For they are a rebellious house: See the previous verse. Here the Hebrew particle ki rendered for may be a logical connector (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) or an emphatic marker (so Parole de Vie, which renders it “Yes”). In the Hebrew text this clause is at the end of verse 2. For some reason Revised Standard Version places it at the beginning of verse 3, but it is better to follow Good News Translation and most other translations and keep it in verse 2. This clause may be rendered “That’s how disobedient they are,” “For they are such a rebellious group,” “That is how extensive their disobedience is,” or “That is how much they disobey me.” However, Contemporary English Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch omit this clause because it is repetitious and sounds clumsy. This is acceptable if such repetition is unnatural in a language.
Therefore, son of man …: Therefore renders the Hebrew waw conjunction and may be translated “Now” (Good News Translation) or “So” (Contemporary English Version) here. For son of man, see the previous verse.
Prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage: Contemporary English Version says “Pack a few things as though you were going to be taken away as a prisoner.” We do not know what these things were, but refugees and people who were being taken away as prisoners normally could take very little with them. Some ancient scholars suggested that an exile’s baggage consisted of a mat, a bowl, and a small container for food, but translators should not try to be specific. It is sufficient to render this clause as “pack a small basket of your belongings.”
And go into exile by day in their sight: Go into exile means Ezekiel must act as if he were a prisoner of war and his enemies were taking him away from his home into their country. Ezekiel knew what to do because, only a few years earlier, this had actually happened to him and the other Jews who were now with him in Babylonia. New Century Version handles this expression well, saying “walk away like a captive.” God tells Ezekiel to do this by day in their sight, that is, while it was still light so that the people who were around would see what he was doing. A possible model for this phrase is “Do this during the daytime so people can see you.”
You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight repeats the same idea as in the previous clause for emphasis, but adds a little more detail. From your place to another place means Ezekiel must leave his house and walk somewhere else. Contemporary English Version says “from place to place.” However, it is unlikely that he went to a number of different places, but just to one place that was probably somewhere outside the village of Tel-abib, where Ezekiel and his fellow exiles were living. The destination was not really important, because the symbolism of the action was clear from the small basket of belongings he was carrying. The important thing was that Ezekiel did this in their sight, that is, while people were watching him. One way to render this clause is “Go from your place to somewhere else while people are watching you.”
Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house means that even though the people refuse to listen to God, they may understand his message when Ezekiel acts it out. Perhaps shows that this was unlikely. This sentence may be rendered “Perhaps they will see the point you are making, even though they are a very rebellious [or, disobedient] nation.” Some translations take this sentence to mean that when the people see Ezekiel doing these symbolic actions, they will realize that they are rebellious and disobedient (so Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). A model that expresses this sense is “Maybe when they see you [doing this], they will recognize that they are a very disobedient nation.” Translators may follow either understanding here.
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 .