Discovery BoxEzekiel 20:1--23:49
Context20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 1 some of the elders 2 of Israel came to seek 3 the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. 20:2 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, 4 declares the sovereign Lord.’ 20:4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment? 5 Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers, 20:5 and say to them:
“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore 6 to the descendants 7 of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore 8 to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 20:6 On that day I swore 9 to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out 10 for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, 11 the most beautiful of all lands. 20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, 12 and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, 13 nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out 14 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, 15 so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, 16 before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 17
20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes 18 and revealed my regulations to them. The one 19 who carries 20 them out will live by them! 21 20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths 22 as a reminder of our relationship, 23 so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. 24 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out 25 my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. 26 20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore 27 to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this 28 because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. 29 20:17 Yet I had pity on 30 them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
20:18 “‘But I said to their children 31 in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, 32 nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy 33 and they will be a reminder of our relationship, 34 and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children 35 rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys 36 them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out 37 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, 38 and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore 39 to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. 40 20:24 I did this 41 because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on 42 their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave 43 them decrees 44 which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices 45 – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire 46 – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ 47
20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore 48 to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” 49 to this day.)
20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers 50 and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 20:31 When you present your sacrifices 51 – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, 52 O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! 53
20:32 “‘What you plan 54 will never happen. You say, “We will be 55 like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” 56 20:33 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, 57 and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 20:34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 20:35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 20:36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the sovereign Lord. 20:37 I will make you pass under 58 the shepherd’s staff, 59 and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt 60 against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, 61 if you will not listen to me. 62 But my holy name will not be profaned 63 again by your sacrifices 64 and your idols. 20:40 For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them 65 in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. 20:41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 20:42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore 66 to give to your fathers. 20:43 And there you will remember your conduct 67 and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves 68 because of all the evil deeds you have done. 20:44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
20:45 (21:1) 69 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:46 “Son of man, turn toward 70 the south, 71 and speak out against the south. 72 Prophesy against the open scrub 73 land of the Negev, 20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 74 I am about to start a fire in you, 75 and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. 20:48 And everyone 76 will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’”
20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
21:1 (21:6) 77 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:2 “Son of man, turn toward 78 Jerusalem 79 and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 21:3 and say to them, 80 ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, 81 I am against you. 82 I will draw my sword 83 from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 84 21:4 Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone 85 from the south 86 to the north. 21:5 Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath – it will not be sheathed again!’
21:6 “And you, son of man, groan with an aching heart 87 and bitterness; groan before their eyes. 21:7 When they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will reply, ‘Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone 88 will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.’ 89 Pay attention – it is coming and it will happen, declares the sovereign Lord.”
21:8 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:9 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,
and also polished.
21:10 It is sharpened for slaughter,
it is polished to flash like lightning!
“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree! 90
21:11 “‘He gave it to be polished,
to be grasped in the hand –
the sword is sharpened, it is polished –
giving it into the hand of the executioner.
21:12 Cry out and moan, son of man,
for it is wielded against my people;
against all the princes of Israel.
They are delivered up to the sword, along with my people.
Therefore, strike your thigh. 91
21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? 92 declares the sovereign Lord.’
21:14 “And you, son of man, prophesy,
and clap your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice, even three times!
It is a sword for slaughter,
a sword for the great slaughter surrounding them.
21:15 So hearts melt with fear and many stumble.
At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter.
Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!
21:16 Cut sharply on the right!
Swing to 93 the left,
wherever your edge 94 is appointed to strike.
21:17 I too will clap my hands together,
I will exhaust my rage;
I the Lord have spoken.”
21:18 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:19 “You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it at the beginning of the road leading to the city. 21:20 Mark out the routes for the sword to take: “Rabbah of the Ammonites” and “Judah with Jerusalem in it.” 95 21:21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork 96 in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: 97 He shakes arrows, he consults idols, 98 he examines 99 animal livers. 100 21:22 Into his right hand 101 comes the portent for Jerusalem – to set up battering rams, to give the signal 102 for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, 103 to set up battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, to build a siege wall. 21:23 But those in Jerusalem 104 will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn oaths, 105 but the king of Babylon 106 will accuse them of violations 107 in order to seize them. 108
21:24 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have brought up 109 your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force. 110
21:25 “‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, 111
whose day has come, the time of final punishment,
21:26 this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Tear off the turban, 112
take off the crown!
Things must change! 113
Exalt the lowly,
bring down the proud! 114
21:27 A total ruin I will make it! 115
It will come to an end
when the one arrives to whom I have assigned judgment.’ 116
21:28 “As for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation; 117 say:
“‘A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter,
polished to consume, 118 to flash like lightning –
21:29 while seeing false visions for you
and reading lying omens for you 119 –
to place that sword 120 on the necks of the profane wicked, 121
whose day has come,
the time of final punishment.
