He and his people with him refers to “Nebuchadnezzar and his army” (New Century Version; similarly Good News Translation, New International Reader’s Version, New Living Translation). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “He, together with his troops” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

For the most terrible of the nations, which describes the Babylonians, see 28.7.

Shall be brought in to destroy the land implies that God will send the Babylonian army not only to kill the Egyptians, but also to make the ground of Egypt itself unproductive by burning its crops and cutting down its trees. It may be clearer in some languages to translate the first sentence of this verse as “He and his soldiers [or, army] are the most ruthless [or, violent] people of all the nations. I will send them in to destroy the land [of Egypt].”

And they shall draw their swords against Egypt means the Babylonian soldiers will “unsheathe” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “pull out” (New Century Version) their swords to kill the Egyptians. For draw their swords, see the comments on 5.2. This is another example of sword being used to represent war (see Ezek 30.4), so this clause may be rendered “They will make war against Egypt” (New Living Translation).

And fill the land with the slain is a figurative expression that means the Babylonian soldiers will kill very many Egyptians. Slain refers to people who are killed (see Ezek 30.4), and may be rendered “corpses” (Good News Translation) or “dead bodies” (Contemporary English Version, New International Reader’s Version). Translations have used various idiomatic expressions to describe the slaughter here, for example, “and leave your dead bodies piled up everywhere” (Contemporary English Version), “and the land will be full of corpses” (Good News Translation), and “until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground” (New Living Translation). Another model is “They will fill the land with bodies of the people they kill.” Most languages will have ways to express this idea vividly.

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 .