Because they rejected my ordinances and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths: See verse 13. Here God explains why he did not allow the older Israelites to reach the Promised Land. It is because they had disobeyed him.

For their heart went after their idols: They preferred to worship false gods. The Hebrew particle ki rendered for may be a logical connector (so Revised Standard Version) or an emphatic marker here. Many translations omit it (so Good News Translation, New Living Translation). In Hebrew culture the heart is the center of thought and will (see 6.9), as the mind or head is in English. For the Hebrew word rendered idols, which New Jerusalem Bible translates well as “foul idols,” see 6.4. Good News Translation provides a good model for this clause, saying “they preferred to worship their idols.”

Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in Revised Standard Version. However, many translators will find it better for their readers if they begin a new sentence or even two in verse 16. For example, translators may begin verse 16 with “Here is why I made that promise to them. They rejected my commands….” Translators should structure the passage so it flows naturally in their language.

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 .