Say to the forest of the Negeb: God tells Ezekiel to speak to the southern forest. Although it may sound strange in some languages for God to speak to a forest, it is best to translate this literally if possible (compare 6.1-7).

For Thus says the Lord GOD, see Ezek 20.3. God uses these two traditional prophetic formulas to introduce the prophecy here. This stresses its importance.

Behold renders the attention-getting Hebrew particle hinneh. Here it highlights the words that follows. It is best to look for an appropriate natural equivalent; for example, Good News Translation says “Look!” and New Jerusalem Bible has “Listen.” However, it may also be omitted if that fits the language best.

I will kindle a fire in you means God will start a fire in the southern forest area. New Century Version says “I am ready to start a fire in you” (similarly Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

And it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree means the fire will burn all the trees, even those that are still alive and green. This clause shows the intensity of the fire and the completeness of the judgment.

The blazing flame shall not be quenched means the fire will continue to burn and no one will be able to put it out. Blazing flame renders two similar Hebrew words that mean “burning fire.” King James Version reflects their similarity by saying “flaming flame.” If the passive verb be quenched needs to be expressed as an active one, this clause may be rendered “No one will be able to put it out the blazing fire.”

And all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it: This clause refers to the total destruction that the judgment will cause. All faces probably refers to the people living in the land of Israel, so Good News Translation and Revised English Bible say “everyone” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). However, some translations take this expression to refer to the natural elements of the forest; for example, Contemporary English Version and New Living Translation say “everything,” and New American Standard Bible has “the whole surface [of the ground].” We recommend “everyone” or “the faces of every person.” From south to north shows that the judgment will cover the whole country and no one will escape. South renders the same Hebrew word translated Negeb, so New Jerusalem Bible says “from the Negeb to the north” (similarly Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible). Most languages will have some natural way of saying from south to north even if they do not use the directions, for example, “from one end of the land to the other.” Be scorched by it means “feel the heat of the flames” (Good News Translation; similarly New Century Version) or “be burned by it” (New American Standard Bible). This passive verb may be expressed as an active one by rendering this whole clause as “and the fire will burn the faces of every person from south to north.”

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 .