alternative root which would give the meaning “I gated back the waters,” i.e., shut off the water supply.


Heb “its arm.”


The lion was a figure of royalty ( Ezek 19:1-9 ).


The Hebrew reads “their streams”; the LXX reads “your streams.”


The expression “throw my net” is common in Ezekiel ( 12:13; 17:20; 19:8 ).


Or “cause.”


Heb “live.”


The Hebrew text is difficult here, apparently meaning “your height.” Following Symmachus and the Syriac, it is preferable to emend the text to read “your maggots.” See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:203.


Heb “from you.”


Heb “will not shine its light.” For similar features of cosmic eschatology, see Joel 2:10; 4:15 ; Amos 5:18-20 ; Zeph 1:5 .


Heb “I will provoke the heart of.”


Heb “approach.”


Heb “muddy.”


Heb “them,” that is, the waters mentioned in the previous line. The translation clarifies the referent.


Heb “sink,” that is, to settle and become clear, not muddied.


March 17, 585 b.c . The LXX adds “first month.”


The Hebrew verb is used as a response to death ( Jer 9:17-19 ; Amos 5:16 ).


Heb “Bring him down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the earth below.” The verb “bring down” appears in the Hebrew text only once. Because the verb takes several objects here, the repetition of the verb in the translation improves the English style.


This apparently refers to personified Egypt.


The LXX places this verse after v. 21 . tn The words “say to them” are added in the translation for clarity to indicate the shift in addressee from the prophet to Egypt.


Heb “pleasantness.”


Heb “around him his graves.” The masculine pronominal suffixes are problematic; the expression is best emended to correspond to the phrase “around her grave” in v. 23 . See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:219.


Heb “all of them slain, the ones felled by the sword.” See as well vv. 23-24 .


Heb “whose.”


The only other occurrence of the phrase “remote slopes of the pit” is in Isa 14:15 .


Heb “around him her graves,” but the expression is best emended to read “around her grave” (see vv. 23-24 ).


Heb “of the uncircumcised.” The LXX reads, probably correctly, “from of old” rather than “of the uncircumcised.” The phrases are very similar in spelling. The warriors of Meshech-Tubal are described as uncircumcised, so it would be odd for them to not be buried with the uncircumcised. Verse 28 specifically says that they would lie with the uncircumcised.


Heb “and their iniquities were over their bones.” The meaning of this statement is unclear; in light of the parallelism (see “swords”) it is preferable to emend “their iniquities” to “their swords.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:135.


Heb “sons of your people.”


Heb “shofar,” a ram’s horn rather than a brass instrument (so throughout the chapter).


Sounding the trumpet was a warning of imminent danger ( Neh 4:18-20 ; Jer 4:19 ; Amos 3:6 ).


Heb “his blood will be on his own head.”


Heb “his blood will be on him.”


Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 8 and 9; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 39:23 . The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.


Heb “his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.”


The same expression occurs in Gen 2:17 .


Heb “and you do not speak to warn.”


Heb “way.”


Heb “and his blood from your hand I will seek.”


Heb “from his way to turn from it.”


Heb “and he does not turn from his way.”


Heb “(are) upon us.”


Heb “turn from his way.”


Heb “ways.” This same word is translated “behavior” earlier in the verse.


Heb “the sons of your people.”


Heb “in the day of his rebellion.” The statement envisions a godly person rejecting what is good and becoming sinful. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:247-48.


Heb “and the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble in it in the day of his turning from his wickedness.”


Heb “by it.”


Heb “in the day of his sin.”


Heb “the wicked one.”


Heb “and in the statutes of life he walks.”


Heb “remembered.”


The Hebrew verb translated “is (not) right” has the basic meaning of “to measure.” For a similar concept, see Ezek 18:25, 29 .


Heb “ways.”


January 19, 585 b.c .


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


Heb “smitten.”


The other occurrences of the phrase “the hand of the Lord ” in Ezekiel are in the context of prophetic visions.


Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “by the time of the arrival to me.” For clarity the translation specifies the refugee as the one who arrived.


Heb “lift up your eyes.”


Heb “Will you possess?”


Heb “stand.”


Heb “fall.”


Heb “sons of your people.”


Heb “one to one, a man to his brother.”


Heb “comes out.”


Heb “as people come.” Apparently this is an idiom indicating that they come in crowds. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:264.


The word “as” is supplied in the translation.


Heb “do.”


Heb “They do lust with their mouths.”


Heb “goes after.”


The present translation understands the term often used for “unjust gain” in a wider sense, following M. Greenberg, who also notes that the LXX uses a term which can describe either sexual or ritual pollution. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:687.


The word הִנֵּה ( hinneh , traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.


Heb “one who makes playing music well.”


Heb “behold it is coming.”


The term shepherd is applied to kings in the ancient Near East. In the OT the Lord is often addressed as shepherd of Israel ( Gen 49:24 ; Ps 8:1 ). The imagery of shepherds as Israel’s leaders is also employed ( Jer 23:1-2 ).


The term translated “harshness” is used to describe the oppression the Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt ( Exod 1:13 ).


As a case of dittography, the MT repeats “and they were scattered” at the end of the verse.


Heb “I will cause them to cease from feeding sheep.”


Heb “good.”


Heb “outside.”


The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6 ).


Heb “showers of blessing.” Abundant rain, which in turn produces fruit and crops (v. 27 ), is a covenantal blessing for obedience ( Lev 26:4 ).


The MT reads לְשֵׁם ( lÿshem , “for a name”), meaning perhaps a renowned planting (place). The translation takes this to be a metathesis of שָׁלֹם ( shalom ) as was read by the LXX.


Heb “those gathered” for famine.


Heb , “the sheep of my pasture, you are human.” See 36:37-38 for a similar expression. The possessive pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation to balance “I am your God” in the next clause.


Heb “set your face against.”


Or “gave over…to the power of the sword.” This phrase also occurs in Jer 18:21 and Ps 63:10 .


The translation reads with some manuscripts לְשִׁמְמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה ( lÿshimmah umÿshammah , “desolate ruin”) as in verse 3 and often in Ezekiel. The majority reading reverses the first mem ( מ ) with the shin ( שׁ ) resulting in the repetition of the word desolate: לְשִׁמְמָה וּשְׁמָמָה ( lÿshimmah ushÿmamah ).


Or “kill.”


Heb “it.”


Heb “your mouth.”