When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands: The Israelites will live securely in their own land after God has brought them back from exile. These two clauses repeat the promise that God will bring the Israelites back to their land (see the comments on 20.34).

And through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations means God will use the Israelites to show many nations how holy he is (see the comments on 36.23 and 38.16). In the sight of (literally “in the eyes of”) is a Hebrew idiom that means “before” or “in front of.” Many nations refers to a large number of nations and may be rendered “everyone.” New International Reader’s Version renders this whole clause as “And I will use them to show many nations how holy I am.”

Some translators will need to reorder this verse as follows:

• I will take them out from the lands of their enemies and bring them back to their land from among the other nations. In this way I will use them to show many nations how holy I am [or, that I am worthy for them to worship me].

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 .