Ezekiel 3:5-6

3:5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech ¹  and difficult language, ²  but ³  to the house of Israel – 3:6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand ⁴  – surely if ⁵  I had sent you to them, they would listen to you!

Ezekiel 23:40

23:40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. ⁶  For them you bathed, ⁷  painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry.

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¹ tn Heb “deep of lip” (in the sense of incomprehensible).

² tn Heb “heavy of tongue.” Similar language occurs in Exod 4:10; Isa 33:19.

³ tn The conjunction “but” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied from the context.

⁴ tn Heb “hear.”

⁵ tc The MT reads “if not” but most ancient versions translate only “if.” The expression occurs with this sense in Isa 5:9; 14:24. See also Ezek 34:8; 36:5; 38:19.

⁶ tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.

⁷ tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.