Some translations begin a new section at this point and include a heading (so Good News Translation, New Century Version, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The Good News Translation heading is “Israel Will Be Blessed,” and New Century Version has “God Will Help Israel.” Other translations include this verse with the prophecy against Sidon (so New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation); the structure of the Hebrew text favors this point of view.

And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt: If this is the closing verse of the Sidon prophecy, all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt refers to the people of Sidon. This verse may also act as the closing verse for all the prophecies against the nations in chapters 25–28. If so, the neighbors are these six nations that surround the country of Israel. The Hebrew verb rendered treated with … contempt means “abuse” (Contemporary English Version), “despise” (King James Version / New King James Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “hate” (New International Reader’s Version), or “be hostile” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible). A brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them describes the bad way that the people of Sidon treated the Israelites as if the Israelites were standing in a prickly bush with thorns that stuck into them and hurt them. This is picture language and need not be rendered literally. However, many cultures will readily understand the picture of being caught in a bush with painful barbs that stick into the skin. For brier and thorn, see the comments on 2.6.

Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD: When God makes his people safe from their enemies, both his people and their enemies will recognize his power and authority. For this recognition formula, see verse 22. For the Lord GOD, that is, “the Lord Yahweh,” see Ezek 28.2.

A model for this verse is:

• As for the people of Israel, no longer will all these hostile [or, hateful] neighbors be like thorns or briers to hurt them. Then people will know that I am Yahweh who is Lord [or, who is God].”

Some translators may feel that this verse does not fit in the prophecy against Sidon, and fits better with the promise of restoration in verses 25-26. If so, it is acceptable to break the text after verse 23 and include verse 24 with the following verses.

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 .