Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In verses 16-17a God tells how he will punish the Philistines for taking revenge on his people. The prophetic introduction is repeated here for emphasis (see Ezek 25.3).

Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines: See the comments on Ezek 25.7.

And I will cut off the Cherethites: For I will cut off, see Ezek 25.7. Here translators may say “I will destroy.” The Cherethites were another tribe of people who lived further south on the Mediterranean coast than the Philistines, but this name was often used as a general term for the Philistines as well. Translators may say “the Cherethite people” or “the Cherethite tribe.”

And destroy the rest of the seacoast: The rest of the seacoast refers to the other people who lived near the Philistines along the Mediterranean Sea. Translators need to be sure that readers do not get the impression that God will destroy the seacoast, but rather he will kill the people who lived along the coast. This verse may refer to three different groups of people (the Philistines, the Cherethites, and the rest of the seacoast). Alternatively, these expressions may simply be three different ways of referring to the Philistines as a whole. In both cases God is stressing that all the Philistines will be destroyed.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .