3:12 Then a wind lifted me up 5 and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, 6
3:22 The hand 9 of the Lord rested on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the valley, 10 and I will speak with you there.”
3:24 Then a wind 11 came into me and stood me on my feet. The Lord 12 spoke to me and said, “Go shut yourself in your house.
5:5 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem; I placed her in the center of the nations with countries all around her.
5:8 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: I – even I – am against you, 14 and I will execute judgment 15 among you while the nations watch. 16
8:14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house. I noticed 17 women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 18
12:15 “Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among foreign countries.
14:6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations.
16:30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign Lord, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute.
16:59 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant.
17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him 31 for despising my oath and breaking my covenant!
18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct 35 is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers 41 and engage in prostitution with detestable idols?
20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,
and also polished.
21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? 43 declares the sovereign Lord.’
21:26 this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Tear off the turban, 44
take off the crown!
Things must change! 45
Exalt the lowly,
bring down the proud! 46
21:32 You will become fuel for the fire –
your blood will stain the middle of the land; 47
you will no longer be remembered,
for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment 56 on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds!
23:46 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army 57 against them and subject them 58 to terror and plunder.
24:1 The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month 60 :
24:9 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I will also make the pile high.
25:8 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Moab 63 and Seir say, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.”
25:12 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Edom 64 has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable 65 by taking vengeance 66 on them. 67
25:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘The Philistines 68 have exacted merciless revenge, 69 showing intense scorn 70 in their effort to destroy Judah 71 with unrelenting hostility. 72
28:10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised 75 by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, 76 the word of the Lord came to me:
29:6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord
because they were a reed staff 77 for the house of Israel;
29:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will kill 78 every person and every animal.
29:13 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years 79 I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered.
29:17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, 80 the word of the Lord came to me:
30:8 They will know that I am the Lord
when I ignite a fire in Egypt
and all her allies are defeated. 82
30:10 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt,
by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar 83 of Babylon.
30:20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, 84 the word of the Lord came to me:
31:1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, 85 the word of the Lord came to me:
31:10 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height,
32:1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, 86 the word of the Lord came to me:
32:8 I will darken all the lights in the sky over you,
and I will darken your land,
declares the sovereign Lord.
32:31 “Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the sovereign Lord.
33:17 “Yet your people 87 say, ‘The behavior 88 of the Lord is not right,’ 89 when it is their behavior that is not right.
34:17 “‘As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.
34:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
35:10 “‘You said, “These two nations, these two lands 93 will be mine, and we will possess them,” 94 – although the Lord was there –
36:1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! 36:2 This is what the sovereign Lord says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying “Aha!” and, “The ancient heights 95 have become our property!”’
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,”
36:33 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.
38:10 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind, 99 and you will devise an evil plan.
46:13 “‘You 110 will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering daily to the Lord; morning by morning he will provide it.
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 “to the sons of your people.”
5 sn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
6 tc This translation accepts the emendation suggested in BHS of בְּרוּם (bÿrum) for בָּרוּךְ (barukh). The letters mem (מ) and kaph (כ) were easily confused in the old script while בָּרוּךְ (“blessed be”) both implies a quotation which is out of place here and also does not fit the later phrase, “from its place,” which requires a verb of motion.
7 tn 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.
8 tn 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).
9 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 (1:3; 3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1).
10 sn Ezekiel had another vision at this location, recounted in Ezek 37.
11 tn See the note on “wind” in 2:2.
12 tn Heb “he.”
13 sn Unclean food among the nations. Lands outside of Israel were considered unclean (Josh 22:19; Amos 7:17).
14 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.
15 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.”
16 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.
17 tn Given the context this could be understood as a shock, e.g., idiomatically “Good grief! I saw….”
18 sn The worship of Tammuz included the observation of the annual death and descent into the netherworld of the god Dumuzi. The practice was observed by women in the ancient Near East over a period of centuries.
19 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
20 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”
21 tc 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.
22 tc 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.
23 tn Heb “from their mind.”
sn Who prophesy from their imagination. Note the testimony of Moses in Num 16:28, which contains a similar expression.
24 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
25 tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.
