4:14 And I said, “Ah, sovereign Lord, I have never been ceremonially defiled before. I have never eaten a carcass or an animal torn by wild beasts; from my youth up, unclean meat 4 has never entered my mouth.”
5:11 “Therefore, as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, because you defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominable practices, I will withdraw; my eye will not pity you, nor will I spare 5 you.
6:11 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and say, “Ah!” because of all the evil, abominable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence. 12
8:1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, 20 as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of me, the hand 21 of the sovereign Lord seized me. 22
10:6 When the Lord 28 commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man 29 went in and stood by one of the wheels. 30
11:13 Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I threw myself face down and cried out with a loud voice, “Alas, sovereign Lord! You are completely wiping out the remnant of Israel!” 35
11:17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather you from the peoples and assemble you from the lands where you have been dispersed, I will give you back the country of Israel.’
13:13 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury. 13:14 I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, 37 and you will know that I am the Lord.
14:21 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments – sword, famine, wild animals, and plague – to Jerusalem 41 to kill both people and animals!
15:6 “Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire – so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem 42 as fuel. 43 15:7 I will set 44 my face against them – although they have escaped from the fire, 45 the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.
“‘A great eagle 47 with broad wings, long feathers, 48
with full plumage which was multi-hued, 49
came to Lebanon 50 and took the top of the cedar.
17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, surely in the city 51 of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – in the middle of Babylon he will die!
18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, 54 O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent 55 and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. 56
20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 57 some of the elders 58 of Israel came to seek 59 the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.
20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me.
21:24 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have brought up 70 your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force. 71
21:28 “As for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation; 72 say:
“‘A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter,
polished to consume, 73 to flash like lightning –
23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 79 I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side:
23:28 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 80 I am about to deliver you over to 81 those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted.
23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, 83 you must bear now the punishment 84 for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”
“‘Set on the pot, 86 set it on,
pour water in it too;
24:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed,
the pot whose rot 87 is in it,
whose rot has not been removed 88 from it!
Empty it piece by piece.
No lot has fallen on it. 89
26:7 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that 96 I am about to bring King Nebuchadrezzar 97 of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people.
26:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive slaughter in your midst!
26:19 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging 98 waters overwhelm you,
“‘O Tyre, you have said, “I am perfectly beautiful.”
“‘You were the sealer 102 of perfection,
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
28:23 I will send a plague into the city 103 and bloodshed into its streets;
the slain will fall within it, by the sword that attacks it 104 from every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
28:24 “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers 105 or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. 106 Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.
Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,”
30:3 For the day is near,
the day of the Lord is near;
it will be a day of storm clouds, 110
it will be a time of judgment 111 for the nations.
30:12 I will dry up the waterways
and hand the land over to 112 evil men.
I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of foreigners.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
32:3 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘I will throw my net over you 115 in the assembly of many peoples;
and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
32:15 When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation
and the land is destitute of everything that fills it,
when I strike all those who live in it,
then they will know that I am the Lord.’
32:16 This is a lament; they will chant it.
The daughters of the nations will chant it.
They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes,
declares the sovereign Lord.”
33:30 “But as for you, son of man, your people 119 (who are talking about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses) say to one another, 120 ‘Come hear the word that comes 121 from the Lord.’
“‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir;
I will stretch out my hand against you
and turn you into a desolate ruin.
36:37 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them: 124 I will multiply their people like sheep. 125 36:38 Like the sheep for offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem 126 during her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
38:14 “Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice 129
38:17 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants 130 the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days 131 that I would bring you against them?
39:1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal!
39:7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 132
39:25 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore 133 the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name.
45:18 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary.
46:16 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as 145 his inheritance, it will belong to his sons, it is their property by inheritance.
47:13 This is what the sovereign Lord says: “Here 146 are the borders 147 you will observe as you allot the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. (Joseph will have two portions.) 148
1 tn Or “canal.”
2 tn Heb “open your mouth.”
3 tn Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”
4 tn The Hebrew term refers to sacrificial meat not eaten by the appropriate time (Lev 7:18; 19:7).
5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.
6 tc This reading is supported by the versions and by the Dead Sea Scrolls (11QEzek). Most Masoretic Hebrew
7 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT. A related verb means “revile, taunt” (see Ps 44:16).
8 tn Heb “discipline and devastation.” These words are omitted in the Old Greek. The first term pictures Jerusalem as a recipient or example of divine discipline; the second depicts her as a desolate ruin (see Ezek 6:14).
