56:11 The dogs have big appetites;
they are never full. 7
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
they all go their own way,
each one looking for monetary gain. 8
6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all of them practice deceit.
8:10 9 So I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
For from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
Prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
1 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
2 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.
3 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
4 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 46.
5 sn How they were able to devour widows’ houses is debated. Did they seek too much for contributions, or take too high a commission for their work, or take homes after debts failed to be paid? There is too little said here to be sure.
6 tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).
7 sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.
8 tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”
9 sn See Jer 6:12-15 for parallels to 8:10-12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collection of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.
10 tn Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28). If one follows the LXX in verse 25, then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29: princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.
11 tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.
12 tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”
13 tn Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4; 1 Sam 12:3; Prov 28:27; Isa 1:15).
14 tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.
15 tn Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”
16 tn Heb “as people come.” Apparently this is an idiom indicating that they come in crowds. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:264.
17 tn The word “as” is supplied in the translation.
18 tn Heb “do.”
19 tn Heb “They do lust with their mouths.”
20 tn Heb “goes after.”
21 tn The present translation understands the term often used for “unjust gain” in a wider sense, following M. Greenberg, who also notes that the LXX uses a term which can describe either sexual or ritual pollution. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:687.
22 tc The most important