“‘A great eagle 2 with broad wings, long feathers, 3
with full plumage which was multi-hued, 4
came to Lebanon 5 and took the top of the cedar.
“‘You were the sealer 7 of perfection,
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
37:1 The hand 8 of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and placed 9 me in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones.
1 tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.
2 sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).
3 tn 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).
4 tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.
5 sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).
6 tn Heb “lift up.”
7 tn For a discussion of possible nuances of this phrase, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:580-81.
8 tn 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).
9 tn Heb “caused me to rest.”
10 tn Heb “men of perpetuity.”
11 tn Heb “and bury the travelers and those who remain on the surface of the ground.” The reference to “travelers” seems odd and is omitted in the LXX. It is probably an accidental duplication (see v. 11).