Yehezkiel 17:9

17:9 “‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘Will it prosper?

Will he not rip out its roots

and cause its fruit to rot ¹  and wither?

All its foliage ²  will wither.

No strong arm or large army

will be needed to pull it out by its roots. ³ 

Yehezkiel 24:25

24:25 “And you, son of man, this is what will happen on the day I take ⁴  from them their stronghold – their beautiful source of joy, the object in which their eyes delight, and the main concern of their lives, ⁵  as well as their sons and daughters: ⁶ 

Yehezkiel 34:2

34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds ⁷  of Israel; prophesy, and say to them – to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock?

[17:9]  ¹ tn The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT and appears to have the meaning of “strip off.” In application to fruit the meaning may be “cause to rot.”

[17:9]  ² tn Heb “all the טַרְפֵּי (tarpey) of branches.” The word טַרְפֵּי occurs only here in the Bible; its precise meaning is uncertain.

[17:9]  ³ tn Or “there will be no strong arm or large army when it is pulled up by the roots.”

[24:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “(Will) it not (be) in the day I take?”

[24:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “the uplifting of their soul.” According to BDB 672 s.v. מַשָּׂא 2, the term “uplifting” refers to “that to which they lift up their soul, their heart’s desire.” However, this text is the only one listed for this use. It seems more likely that the term has its well-attested nuance of “burden, load,” here and refers to that which weighs them down emotionally and is a constant source of concern or worry.

[24:25]  ⁶ tn In the Hebrew text there is no conjunction before “their sons and daughters.” For this reason one might assume that the preceding descriptive phrases refer to the sons and daughters, but verse 21 suggests otherwise. The descriptive phrases appear to refer to the “stronghold,” which parallels “my sanctuary” in verse 21. The children constitute a separate category.

[34:2]  ⁷ tn The term shepherd is applied to kings in the ancient Near East. In the OT the Lord is often addressed as shepherd of Israel (Gen 49:24; Ps 8:1). The imagery of shepherds as Israel’s leaders is also employed (Jer 23:1-2).