2:11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot 1 pulled by fiery horses appeared. 2 They went between Elijah and Elisha, 3 and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm.
3:12 Then a wind lifted me up 6 and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, 7 3:13 and the sound of the living beings’ wings brushing against each other, and the sound of the wheels alongside them, a great rumbling sound. 3:14 A wind lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly, 8 my spirit full of fury, and the hand of the Lord rested powerfully 9 on me.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me.
37:1 The hand 16 of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and placed 17 me in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones.
40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city 18 was struck down, on this very day, 19 the hand 20 of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there. 21 40:2 By means of divine visions 22 he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain, 23 and on it was a structure like a city, to the south.
4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 24 to be tempted by the devil.
1:3 We always 34 give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
2 tn Heb “look, a chariot of fire and horses of fire.”
3 tn Heb “and they made a division between the two of them.”
4 tn Or “the spirit of the
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 sn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
8 tc This translation accepts the emendation suggested in BHS of בְּרוּם (bÿrum) for בָּרוּךְ (barukh). The letters mem (מ) and kaph (כ) were easily confused in the old script while בָּרוּךְ (“blessed be”) both implies a quotation which is out of place here and also does not fit the later phrase, “from its place,” which requires a verb of motion.
10 tn The traditional interpretation is that Ezekiel embarked on his mission with bitterness and anger, either reflecting God’s attitude toward the sinful people or his own feelings about having to carry out such an unpleasant task. L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 1:13) takes “bitterly” as a misplaced marginal note and understands the following word, normally translated “anger,” in the sense of fervor or passion. He translates, “I was passionately moved” (p. 4). Another option is to take the word translated “bitterly” as a verb meaning “strengthened” (attested in Ugaritic). See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 152.
11 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was on me heavily.” The “hand of the Lord” is a metaphor for his power or influence; the modifier conveys intensity.
13 tn The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8; 1 Chr 28:11).
14 tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.
15 map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
16 tn Or “image.”
16 tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.
17 tn Heb “to Chaldea.”
19 tn Or “power.”
20 tn Heb “caused me to rest.”
22 sn That is, Jerusalem.
23 tn April 19, 573
24 tn Or “power.”
25 sn That is, to the land of Israel (see v. 2).
25 tn The expression introduces the three major visions of Ezekiel (1:1; 8:3; 40:2).
26 tn The reference to a very high mountain is harmonious with Isa 2:2.
28 tn Or “desert.”
31 tn BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 2 indicates that under certain circumstances γάρ (gar) has the same meaning as δέ (de).
32 sn Note that the response to the gospel is rejoicing (joy, cf. Acts 11:23; 13:48).
34 tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
35 sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.
36 tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”
37 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.
38 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
39 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
40 tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these
40 tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).