3:1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of you 1 – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
3:10 And he said to me, “Son of man, take all my words that I speak to you to heart and listen carefully.
4:1 “And you, son of man, take a brick 2 and set it in front of you. Inscribe 3 a city on it – Jerusalem.
9:11 Next I noticed the man dressed in linen with the writing kit at his side bringing back word: “I have done just as you commanded me.”
10:3 (The cherubim were standing on the south side 4 of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.)
13:17 “As for you, son of man, turn toward 7 the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. 8 Prophesy against them
“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,
and also polished.
23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment 20 on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds!
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!
43:10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern.
Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
1 tn Heb “eat what you find.”
2 sn Ancient Near Eastern bricks were 10 to 24 inches long and 6 to 13 1/2 inches wide.
3 tn Or perhaps “draw.”
4 tn Heb “right side.”
5 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
6 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.
7 tn Heb “set your face against.”
8 tn Heb “from their heart.”
9 tn 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.
10 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.
11 tn Heb “he.”
12 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
13 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.
14 tn Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17.
15 tn Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.
16 tn 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.
17 tn 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.
18 tc 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).
19 tn Heb “in a day of anger.”
20 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.
21 tn Heb “lean on, put pressure on.”
22 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
23 tn Heb “set your face against.”
24 sn This may refer to a Lydian king in western Asia Minor in the seventh century
25 sn One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5.
26 tn Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.
sn Meshech and Tubal were two nations in Cappadocia of Asia Minor. They were also sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5).
27 tn Heb “against.”
28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gog, cf. v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.