The nations sounded an alarm against him: Revised Standard Version changes the Hebrew text here, which reads “And the nations heard about him” (similarly Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). There is no need to change it (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).

The nations hunted and caught the lion in the normal way. First, he was taken in their pit. A pit is a hole in the ground that hunters dig and cover with branches so that an animal, not knowing that the hole is there, will fall into it and not be able to get away. For languages that do not use passive verbs, this line may be rendered “and they trapped him in a pit” (similarly Good News Translation).

And they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt: Hooks were sometimes placed through the cheeks, lips, nose, or jaw of captured animals or people to control them (see 29.4; 38.4; 2 Kgs 19.28; Job 40.24). Some translations render the Hebrew word for hooks as “chains” (King James Version / New King James Version). This is a possible interpretation of the word, because both methods were used in ancient times to control animals and people. Good News Translation provides a good model for this line, saying “With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.”

The picture of the lions changes to the historical situation in this verse. The fact that The nations, that is, the people from Israel’s surrounding countries, decided to hunt a single lion in the mountains of Israel shows that the parable refers to a political situation. Finally, when they took the captured lion to Egypt, it becomes clear to Ezekiel’s audience that the lion represents Jehoahaz.

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 .