Yehezkiel 1:13

1:13 In the middle ¹  of the living beings was something like ²  burning coals of fire ³  or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire.

Yehezkiel 18:8

18:8 does not engage in usury or charge interest, ⁴  but refrains ⁵  from wrongdoing, promotes true justice ⁶  between men,

Yehezkiel 19:11

19:11 Its boughs were strong, fit ⁷  for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the clouds.

It stood out because of its height and its many branches. ⁸ 

Yehezkiel 31:3

31:3 Consider Assyria, ⁹  a cedar in Lebanon, ¹⁰ 

with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade,

and extremely tall;

its top reached into the clouds.

Yehezkiel 31:10

31:10 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height,

Yehezkiel 34:17

34:17 “‘As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

Yehezkiel 42:20

42:20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.

[1:13]  ¹ tc The MT reads “and the form of the creatures” (וּדְמוּת הַחַיּוֹת, udÿmut hakhayyot). The LXX reads “and in the midst of the creatures,” suggesting an underlying Hebrew text of וּמִתּוֹךְ הַחַיּוֹת (umittokh hakhayyot). The subsequent description of something moving among the creatures supports the LXX.

[1:13]  ² tc The MT reads “and the form of the creatures – their appearance was like burning coals of fire.” The LXX reads “in the midst of the creatures was a sight like burning coals of fire.” The MT may have adjusted “appearance” to “their appearance” to fit their reading of the beginning of the verse (see the tc note on “in the middle”). See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 1:46.

[1:13]  ³ sn Burning coals of fire are also a part of David’s poetic description of God’s appearance (see 2 Sam 22:9, 13; Ps 18:8).

[18:8]  ⁴ sn This law was given in Lev 25:36.

[18:8]  ⁵ tn Heb, “turns back his hand.”

[18:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “justice of truth.”

[19:11]  ⁷ tn The word “fit” does not occur in the Hebrew text.

[19:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “and it was seen by its height and by the abundance of its branches.”

[31:3]  ⁹ sn Either Egypt, or the Lord compares Egypt to Assyria, which is described in vv. 3-17 through the metaphor of a majestic tree. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:185. Like Egypt, Assyria had been a great world power, but in time God brought the Assyrians down. Egypt should learn from history the lesson that no nation, no matter how powerful, can withstand the judgment of God. Rather than following the text here, some prefer to emend the proper name Assyria to a similar sounding common noun meaning “boxwood” (see Ezek 27:6), which would make a fitting parallel to “cedar of Lebanon” in the following line. In this case vv. 3-18 in their entirety refer to Egypt, not Assyria. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:121-27.

[31:3]  ¹⁰ sn Lebanon was know for its cedar trees (Judg 9:15; 1 Kgs 4:33; 5:6; 2 Kgs 14:9; Ezra 3:7; Pss 29:5; 92:12; 104:16).