This verse describes how the Israelites will be made clean from their sins.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you means God will wash them clean. The Hebrew verb for sprinkle means to pour or throw liquid from a bowl and is the usual word in the Bible for sprinkling blood on things or people to make them holy (see Exo 24.6; Lev 1.5, 11; 2 Chr 29.22). It would be misleading to render clean water as “holy water,” even though it is used to make things holy. This phrase may be rendered “pure water” (New International Reader’s Version, Revised English Bible, Christian Community Bible).

And you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses: The Hebrew word for uncleannesses refers to ritual impurity that prevents the people worshiping God properly, not the ordinary dirtiness that people might have on their hands or bodies. Revised English Bible renders this clause as “and you will be purified from everything that defiles you,” and Contemporary English Version has “I will wash away everything that makes you unclean.” Another possible model is “You will be cleansed from all the things that make you unfit to worship me.”

And from all your idols I will cleanse you: The reference to idols, that is, statues of false gods (see verse 18), also shows that God is talking about ritual uncleanness here. The Hebrew verb for cleanse means to make ritually clean in this context. Translators may render this clause as “and I will make you clean from all the idols that have made you not fit to worship me.” Good News Translation reverses the order of the last two clauses of this verse, saying “and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you.”

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 .