The previous verse gave the impression that all the weapons would be burned in large fires, and it would take seven years to burn them all. In this verse we see that the weapons will not just be destroyed, but the people will use them as firewood for the fires in their kitchens.

So that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests: Since there will be so many weapons lying on the ground to burn, the people will not need to gather wood for the fires to do their cooking. They will not need to take wood out of the field may be rendered “they will not need to gather firewood from the fields.” Cut down any out of the forests may be translated “they will not need to chop down any trees in the bush.”

For they will make their fires of the weapons: This clause gives the reason why the people will not need to gather firewood from the bush. They will use the weapons instead. Translators may need to make explicit what kind of fires these are by rendering this clause as “because they will use the weapons for their firewood [or, their fires for cooking].”

One way to translate the first half of this verse is “They won’t have to gather wood from the fields or cut down any trees in the forests for firewood, for they will be able to burn the weapons.”

They will despoil those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them: There will be a major reversal of fortunes, the tables will be completely turned. The people who are left will take away everything of value from those who came to take away everything of value from them. Revised Standard Version clearly reflects the play on words in Hebrew here, which translators will do well to copy. For despoil and plunder, see the comments on 29.19. New Century Version provides a helpful model for this sentence, saying “In this way they will take the treasures from those who took their treasures; they will take the loot of those who took their loot.”

Says the Lord GOD: This formal declaration highlights again the importance of what God is saying (see Ezek 39.5).

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 .