26 sn Traditionally this has been understood as a reference to the biblical Daniel, though he was still quite young when Ezekiel prophesied. One wonders if he had developed a reputation as an intercessor by this point. For this reason some prefer to see a reference to a ruler named Danel, known in Canaanite legend for his justice and wisdom. In this case all three of the individuals named would be non-Israelites, however the Ugaritic Danel is not known to have qualities of faith in the Lord that would place him in the company of the other men. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:447-50.
27 tn Heb “name.”
28 sn The description of the nation Israel in vv. 10-14 recalls the splendor of the nation’s golden age under King Solomon.
29 tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”
30 tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”
31 tn Heb “place it on his head.”
32 tc 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.
33 tn Heb “he.”
34 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
35 tn Heb “way.”
36 sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).
37 tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”
38 tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
39 tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
40 tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
41 tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”
42 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
43 tn 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.
44 tn 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.
45 tn Heb “This not this.”
46 tn Heb “the high one.”
47 tn Heb “your blood will be in the middle of the land.”
48 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
49 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”
50 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.
51 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
52 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
53 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
54 tn 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.
55 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
56 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. See 20:4; 22:2.
57 tn Heb “assembly.”
58 tn Heb “give them to.”
59 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.
60 tn The date of this oracle was January 15, 588
61 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon.”
62 tn Heb “with all your scorn in (the) soul.”
63 sn Moab was located immediately south of Ammon.
64 sn Edom was located south of Moab.
65 tn 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.
66 tn Heb “and they have taken vengeance.”
67 sn Edom apparently in some way assisted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6
68 sn The Philistines inhabited the coastal plain by the Mediterranean Sea, west of Judah.
69 tn Heb “have acted with vengeance and taken vengeance with vengeance.” The repetition emphasizes the degree of vengeance which they exhibited, presumably toward Judah.
70 tn Heb “with scorn in (the) soul.”
71 tn The object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but has been clarified as “Judah” in the translation.
72 tn Heb “to destroy (with) perpetual hostility.” Joel 3:4-8 also speaks of the Philistines taking advantage of the fall of Judah.
73 tn Heb “with acts of punishment of anger.”
74 sn That is, the towns located inland that were under Tyre’s rule.
75 sn The Phoenicians practiced circumcision, so the language here must be figurative, indicating that they would be treated in a disgraceful manner. Uncircumcised peoples were viewed as inferior, unclean, and perhaps even sub-human. See 31:18 and 32:17-32, as well as the discussion in D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:99.
76 tn January 7, 587
77 sn Compare Isa 36:6.
78 tn Heb “I will cut off from you.”
79 sn In Ezek 4:4-8 it was said that the house of Judah would suffer forty years.
80 sn April 26, 571
81 tn Heb “for which he worked,” referring to the assault on Tyre (v. 18).
82 tn Heb “all who aid her are broken.”
83 tn 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.”
84 tn April 29, 587
85 sn June 21, 587
86 sn This would be March 3, 585
87 tn Heb “the sons of your people.”
88 tn Heb “way.”
89 tn The Hebrew verb translated “is (not) right” has the basic meaning of “to measure.” For a similar concept, see Ezek 18:25, 29.
90 tn Heb “ways.”
91 sn The judgments of vv. 27-29 echo the judgments of Lev 26:22, 25.
92 tn 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.
93 sn The reference is to Israel and Judah.
94 tn Heb “it.”
95 tn Or “high places.”
96 tn Heb “Let it be known.”
97 tn Heb “I am about to bring a spirit.”
98 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.
99 tn Heb “words will go up upon your heart.”
100 tn Heb “goes up against.”
101 tn Heb “against.”
102 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gog, cf. v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
103 tn Heb “name.”
104 tn Heb “chariots.”
105 sn See Ezek 11:19; 37:14.
106 tn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
107 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
108 sn In 1 Kgs 8:10-11 we find a similar event with regard to Solomon’s temple. See also Exod 40:34-35. and Isa 6:4.
109 tc The LXX reads “house of rebellion.”
110 tc A few Hebrew
111 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
112 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
113 tn Or “holy.”
114 tn Heb “eighteen thousand cubits” (i.e., 9.45 kilometers).
115 sn See Rev 21:12-21.