In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month: Again Ezekiel carefully records the date of this prophecy (compare 1.2 and 8.1). It was In the seventh year after the Babylonians had taken King Jehoiachin, Ezekiel and many others as prisoners. Contemporary English Version makes this explicit by beginning with “Seven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia.” However, there is a problem with this model. In the seventh year means after six years, but before a full seven years have passed. The deportation took place in 597 B.C., and this vision probably occurred in 591. Therefore a better way to begin this verse is “Six years after the Babylonians had taken King Jehoiachin and the rest of us into exile.” Parole de Vie is also helpful with “It was the seventh year after the deportation.” For this whole date Good News Translation has “It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile.” Another possible model is “Six years after the Babylonians took us into exile, on the tenth day of the fifth month.” When rendering this date, translators should follow the most natural order of recording dates in their own language. For those translators who include footnotes in their Bibles, it is appropriate to indicate that this date is probably August 14, 591 B.C., that is, a little less than eleven months after the vision in 8.1.

Certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me: Certain of the elders of Israel are probably the same leaders of the Jewish community in exile who came to consult Ezekiel in 8.1 and 14.1 (see the comments there). This phrase may be rendered “some of Israel’s leaders” (Contemporary English Version; similarly Good News Translation, New Living Translation) or “some of the elders of Israel” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). To inquire of the LORD means to consult God (so New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). Ezekiel does not say what they wanted to consult God about. Perhaps they wanted to find out what God wanted them to do (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). More likely they were asking “for a message from the LORD” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation) about when the exile would end. There is no way of knowing for sure. So translators may render this phrase as “to ask for a message from Yahweh” or “to find out what Yahweh wanted them to do.” The LORD renders God’s name “Yahweh.” Sat before me means the leaders sat in front of Ezekiel. As in 14.1, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch adds that “they waited” for an answer. These clauses may be reordered by saying “some of the leaders of Israel came and sat down in front of me to ask for a message from Yahweh.”

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 .