21:30 Return it to its sheath! 122
In the place where you were created, 123
in your native land, I will judge you.
21:31 I will pour out my anger on you;
the fire of my fury I will blow on you.
I will hand you over to brutal men,
who are skilled in destruction.
21:32 You will become fuel for the fire –
your blood will stain the middle of the land; 124
you will no longer be remembered,
for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
22:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:2 “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment, 125 are you willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city? 126 Then confront her with all her abominable deeds! 22:3 Then say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: O city, who spills blood within herself (which brings on her doom), 127 and who makes herself idols (which results in impurity), 22:4 you are guilty because of the blood you shed and defiled by the idols you made. You have hastened the day of your doom; 128 the end of your years has come. 129 Therefore I will make 130 you an object of scorn to the nations, an object to be mocked by all lands. 22:5 Those both near and far from you will mock you, you with your bad reputation, 131 full of turmoil.
22:6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood. 132 22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt 133 within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow 134 within you. 22:8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths! 22:9 Slanderous men shed blood within you. 135 Those who live within you eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains; 136 they commit obscene acts among you. 137 22:10 They have sex with their father’s wife within you; 138 they violate women during their menstrual period within you. 139 22:11 One 140 commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates 141 his sister – his father’s daughter 142 – within you. 22:12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; 143 you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, 144 declares the sovereign Lord. 145
22:13 “‘See, I strike my hands together 146 at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed 147 they have done among you. 22:14 Can your heart endure, 148 or can your hands be strong when I deal with you? 149 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it! 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among various countries; I will remove your impurity from you. 150 22:16 You will be profaned within yourself 151 in the sight of the nations; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
22:17 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; 152 they are the worthless slag of silver. 22:19 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Because all of you 153 have become slag, look out! – I am about to gather you in the middle of Jerusalem. 154 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 155 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. 22:22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.’”
22:23 The word of the Lord came to me: 22:24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that receives no rain 156 or showers in the day of my anger.’ 157 22:25 Her princes 158 within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows 159 within it. 22:26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, 160 or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore 161 my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst. 22:27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey – shedding blood and destroying lives – so they can get dishonest profit. 22:28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. 162 They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice. 163
22:30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 164 22:31 So I have poured my anger on them, and destroyed them with the fire of my fury. I hereby repay them for what they have done, 165 declares the sovereign Lord.”
23:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. 23:3 They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers 166 fondled their virgin nipples there. 23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah 167 the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. 168 Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
23:5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. 169 She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians 170 – warriors 171 23:6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 23:7 She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired 172 – with all their idols. 23:8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. 173 23:9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians 174 for whom she lusted. 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious 175 among women, and they executed judgments against her.
23:11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this, 176 but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 23:13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 23:14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, 177 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians 178 whose native land is Chaldea. 23:16 When she saw them, 179 she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 180 23:17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. 181 They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she 182 became disgusted with them. 23:18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, 183 I 184 was disgusted with her, just as I 185 had been disgusted with her sister. 23:19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 23:20 She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, 186 and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. 23:21 This is how you assessed 187 the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled 188 your nipples and squeezed 189 your young breasts.
23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 190 I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, 191 Shoa, 192 and Koa, 193 and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 23:24 They will attack 194 you with weapons, 195 chariots, wagons, and with a huge army; 196 they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; 197 they will punish you according to their laws. 23:25 I will direct 198 my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, 199 and your survivors will die 200 by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 23:26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 23:27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. 201 You will not seek their help 202 or remember Egypt anymore.
23:28 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 203 I am about to deliver you over to 204 those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for, 205 and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct. 206 23:30 I will do these things to you 207 because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 23:31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment 208 in your hand. 23:32 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: “You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup; 209 you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 23:33 You will be overcome by 210 drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 23:34 You will drain it dry, 211 gnaw its pieces, 212 and tear out your breasts, 213 for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, 214 you must bear now the punishment 215 for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”
23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment 216 on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 23:37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, 217 they have passed through the fire as food to their idols. 218 23:38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day 219 they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.
23:40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. 220 For them you bathed, 221 painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 23:41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her, 222 including all kinds of men; 223 even Sabeans 224 were brought from the desert. The sisters 225 put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 23:43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 23:44 They had sex with her 226 as one does with a prostitute. In this way they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 23:45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed, 227 because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
23:46 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army 228 against them and subject them 229 to terror and plunder. 23:47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. 230 23:48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 23:49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship. 231 Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.”
