They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions …: After bringing the Israelites back to their land and restoring the nation, God promises to restore their spiritual life. They shall not defile themselves, that is, they will not make themselves ritually unclean (see the comments on 4.14). One way to render this phrase is “They will not do what makes them not fit to worship me anymore.” New Century Version says “They will not continue to make themselves unclean,” but the phrase here in Hebrew could also mean they will never make themselves unclean again (compare the last sentence of the previous verse). The way they make themselves unclean is by worshiping idols and detestable things and by committing transgressions. For the Hebrew word rendered idols, see 5.11, where it is translated “detestable things”; for the word rendered detestable things, see 5.9, where it is translated “abominations.” Good News Translation combines these two words, saying “disgusting idols,” that is, statues of false gods which God hated. The Hebrew word for transgressions refers to turning aside from the straight way (see 14.11). Translators may find it useful to rearrange this whole sentence into a more logical order; for example, Contemporary English Version has “They will no longer worship idols and do things that make them unacceptable to me.”

But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned: The verb save may be rendered “free” (Good News Translation, Christian Community Bible) or “protect” (Contemporary English Version). The Hebrew word for backslidings refers to sins that people repeatedly fall back into (the Hebrew root here means “turn back”). New Century Version renders this clause as “I will save them from all the ways they sin and turn against me.” Another possible model is “I will save them from always going back and repeating their old sins.” Although backslidings, or words with a related meaning, is found in most translations, it does not reflect Masoretic Text. Masoretic Text has a very similar Hebrew word that means “settlements” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “dwelling places” (King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible). The difference between the Hebrew words for backslidings and “dwelling places” is that two letters have changed places (like the difference between “two” and “tow”). If we follow Masoretic Text, the clause means God will save the people from those places where they used to live and where they sinned. These “dwelling places” could be places in the land of Israel where there used to be shrines and altars to false gods, where the people used to forsake the worship of Yahweh. But this sense implies that the people will be barred from some parts of the land, an idea that does not fit with God’s promise that he will totally cleanse the land. On the other hand, these “dwelling places” could be the countries in which the people lived in exile and, despite being in exile, they continued to sin there. If so, God’s promise to save them from these places is just repeating the promise to bring them home in verse 21. Although this is a possible interpretation, it is better for translators to follow the changed text in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation (so also Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).

And will cleanse them means God will “purify them” (Good News Translation), “make them clean” (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version), “make them pure and clean” (New International Reader’s Version).

And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: See the comments on 11.20.

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 .