Ezekiel 13:18

13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands ¹  on all their wrists ²  and make headbands ³  for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! ⁴  Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives?

Ezekiel 13:20

13:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note ⁵  that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives ⁶  like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds.

Ezekiel 38:8

38:8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, ⁷  with many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people ⁸  were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely.

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¹ sn The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:413.

² tn Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.

³ tn 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.

⁴ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).

⁵ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

⁶ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

⁷ tn Heb “from the sword.”

⁸ tn Heb “it.”