Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In this verse God tells the mountains of Israel that he will punish the surrounding nations that plundered and mocked their land. The connector therefore introduces this judgment as a response to what Israel’s enemies had done to them. For the repeated prophetic formula thus says the Lord GOD, which reinforces the importance of the words here, see Ezek 36.2.

I speak in my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom: Revised Standard Version and most other translations omit the emphatic Hebrew expression at the beginning of God’s words here. Some translations keep it by saying “indeed” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “Surely” (King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version), or “Truly” (Christian Community Bible). It is best to include it to stress the importance of the following words. Hot jealousy is literally “the fire of my jealousy” (King James Version). In modern English the word jealousy almost always has bad overtones. It means to be envious of someone who has something that I want, or to be suspicious about the actions of my spouse. In most languages the most obvious meaning is where a man is jealous of his wife. But this is not the meaning of the Hebrew word for jealousy. It refers to intense, very strong feelings (see the comments on 5.13). Often it is connected with a term for “anger” (see Ezek 36.6) and means that a person is very angry. Here it is connected with the image of “fire,” referring to “fierce anger” (Contemporary English Version). English is able to maintain the imagery here by saying “burning anger” (similarly New International Reader’s Version), “hot anger” (New Century Version), “blazing wrath” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “fiery anger.” Other languages need to use idioms that are natural to them. For the rest of the nations, which refers to the countries near Israel, see the previous verse. All Edom (compare 35.15) makes it clear that the Edomites are included in this prophecy.

Who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt: Edom and the other nations took over the land of the Israelites after the fall of Jerusalem (see Ezek 36.3). With wholehearted joy means they were “very happy” (New International Reader’s Version) when they did this. Good News Translation, New International Version, and Christian Community Bible say “with glee” (similarly Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew expression rendered utter contempt (literally “scorn of soul”) refers to the total hatred they had for Israel (compare New International Reader’s Version “Deep down inside them they hated Israel”; compare 25.6, where a similar Hebrew phrase is rendered “the malice within you”). New Century Version renders this clause well, saying “who took my land for themselves with joy and hate in their hearts.”

That they might possess it and plunder it: Many different renderings have been given for the Hebrew clause here, which reads literally “in order that its open space/pastureland [might be] for booty.” Translators should not follow Revised Standard Version here, because it uses a different Hebrew text than Masoretic Text. The sense of this clause in Masoretic Text seems to be that the Edomites and the other nations wanted to take over the “open country” (New King James Version ) of Israel as their booty from the war. Flat, open country is good land for sheep and cattle to feed on, so “open country” may also be rendered “pasture[s]” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Christian Community Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), “pastureland[s]” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version, English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible), or “grasslands” (New International Reader’s Version). It is best to understand the last part of this clause as “might be for booty” in the sense of “as booty” (see the previous verse). It may be rendered “as a reward for defeating Israel in war.” Israel’s neighbors thought they were entitled to take its pastureland because they were on the victorious side in the war. Renderings of the whole clause that reflect this understanding are “and [they] took possession of its pastures” (Good News Translation; similarly New Century Version) and “They wanted to take its grasslands” (New International Reader’s Version). Another interpretation of the last part of this clause is that they took over the land of Israel to plunder its pastureland. New International Version reflects this interpretation with “so that they might plunder its pastureland” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, New King James Version , English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Christian Community Bible, Moffatt). Although this interpretation is possible, the first interpretation is better.

One model for this verse is:

• Therefore this is what the Lord Yahweh says: “With hot anger I condemn Edom and the other nations. They took my land for themselves with glee [or, pleasure] and hate for Israel in their hearts. They wanted the grasslands as a reward for defeating Israel in war.

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 .