3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle 10 before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 3:21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he 11 does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”
1 tn Heb “to the sons of your people.”
2 sn The name “Tel Abib” is a transliteration of an Akkadian term meaning “mound of the flood,” i.e., an ancient mound. It is not to be confused with the modern city of Tel Aviv in Israel.
3 tn Or “canal.”
4 sn A similar response to a divine encounter is found in Acts 9:8-9.
5 tn The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24; 2 Kgs 9:17.
6 sn Even though the infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the warning, the warning is still implicitly conditional, as the following context makes clear.
7 tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and v. 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”
8 tn Heb “his blood I will seek from your hand.” The expression “seek blood from the hand” is equivalent to requiring the death penalty (2 Sam 4:11-12).
9 tn Verses 17-19 are repeated in Ezek 33:7-9.
10 tn Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14.
11 tn Heb “the righteous man.”