9 tn Heb “in anger and in fury and in rebukes of fury.” The heaping up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of God’s anger.
10 tn Heb “will bereave you.”
11 tn Heb “will pass through you.” This threat recalls the warning of Lev 26:22, 25 and Deut 32:24-25.
12 sn By the sword and by famine and by pestilence. A similar trilogy of punishments is mentioned in Lev 26:25-26. See also Jer 14:12; 21:9; 27:8, 13; 29:18).
13 sn I will stretch out my hand against them is a common expression in the book of Ezekiel (14:9, 13; 16:27; 25:7; 35:3).
14 tc The Vulgate reads the name as “Riblah,” a city north of Damascus. The MT reads Diblah, a city otherwise unknown. The letters resh (ר) and dalet (ד) may have been confused in the Hebrew text. The town of Riblah was in the land of Hamath (2 Kgs 23:33) which represented the northern border of Israel (Ezek 47:14).
15 tn Or “earth.” Elsewhere the expression “four corners of the earth” figuratively refers to the whole earth (Isa 11:12).
16 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.
17 tn The pronoun “you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
18 tn “I will set your behavior on your head.”
19 tn Heb “and your abominable practices will be among you.”
20 tc The LXX reads “In the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month.”
sn In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month would be September 17, 592
21 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).
22 tn Heb “fell upon me there,” that is, God’s influence came over him.
23 tn Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.”
map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
24 tn The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35. In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X.
sn For a similar concept in the Bible, see Rev 7:2-4; 13:16; 14:9, 11; 20:4; 22:4.
25 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
26 tn The Hebrew term often refers to chariot wheels (Isa 28:28; Ezek 23:24; 26:10).
27 tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum
28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Heb “the wheel.”
31 tn Heb “placed.”
32 tn Heb “in its midst.”
33 tn Heb “she/it.” See v. 3.
34 tc Many of the versions read “I will bring you out” (active) rather than “he brought out” (the reading of MT).
35 tc The LXX reads this statement as a question. Compare this to the question in 9:8. It is possible that the interrogative particle has been omitted by haplography. However, an exclamatory statement as in the MT also makes sense and the LXX may have simply tried to harmonize this passage with 9:8.
36 tn Heb “the days draw near and the word of every vision (draws near).”
37 tn Or “within it,” referring to the city of Jerusalem.
38 tn Heb “from your hand(s).” This refers to their power over the people.
39 tn Heb “proverbs.”
40 sn I will be their God. See Exod 6:7; Lev 26:12; Jer 7:23; 11:4.
41 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
42 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
43 tn The words “as fuel” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
44 tn The word translated “set” is the same Hebrew word translated as “provide” in the previous verse.
45 sn This escape refers to the exile of Ezekiel and others in 597
46 tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.
47 sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).
48 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).
49 tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.
50 sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).
51 tn Heb “place.”
52 tc Some manuscripts and versions read “choice men,” while most manuscripts read “fugitives”; the difference arises from the reversal, or metathesis, of two letters, מִבְרָחָיו (mivrakhyv) for מִבְחָריו (mivkharyv).
53 tn Heb “fall.”
54 tn Heb “ways.”
55 tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.
56 tn Or “leading to punishment.”
57 sn The date would be August 14th, 591
58 tn Heb “men from the elders.”
59 tn See the note at 14:3.
60 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
61 tn Or “gifts.”
62 sn This act is prohibited in Deut 12:29-31 and Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35. See also 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:10. This custom indicates that the laws the Israelites were following were the disastrous laws of pagan nations (see Ezek 16:20-21).
63 sn God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (1996): 410-34; idem, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28. For other instances where the Lord causes individuals to act unwisely or even sinfully as punishment for sin, see 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 17:14; 1 Kgs 12:15; 2 Chr 25:20.
64 sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
65 tn Heb “the land of Israel.”
66 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.
67 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.
68 sn This is the sword of judgment, see Isa 31:8; 34:6; 66:16.
69 sn Ezekiel elsewhere pictures the Lord’s judgment as discriminating between the righteous and the wicked (9:4-6; 18:1-20; see as well Pss 1 and 11) and speaks of the preservation of a remnant (3:21; 6:8; 12:16). Perhaps here he exaggerates for rhetorical effect in an effort to subdue any false optimism. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:25-26; D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:669-70; and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:424-25.
70 tn Heb “caused to be remembered.”
71 tn Heb “Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt when your transgressions are uncovered so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds – because you are remembered, by the hand you will be seized.”
72 tn Heb “their reproach.”
