¹ tn Or “canal.”

² tn The Hebrew term refers to sacrificial meat not eaten by the appropriate time (Lev 7:18; 19:7).

³ 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.

⁴ tn The Hebrew word carries the basic idea of “bad, displeasing, injurious,” but when used of weapons has the nuance “deadly” (see Ps 144:10).

⁵ tn Heb “which are/were to destroy.”

⁶ tn The language of this verse may have been influenced by Deut 32:23.

⁷ tn Or “which were to destroy those whom I will send to destroy you” (cf. NASB).

⁸ tn Heb, “break the staff of bread.” The bread supply is compared to a staff that one uses for support. See 4:16, as well as the covenant curse in Lev 26:26.

⁹ tn Heb “will bereave you.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “will pass through you.” This threat recalls the warning of Lev 26:22, 25 and Deut 32:24-25.

¹¹ tn Or “punish” (cf. BDB 1047 s.v. שָׁפַט 3.c).

¹² tn Heb “ways.”

¹³ tn Heb “I will place on you.”

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ tn The pronoun “you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

¹⁶ tn “I will set your behavior on your head.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “and your abominable practices will be among you.”

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ tn The word translated “set” is the same Hebrew word translated as “provide” in the previous verse.

²⁰ sn This escape refers to the exile of Ezekiel and others in 597 b.c. (Ezek 1:2; 2 Kgs 24:10-16).

²¹ tc The translation reflects the Hebrew text, which repeats the statement, perhaps for emphasis. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Old Greek, and the Syriac do not include the repetition. The statement could have been accidentally repeated or the second occurrence could have been accidentally omitted. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to know which is more likely.

²² tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”

²³ tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”

²⁴ tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.

²⁵ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

²⁶ tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.

²⁷ tn Or “gifts.”

²⁸ 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).

²⁹ 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.

³⁰ tn Heb “I did not find.”

³¹ 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.

³² tn Heb “I will grant you an open mouth.”

³³ tn Heb “and I will sell the land into the hand of.”

³⁴ tn The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

³⁵ 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.

³⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁷ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

³⁸ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

³⁹ 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.

⁴⁰ tn Or “a spirit.”

⁴¹ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

⁴² tn Heb “cause to return.”

⁴³ tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.

⁴⁴ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.