9:11a

Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird: This clause is a simile that compares the glory of Ephraim to a bird that flies away. It indicates that Israel will lose its glory. The context of 9:11b through 9:14 suggests that Ephraim’s glory probably refers here to the population of Israel. The LORD will punish the people by withdrawing his blessing of fertility. Their population will decrease because they can no longer have children.

glory: In this context, the word glory probably means “abundant” in reference to the number of people.

9:11b

with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception: These phrases are more literally “no child bearing and no womb and no conception.” They further explain what will happen when “Ephraim’s glory” flies away. The women of Israel will be barren.

Note the order of the phrases no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. This is a reversal of the natural order, which is conception, pregnancy and then birth. This reverse order may indicate increasing severity of the punishment. None of the steps necessary for Israel to survive as a nation will occur: not birth, not pregnancy, not even conception.

Some versions change the order of these phrases. It is recommended that you keep the order as it is here unless there is good reason in your language to change it.

In some languages, it may be helpful to use phrases instead of single words to make the meaning clearer. For example:

there will be no more children born to them, no more women pregnant, no more children conceived (Good News Translation)

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