[20:1] 1 sn The date would be August 14th, 591
[20:1] 2 tn Heb “men from the elders.”
[20:1] 3 tn See the note at 14:3.
[20:3] 4 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
[20:4] 5 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment.
[20:5] 6 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:5] 8 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:6] 9 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”
[20:6] 10 tn Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan (Num 13-14); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”
[20:6] 11 sn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as well as Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev 20:24; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; 32:23 (see also Deut 1:25; 8:7-9).
[20:7] 12 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
[20:8] 13 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”
[20:8] 14 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:9] 15 tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”
[20:9] 16 tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”
[20:9] 17 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.
[20:11] 18 sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.
[20:11] 21 tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.
[20:12] 22 sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).
[20:12] 23 tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”
[20:12] 24 tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
[20:13] 25 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:13] 26 tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”
[20:15] 27 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:16] 28 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
[20:16] 29 tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.
[20:17] 30 tn Heb “my eye pitied.”
[20:18] 31 tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
[20:18] 32 tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.
[20:20] 33 tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
[20:20] 34 tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
[20:21] 36 tn Or “carries them out.”
[20:21] 37 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:22] 38 tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.
[20:23] 39 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:23] 40 sn Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.
[20:24] 41 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
[20:24] 42 tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).
[20:25] 44 tn The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים (khuqim). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13, which lead to life.
[20:26] 46 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).
[20:26] 47 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.
[20:28] 48 tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”
[20:29] 49 tn The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”
[20:30] 50 tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”
[20:31] 52 tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”
[20:31] 53 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
[20:32] 54 tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”
[20:32] 55 tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”
[20:32] 56 tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”
[20:33] 57 sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
[20:37] 58 tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
[20:37] 59 sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
[20:38] 60 tn See the note at 2:3.
[20:39] 61 sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.
[20:39] 62 tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.
[20:39] 63 sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.
[20:40] 65 tn Heb “all of it.”
[20:42] 66 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:43] 68 tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”
[20:45] 69 sn Beginning with 20:45, the verse numbers through 21:32 in the English Bible differ by five from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:45 ET = 21:1 HT, 20:46 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:6 HT etc., through 21:32 ET = 21:37 HT. Beginning with 22:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
[20:46] 70 tn Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17.
[20:46] 71 tn Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.
[20:46] 72 tn Or “toward Darom.” Darom may mean the south or a region just north of southern city of Beer Sheba. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:417-18.
[20:46] 73 tn The Hebrew term can also mean “forest,” but a meaning of uncultivated wasteland fits the Negev region far better. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:418.
[20:47] 74 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[20:47] 75 tn Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14.
[20:48] 76 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[21:1] 77 sn Ezek 21:1 in the English Bible is 21:6 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 20:45.
[21:2] 78 tn Heb “set your face toward.”
[21:2] 79 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[21:3] 80 tn Heb “the land of Israel.”
[21:3] 81 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.
[21:3] 82 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.
[21:3] 83 sn This is the sword of judgment, see Isa 31:8; 34:6; 66:16.
[21:3] 84 sn Ezekiel elsewhere pictures the Lord’s judgment as discriminating between the righteous and the wicked (9:4-6; 18:1-20; see as well Pss 1 and 11) and speaks of the preservation of a remnant (3:21; 6:8; 12:16). Perhaps here he exaggerates for rhetorical effect in an effort to subdue any false optimism. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:25-26; D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:669-70; and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:424-25.
[21:4] 85 tn Heb “all flesh” (also in the following verse).
[21:4] 86 tn Heb “Negev.” The Negev is the south country.
[21:6] 87 tn Heb “breaking loins.”
[21:7] 88 tn Heb “every spirit will be dim.”
[21:7] 89 sn This expression depicts in a very vivid way how they will be overcome with fear. See the note on the same phrase in 7:17.
[21:10] 90 tn Heb “Or shall we rejoice, scepter of my son, it despises every tree.” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned just before this. Alternatively, the line may be understood as “let us not rejoice, O tribe of my son; it despises every tree.” The same word in Hebrew may be either “rod,” “scepter,” or “tribe.” The word sometimes translated as “or” or taken as an interrogative particle may be a negative particle. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:672, n. 79.
[21:12] 91 sn This physical action was part of an expression of grief. Cp. Jer. 31:19.
[21:13] 92 tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.
[21:20] 95 tc The MT reads “Judah in fortified Jerusalem,” a geographic impossibility. The translation follows the LXX, which assumes בְּתוֹכָהּ (bÿtokhah, “in it”) for בְּצוּרָה (bÿtsurah, “fortified”).
