Behold, when it is transplanted, will it thrive?: The Hebrew word hinneh rendered Behold (see Ezek 17.7) draws the attention of the hearers back to the question at hand, which is will it thrive? (see Ezek 17.9). Again Revised Standard Version uses the word transplanted, even though the Hebrew says simply “planted” (Good News Translation, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; see the comments on Ezek 17.8). There is no need to assume that this verse suggests that the vine will be moved to another plot of ground. The clause “it is planted” (Good News Translation) simply heightens the force of the question—the vine has been properly planted, so it should grow, but will it? Good News Translation expresses this whole question well, saying “Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow?” Since this is a rhetorical question, it can also be expressed as a statement by saying “Yes, it is planted, but it will not live and grow.”

Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it…?: The east wind is the sirocco, the hot wind that blows in off the desert, and when it strikes, that is, blows on the vine, the vine will wither completely. Translators for whom the east wind is not a hot wind may say “a very hot wind.” Utterly wither renders a strong expression in Hebrew in which the verb for “wither” is repeated. It may be translated “completely shrivel up and die.” Again, translators in some languages will find it more natural to express this rhetorical question as a statement, as in “When the hot wind from the east blows on it, the vine will shrivel up completely and die.”

Wither away on the bed where it grew: The Hebrew word for wither has already occurred four times in verses 9-10, and now it occurs a fifth time for additional emphasis. Wither away on the bed where it grew is generally understood as another question, but it could also be a concluding statement (so New Jerusalem Bible). Translators may choose either understanding. On the bed where it grew means in the place where it was planted (see Ezek 17.7). This clause emphasizes that the vine will die, despite being planted in good soil where it should have grown very well. New Living Translation says “It will die in the same good soil where it had grown so well.” Translators may also say “It will dry up and die right in the place where it was planted [or, where the eagle planted it]” or “Won’t it dry up and die right in the place where the eagle planted it?”

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 .