3:1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of you 4 – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
4:1 “And you, son of man, take a brick 5 and set it in front of you. Inscribe 6 a city on it – Jerusalem.
5:8 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: I – even I – am against you, 7 and I will execute judgment 8 among you while the nations watch. 9
5:14 “I will make you desolate and an object of scorn among the nations around you, in the sight of everyone who passes by.
13:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, 10 I am against you, 11 declares the sovereign Lord.
20:32 “‘What you plan 23 will never happen. You say, “We will be 24 like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” 25
21:32 You will become fuel for the fire –
your blood will stain the middle of the land; 29
you will no longer be remembered,
for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
22:13 “‘See, I strike my hands together 30 at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed 31 they have done among you.
27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, 35 and Put were in your army, men of war.
They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.
27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth,
and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. 36
27:33 When your products went out from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples;
with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.
27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your company have sunk 37 along with you. 38
36:13 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Because they are saying to you, “You are a devourer of men, and bereave your nation of children,”
1 tn Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.
2 tc Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the LXX.
3 tn The phrase “thus says [the
4 tn Heb “eat what you find.”
5 sn Ancient Near Eastern bricks were 10 to 24 inches long and 6 to 13 1/2 inches wide.
6 tn Or perhaps “draw.”
7 tn 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. 5-6a). The address to Jerusalem continues through v. 15. In vv. 16-17 the second masculine plural is used, as the people are addressed.
8 tn 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.”
9 tn 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 Deut 30 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.
10 tn The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
11 tn 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.
12 tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.
13 tn Heb “left.”
14 tn Heb “right.”
15 sn Sodom was the epitome of evil (Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24; Jude 7).
16 tn Heb “walked in their ways.”
17 tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.
18 tn Or “eternal.”
19 tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”
20 tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”
21 sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.
22 tn 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.
23 tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”
24 tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”
25 tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”
sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20.
26 tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
27 sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
28 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
29 tn Heb “your blood will be in the middle of the land.”
30 sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).
31 tn Heb “the blood which was in you.”
32 tc 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.
33 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
34 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
35 sn See Gen 10:22.
36 tn Heb “and they will weep concerning you with bitterness of soul, (with) bitter mourning.”
37 tn Heb “fallen.”
38 tn Heb “in the midst of you.”
39 tn Heb “ways.”
40 tn Heb “outside.”
41 tn Or “in the midst of you.” The word “you” is plural.
42 tn Heb “and I will do that which in my statutes you will walk.” The awkward syntax (verb “to do, act” + accusative sign + relative clause + prepositional phrase + second person verb) is unique, though Eccl 3:14 contains a similar construction. In the last line of that verse we read that “God acts so that (relative pronoun) they fear before him.” However, unlike Ezek 36:27, the statement has no accusative sign before the relative pronoun.
43 tn Heb “and my laws you will guard and you will do them.” Jer 31:31-34 is parallel to this passage.
44 sn This promise reflects the ancient covenantal ideal (see Exod 6:7).
45 tn Heb “ways.”
46 tn Heb “I am about to bring a spirit.”