73 tn Heb “to contain, endure.” Since the Hebrew text as it stands makes little, if any, sense, most emend the text to read either “to consume” or “for destruction.” For discussion of options see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:693.
74 tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).
75 tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.
76 sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.
77 tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.
78 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”
79 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
80 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
81 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
82 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
83 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
84 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
85 sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).
86 sn See Ezek 11:3-12.
87 tn Or “rust.”
88 tn Heb “has not gone out.”
89 tn Here “lot” may refer to the decision made by casting lots; it is not chosen at all.
90 tn Heb “your mouth will open.”
91 tn Heb “know.”
92 tn In Hebrew the verb “and I will cut off” sounds like its object, “the Cherethites,” and draws attention to the statement.
93 sn This is a name for the Philistines, many of whom migrated to Palestine from Crete.
94 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.
95 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.
96 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something.
97 tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an an “r” rather than an “n.”
98 tn Heb “many.”
99 tn Heb “entrances.” The plural noun may reflect the fact that Tyre had two main harbors.
100 sn Rome, another economic power, is described in a similar way in Rev 17:1.
101 tn Heb “lift up.”
102 tn For a discussion of possible nuances of this phrase, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:580-81.
103 tn Heb “into it”; the referent of the feminine pronoun has been specified in the translation for clarity.
104 tn Heb “by a sword against it.”
105 sn Similar language is used in reference to Israel’s adversaries in Num 33:55; Josh 23:13.
106 tn Heb “and there will not be for the house of Israel a brier that pricks and a thorn that inflicts pain from all the ones who surround them, the ones who scorn them.”
107 tn Heb “reminding of iniquity when they turned after them.”
108 tn Heb “I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel.” The horn is used as a figure for military power in the OT (Ps 92:10). A similar expression is made about the Davidic dynasty in Ps 132:17.
109 tn Heb “I will grant you an open mouth.”
110 tn Heb “a day of clouds.” The expression occurs also in Joel 2:2 and Zeph 1:15; it recalls the appearance of God at Mount Sinai (Exod 19:9, 16, 18).
111 tn Heb “a time.” The words “of judgment” have been added in the translation for clarification (see the following verses).
112 tn Heb “and I will sell the land into the hand of.”
113 tn The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
114 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.
115 tn The expression “throw my net” is common in Ezekiel (12:13; 17:20; 19:8).
116 sn This practice was a violation of Levitical law (see Lev 19:26).
117 tn Heb “lift up your eyes.”
118 tn Heb “Will you possess?”
119 tn Heb “sons of your people.”
120 tn Heb “one to one, a man to his brother.”
121 tn Heb “comes out.”
122 tn Heb “cause you to hear.”
123 tc The MT reads תַכְשִׁלִי (takhshiliy), a metathesis for תַשְׁכִלִי (tashkhiliy) from the root שָׁכַל (shakhal) which is used in each of the previous verses.
124 tn The Niphal verb may have a tolerative function here, “Again (for) this I will allow myself to be sought by the house of Israel to act for them.” Or it may be reflexive: “I will reveal myself to the house of Israel by doing this also.”
125 sn Heb “I will multiply them like sheep, human(s).”
126 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
127 tn The exact physiological meaning of the term is uncertain. In addition to v. 8, the term occurs only in Gen 32:33; Job 10:11; 40:17; and Jer 48:4.
128 tn Or “a spirit.”
129 tn The Hebrew text is framed as a rhetorical question: “will you not take notice?”
130 tn Heb “by the hand of my servants.”
131 tn The Hebrew text adds “years” here, but this is probably a scribal gloss on the preceding phrase. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:201.
132 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The
133 tn Heb “cause to return.”
134 tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.
135 tn Heb “three cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
136 tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
137 tc So the Masoretic text. The LXX reads “base.”
138 tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”
139 sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).
140 tn Heb “to eat bread.”
141 sn Tobiah, an Ammonite (Neh 13:8), was dismissed from the temple.
142 tn Heb “a stumbling block of iniquity.” This is a unique phrase of the prophet Ezekiel (cf. also Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7; 18:30).
143 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
144 tn Heb “will bear.”
145 tn The Hebrew text has no preposition; the LXX reads “from” (see v. 17).
146 tc This translation follows the reading זֶה (zeh) instead of גֵּה (geh), a nonexistent word, as supported by the LXX.
147 tn Or “territory”; see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:715.
148 tc The grammar is awkward, though the presence of these words is supported by the versions. L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:274) suggests that it is an explanatory gloss.
sn One portion for Ephraim, the other for Manasseh (Gen 48:17-20).