[21:21] 97 sn Mesopotamian kings believed that the gods revealed the future through omens. They employed various divination techniques, some of which are included in the list that follows. A particularly popular technique was the examination and interpretation of the livers of animals. See R. R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 90-110.
[21:21] 98 tn This word refers to personal idols that were apparently used for divination purposes (Gen 31:19; 1 Sam 19:13, 16).
[21:21] 100 tn Heb “the liver.”
[21:22] 101 tn Or “on the right side,” i.e., the omen mark on the right side of the liver.
[21:22] 102 tn Heb “to open the mouth” for slaughter.
[21:22] 103 tn Heb “to raise up a voice in a battle cry.”
[21:23] 104 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people in Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:23] 105 sn When the people of Judah realized the Babylonians’ intentions, they would object on grounds that they had made a treaty with the Babylonian king (see 17:13).
[21:23] 106 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:23] 108 tn Heb “and he will remind of guilt for the purpose of being captured.” The king would counter their objections by pointing out that they had violated their treaty with him (see 17:18).
[21:24] 109 tn Heb “caused to be remembered.”
[21:24] 110 tn Heb “Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt when your transgressions are uncovered so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds – because you are remembered, by the hand you will be seized.”
[21:25] 111 tn This probably refers to King Zedekiah.
[21:26] 112 tn Elsewhere in the Bible the turban is worn by priests (Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:28, 31; Lev 8:9; 16:4), but here a royal crown is in view.
[21:26] 113 tn Heb “This not this.”
[21:26] 114 tn Heb “the high one.”
[21:27] 115 tn Heb “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it.” The threefold repetition of the noun “ruin” is for emphasis and draws attention to the degree of ruin that would take place. See IBHS 233 §12.5a and GKC 431-32 §133.k. The pronominal suffix (translated “it”) on the verb “make” is feminine in Hebrew. The probable antecedent is the “turban/crown” (both nouns are feminine in form) mentioned in verse 26. The point is that the king’s royal splendor would be completely devastated as judgment overtook his realm and brought his reign to a violent end.
[21:27] 116 tn Heb “Also this, he was not, until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it.” The Hebrew text, as it stands, is grammatically difficult. The pronoun “this” is feminine, while the following negated verb (“was not”) is masculine. Some emend the verb to a feminine form (see BHS). In this case the statement refers to the destiny of the king’s turban/crown (symbolizing his reign). See the previous note. The preposition translated “when” normally means “until,” but here it seems to refer to the period during which the preceding situation is realized, rather than its termination point. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:19, 21. The second part of the statement, though awkward, probably refers to the arrival of the Babylonian king, to whom the Lord had assigned the task of judgment (see 23:24). Or the verse may read “A total ruin I will make, even this. It will not be until the one comes to whom is (the task of) judgment and I have assigned it.”
[21:28] 117 tn Heb “their reproach.”
[21:28] 118 tn Heb “to contain, endure.” Since the Hebrew text as it stands makes little, if any, sense, most emend the text to read either “to consume” or “for destruction.” For discussion of options see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:693.
[21:29] 119 tn Heb “in the seeing concerning you falsehood, in divining concerning you a lie.” This probably refers to the attempts of the Ammonites to ward off judgment through prophetic visions and divination.
[21:29] 120 tn Heb “you”; the referent (the sword mentioned in v. 28) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:29] 121 sn The second half of the verse appears to state that the sword of judgment would fall upon the wicked, despite their efforts to prevent it.
[21:30] 122 sn Once the Babylonian king’s sword (vv. 19-20) has carried out its assigned task, the Lord commands it to halt and announces that Babylon itself will also experience his judgment. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:28.
[21:30] 123 tn In the Hebrew text of vv. 30-32 the second person verbal and pronominal forms are feminine singular. This may indicate that the personified Babylonian sword is being addressed. The Hebrew word for “sword” (see v. 28) is feminine. However, it may refer to the Ammonites.
[21:32] 124 tn Heb “your blood will be in the middle of the land.”
[22:2] 125 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment upon the city. See 20:4.
[22:2] 126 tn The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1.
[22:3] 127 tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).
[22:4] 128 tn Heb “you have brought near your days.” The expression “bring near your days” appears to be an adaptation of the idiom “days draw near,” which is used to indicate that an event, such as death, is imminent (see Gen 27:41; 47:29; Deut 31:14; 1 Kgs 2:1; Ezek 12:23). Here “your days” probably refers to the days of the personified city’s life, which was about to come to an end through God’s judgment.
