I said, “He cannot, lord”: Here Ezra responds by giving the obvious answer to Uriel’s rhetorical questions. For lord as an address to an angel, see the comments on 2 Esd 2.44.

And he said to me: Contemporary English Version has “Then Uriel said.”

So also is Israel’s portion: Here Uriel makes it clear that in the two examples of the sea and the city, the traveler trying to reach them represents Israel. The word portion is often used in the Old Testament to mean “inheritance” (see, for instance, Gen 31.14; Deut 10.9; Josh 14.4).

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• “Sir, he can’t do it,” I answered.
He then said, “That is what Israel’s inheritance is like.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.