After washing and putting oil on the girl, God dressed her in beautiful clothes and jewelry. Verses 10-12 describe in detail what he gave to her. Some suggest that these items were the girl’s bridal outfit, but they more likely refer to her new life of luxury. Unfortunately it is not clear nowadays exactly what some of these items were.

I clothed you also with embroidered cloth: The Hebrew word for embroidered cloth refers to cloth into which someone has sewn decorative patterns or figures by hand with a needle. The main focus of this word is that the material is brightly-colored. New Century Version says “beautiful clothes made with needlework,” and Contemporary English Version has simply “finest clothes.”

And shod you with leather means God put shoes or sandals on the girl’s feet Leather is the processed skin of an animal, but it is uncertain whether it is from a dugong, sheep, or goat. The important point is that the leather was used to make beautiful shoes or sandals for the girl. Good News Translation has “shoes of the best leather,” and Contemporary English Version says “sandals made from the best leather.”

I swathed you in fine linen: The Hebrew verb rendered swathed means “wrap around.” Although many translations take this verb to refer to putting on clothes in general (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Moffatt) or putting on a belt (so Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant), it usually refers to putting on a head covering that is wrapped around the head like a turban or “headband” (Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible; similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Fine linen is an expensive cloth woven from flax (see the comments on 9.2). Where it is not known, translators may say “fine cloth.” This whole clause may be rendered “I wrapped a headband of fine cloth [or, linen cloth] around your head.”

And covered you with silk: Covered may be translated “dressed” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “clothed” (Moffatt). The Hebrew word for silk is used only here and in verse 13 in the Old Testament, so its exact meaning is unclear. Traditionally it has been translated silk, but there is no evidence that silk was known in Europe and the Middle East until almost 200 years after Ezekiel’s time. The word may have been borrowed from an Egyptian term for a piece of fine clothing. It is best for translators to use a general expression for silk, such as “rich fabric” (New Revised Standard Version), “costly garments” (New International Version), or “beautifully woven cloak” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

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 .