[22:4] 129 tn Heb “and you have come to your years.” This appears to mean that she has arrived at the time when her years (i.e., life) would end, though it may mean that her years of punishment will begin. Because “day” and “time” are so closely associated in the immediate context (see 21:25, 29) some prefer to emend the text and read “you have brought near your time.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:31, as well as the translator’s note on verse 3.
[22:4] 130 tn The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, emphasizing that the action is as good as done from the speaker’s perspective.
[22:5] 131 tn Heb “unclean of name.”
[22:6] 132 tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”
[22:7] 133 tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”
[22:7] 134 tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.
[22:9] 135 tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”
[22:9] 136 tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.
[22:9] 137 sn This statement introduces vv. 10-11 and refers in general terms to the sexual sins described there. For the legal background of vv. 10-11, see Lev 18:7-20; 20:10-21; Deut 22:22-23, 30; 27:22.
[22:10] 138 tn Heb “the nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother (Lev 18:7), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother (Lev 18:8; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4).
[22:10] 139 tn Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:19; 20:18).
[22:11] 141 tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.
[22:11] 142 sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9; 20:17.
[22:12] 143 tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.
[22:12] 144 sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.
[22:12] 145 tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.
[22:13] 146 sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).
[22:13] 147 tn Heb “the blood which was in you.”
[22:14] 148 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
[22:14] 149 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”
[22:15] 150 sn The ultimate purpose of divine judgment is to purify the covenant community of its sins.
[22:16] 151 tc Several ancient versions read the verb as first person, in which case the Lord refers to how his people’s sin brings disgrace upon him. For a defense of the Hebrew text, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:712, n. 68, and M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:457-58.
[22:18] 152 tn For similar imagery, see Isa 1:21-26; Jer 6:27-30.
[22:19] 153 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
[22:19] 154 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:20] 155 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.
[22:24] 156 tc The MT reads “that is not cleansed”; the LXX reads “that is not drenched,” which assumes a different vowel pointing as well as the loss of a מ (mem) due to haplography. In light of the following reference to showers, the reading of the LXX certainly fits the context well. For a defense of the emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32. Yet the MT is not an unreasonable reading since uncleanness in the land also fits the context, and a poetic connection between rain and the land being uncleansed may be feasible since washing with water is elsewhere associated with cleansing (Num 8:7; 31:23; Ps 51:7).
[22:24] 157 tn Heb “in a day of anger.”
[22:25] 158 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.
[22:25] 159 tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.
[22:26] 160 tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”
[22:26] 161 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).
[22:28] 162 tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.
[22:29] 163 tn Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”
[22:30] 164 tn Heb “I did not find.”
[22:31] 165 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”
[23:3] 166 tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.
[23:4] 167 tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”
[23:4] 168 sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.
[23:5] 169 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29.
[23:5] 171 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.
[23:7] 172 tn Heb “lusted after.”
[23:8] 173 tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”
[23:9] 174 tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”
[23:11] 176 tn The word “this” is not in the original text.
[23:14] 177 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.
[23:15] 178 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”
[23:16] 179 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”
[23:16] 180 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).
[23:17] 181 tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”
[23:17] 182 tn Heb “her soul.”
[23:18] 183 tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and she exposed her nakedness.”
[23:20] 186 tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?) whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is extremely problematic here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” but this still fails to explain how the pronoun relates to the noun. It is more likely that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of their genitals.
[23:21] 187 tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.
[23:21] 188 tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
[23:21] 189 tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
[23:22] 190 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[23:23] 191 sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.
[23:23] 192 sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.
[23:23] 193 sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).
[23:24] 194 tn Heb “come against.”
[23:24] 195 tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.
[23:24] 196 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[23:24] 197 tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”
[23:25] 199 tn Heb “they will remove.”
[23:27] 201 tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”
[23:27] 202 tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”
[23:28] 203 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[23:28] 204 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
[23:29] 205 tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.
[23:29] 206 tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”
[23:30] 207 tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.
[23:31] 208 tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).
[23:32] 209 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
[23:33] 210 tn Heb “filled with.”
[23:34] 211 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
[23:34] 212 tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.
[23:34] 213 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
[23:35] 214 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
[23:35] 215 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
[23:36] 216 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4; 22:2.
[23:37] 217 sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.
[23:37] 218 tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.
[23:38] 219 tn Heb “in that day.”
[23:40] 220 tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.
[23:40] 221 tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.
[23:42] 222 tn Heb “(was) in her.”
[23:42] 223 tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”
[23:42] 224 tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.
[23:42] 225 tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[23:44] 226 tn Heb “and they came to her.”
[23:45] 227 tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”
[23:46] 228 tn Heb “assembly.”
[23:46] 229 tn Heb “give them to.”
[23:47] 230 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
[23:49] 231 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.
