Whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the Pit: The uttermost parts of the Pit means “the deepest parts of the world of the dead” (Good News Translation). Christian Community Bible has “the bottom of the pit,” and Revised English Bible says “the farthest depths of the abyss” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Block describes the uttermost parts well as “the farthest and most inaccessible corner.” For the Pit, see verse 18.

And her company is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword: These clauses repeat the same ideas in the previous verse (see the comments there). Contemporary English Version chooses not to repeat them by combining verses 22-23. Depending on the requirements of the language, this is acceptable.

Who spread terror in the land of the living: This clause occurs last in verses 22-23, but chronologically it is first. It refers to the type of people the Assyrians were, namely, they “spread terror while they were alive” (New International Reader’s Version). In the land of the living actually has a double meaning. It means both that “while the Assyrians were alive” they frightened people, and that they frightened “everyone who was living anywhere.” For languages that cannot incorporate both these meanings, either is acceptable. Many translators will do well to rearrange this verse by placing this clause first as follows:

• When the Assyrians were alive, they terrified everyone. But now Assyria is in the world of the dead and the graves of all its people are around it. They are all dead, killed in war. Their graves are in the deepest parts of the underworld.

A model that keeps this clause at the end of the verse is:

• Their graves are in the deepest parts of the underworld. Assyria’s people lie around its grave. They are all dead, killed in war. Beforehand, when they were still alive, they used to terrify everyone.

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 .