Cry and wail: As in verse 6, God commands Ezekiel to make an emotional response. The Hebrew words for Cry and wail refer to the sounds made by people shouting in distress and weeping loudly. The Hebrew words here (zaʿ aq and halal) sound like the sounds of people crying in distress.

For son of man, see Ezek 21.2.

For it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel: The reason for Ezekiel’s outburst of grief is that the coming judgment will be directed against my people, that is, the people of Judah, and against all the princes of Israel, that is, the leaders of the nation, including the remaining members of the royal family.

They are delivered over to the sword with my people means the leaders will be killed in war along with the people. Good News Translation says “They are going to be killed with all the rest of my people,” and Contemporary English Version has simply “They will die!”

Smite therefore upon your thigh is a gesture of grief, distress, and great sorrow. Cultures vary as to what gestures indicate great sorrow, and translators should feel free to choose one that is appropriate in their language; for example, New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible render Smite … upon your thigh as “beat your breast” (similarly Good News Translation, New Century Version, Moffatt, Bible en français courant). In some languages translators may be able to keep the original gesture by explaining its meaning; for example, New Living Translation has “pound your thighs in anguish,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “strike the thigh [in grief].”

A model for this verse is:

• Human being, cry and wail, for the punishment that is coming is meant for my people. The leaders of Israel and all of the people are going to die in war. Hit your thigh in anguish.

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 .