Even though verse 17 was an interruption, it is an integral part of the prophecy to the people of Jerusalem, because verse 18 depends on its last clause. And when they come there refers to when the exiles return to the land of Israel. In verse 17 the pronoun “you” was used to point to the exiles, but here the pronoun they refers to them. This change in pronouns is rather awkward, and some languages may have difficulty with it. If so, it may be necessary to indicate a change in addressees here by beginning this verse with “Then God spoke again to the people in Jerusalem.” Further, it may be necessary to indicate that the pronoun they refers to the people who are in exile, and that the adverb there refers to the land of Israel. One model that does this is “When the people who are in exile return to the land of Israel.”

They will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations means those who return from exile will get rid of all the idols and the other things connected with the worship of false gods. The Hebrew words for detestable things and abominations sometimes refer to the disgusting practices that went with the worship of false gods (see 5.11), but here they refer to the idols themselves and the things associated with them (see 6.3-4). Worshiping idols was very bad, which Good News Translation makes clear by rendering these two words as “filthy, disgusting idols.” New Living Translation (1996) has “detestable idol worship,” and Contemporary English Version says simply “disgusting idols.” Other possible renderings are “terrible idols” and “horrible idols.”

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 .