Ezekiel 15:6-7

15:6 “Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire – so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem ¹  as fuel. ²  15:7 I will set ³  my face against them – although they have escaped from the fire, ⁴  the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.

Ezekiel 19:14

19:14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. ⁵ 

No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’

This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”

Ezekiel 22:20-21

22:20 As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the fire can melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my rage. I will deposit you there ⁶  and melt you. 22:21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in it.

Deuteronomy 32:22

32:22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger,

and it burns to lowest Sheol; ⁷ 

it consumes the earth and its produce,

and ignites the foundations of the mountains.

Isaiah 9:18-19

9:18 For ⁸  evil burned like a fire, ⁹ 

it consumed thorns and briers;

it burned up the thickets of the forest,

and they went up in smoke. ¹⁰ 

9:19 Because of the anger of the Lord who commands armies, the land was scorched, ¹¹ 

and the people became fuel for the fire. ¹² 

People had no compassion on one another. ¹³ 

Isaiah 30:33

30:33 For ¹⁴  the burial place is already prepared; ¹⁵ 

it has been made deep and wide for the king. ¹⁶ 

The firewood is piled high on it. ¹⁷ 

The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,

will ignite it.

Jeremiah 21:14

21:14 But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,’

says the Lord. ¹⁸ 

‘I will set fire to your palace;

it will burn up everything around it.’” ¹⁹ 

[15:6]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:6]  ² tn The words “as fuel” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[15:7]  ³ tn The word translated “set” is the same Hebrew word translated as “provide” in the previous verse.

[15:7]  ⁴ sn This escape refers to the exile of Ezekiel and others in 597 b.c. (Ezek 1:2; 2 Kgs 24:10-16).

[19:14]  ⁵ tn The verse describes the similar situation recorded in Judg 9:20.

[22:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will put.” No object is supplied in the Hebrew, prompting many to emend the text to “I will blow.” See BHS and verse 21.

[32:22]  ⁷ tn Or “to the lowest depths of the earth”; cf. NAB “to the depths of the nether world”; NIV “to the realm of death below”; NLT “to the depths of the grave.”

[9:18]  ⁸ tn Or “Indeed” (cf. NIV “Surely”). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[9:18]  ⁹ sn Evil was uncontrollable and destructive, and so can be compared to a forest fire.

[9:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they swirled [with] the rising of the smoke” (cf. NRSV).

[9:19]  ¹¹ tn The precise meaning of the verb עְתַּם (’ÿtam), which occurs only here, is uncertain, though the context strongly suggests that it means “burn, scorch.”

[9:19]  ¹² sn The uncontrollable fire of the people’s wickedness (v. 18) is intensified by the fire of the Lord’s judgment (v. 19). God allows (or causes) their wickedness to become self-destructive as civil strife and civil war break out in the land.

[9:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “men were not showing compassion to their brothers.” The idiom “men to their brothers” is idiomatic for reciprocity. The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.

[30:33]  ¹⁴ tn Or “indeed.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).

[30:33]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”

[30:33]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”

[21:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”

[21:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I will set fire in its forest and it will devour its surroundings.” The pronouns are actually third feminine singular going back to the participle “you who sit enthroned above the valley.” However, this is another example of those rapid shifts in pronouns typical of the biblical Hebrew style which are uncommon in English. They have regularly been leveled to the same person throughout in the translation to avoid possible confusion for the English reader.