Ezekiel 3:12-15

Ezekiel Before the Exiles

3:12 Then a wind lifted me up ¹  and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, ²  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, ³  my spirit full of fury, and the hand of the Lord rested powerfully ⁴  on me. 3:15 I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, ⁵  who lived by the Kebar River. ⁶  I sat dumbfounded among them there, where they were living, for seven days. ⁷ 

[3:12]  ¹ sn See note on “wind” in 2:2.

[3:12]  ² 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.

[3:14]  ³ 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.

[3:14]  ⁴ 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.

[3:15]  ⁵ sn The name “Tel Abib” is a transliteration of an Akkadian term meaning “mound of the flood,” i.e., an ancient mound. It is not to be confused with the modern city of Tel Aviv in Israel.

[3:15]  ⁶ tn Or “canal.”

[3:15]  ⁷ sn A similar response to a divine encounter is found in Acts 9:8-9.