1:31 The powerful will be like 3 a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.
14:9 Sheol 4 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 5 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 6
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 7
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
1 tc Heb “of the uncircumcised.” The LXX reads, probably correctly, “from of old” rather than “of the uncircumcised.” The phrases are very similar in spelling. The warriors of Meshech-Tubal are described as uncircumcised, so it would be odd for them to not be buried with the uncircumcised. Verse 28 specifically says that they would lie with the uncircumcised.
2 tn Heb “and their iniquities were over their bones.” The meaning of this statement is unclear; in light of the parallelism (see “swords”) it is preferable to emend “their iniquities” to “their swords.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:135.
3 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
4 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
5 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
6 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
7 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
8 sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).
9 sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.
10 tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
11 tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”
12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
13 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
14 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
15 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
16 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
17 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.