Say to those who daub it with whitewash that it shall fall!: It is best to start a new sentence here (so Good News Translation). God addresses Ezekiel here, and in some languages it may even be necessary to insert Ezekiel’s name to avoid confusion, for example, this sentence may be rendered “So, Ezekiel, say to those who daub the wall with whitewash, ‘The wall will fall.’ ” For daub it with whitewash, see the previous verse. It shall fall means the whitewashed wall will collapse when it is exposed to the weather. Revised Standard Version uses indirect speech for it shall fall, but translators may also use direct speech (see the model above). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project mistakes the Hebrew word for whitewash to be the word that means “tasteless” or “[morally] unseemly.” The two words sound the same and may be connected, because a bucket of whitewash would taste chalky and unpleasant if someone tried to drink it. It is best to ignore Hebrew Old Testament Text Project here and just follow the major translations by referring to “whitewash.”

There will be a deluge of rain: The Hebrew phrase rendered a deluge of rain refers to something like a monsoonal downpour, not just a gentle shower of rain. Good News Translation says “a pouring rain,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “a cloudburst,” and New Living Translation translates “A heavy rainstorm.” New International Version renders this whole clause as “Rain will come in torrents” (similarly Revised English Bible), and New Jerusalem Bible has “It will rain hard.”

Great hailstones will fall: Hailstones are pieces of solid ice that fall to the earth from the cold sky, usually during thunderstorms. This phenomenon seems to occur in most parts of the world occasionally, even in the warm tropics, but if readers do not know it at all, then translators may use a descriptive phrase, such as “balls of water that are hard like stones.” The adjective great describing the hailstones as large is not in the Hebrew text. More likely the Hebrew suggests a heavy hailstorm.

And a stormy wind break out: A stormy wind is literally “a wind of storms,” which refers to very strong winds. New International Version says “violent winds,” New Jerusalem Bible has “a gale,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “a hurricane wind.” The Hebrew word for stormy is usually connected to a theophany, that is, to the way in which God appears on earth or to the way he punishes sinners (compare 1.4; Job 38.1; Isa 29.6; Jer 23.19). The Hebrew says that this windstorm will break out (“burst forth” in New International Version), which is a vivid picture of the force and violence of the wind, but some translations take this verb to refer to the breaking down of the wall by the strong wind (so New Living Translation, New Century Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). No change is required in the Hebrew consonants for this interpretation, but different vowels are needed. This change is acceptable, but the lack of an object in Hebrew here makes this interpretation unlikely.

Revised Standard Version refers to the rain, hailstones and wind in impersonal terms. However, some translations say that God will send them; for example, Contemporary English Version renders this whole sentence as “when I send rainstorms, hailstones, and strong winds.” The Hebrew actually has God addressing the hailstones. In Hebrew the second clause of this sentence is literally “and you, O hailstones, will fall” (so King James Version / New King James Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Although this change to the vocative is unexpected, it makes sense, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports it. Those translations that introduce God as the agent do so simply by changing the vowels of the Hebrew word for “and you,” but keeping the same consonants, so that it means “and I will appoint.” The literal meaning of the clause then is “and I will appoint hailstones, they will fall.” Since the consonants are the most important part of the Hebrew text, this is a justifiable reading. If this change is made, it is only the hailstones that God will send (so New International Version). Contemporary English Version is misleading by having him send the rain and the wind also, and so is Good News Translation by having him sending only the rain. Revised Standard Version ignores the Hebrew here, so it should not be followed.

A model for this verse is:

• Now, Ezekiel, tell those who are painting the wall with whitewash, ‘The wall will fall down.’ It will rain very hard and strong winds will blow. And you, hailstones, will fall [or, And I will send hailstones].

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 .