The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The list of how Oholibah’s former lovers will punish her continues in this verse.
They shall also strip you of your clothes may be rendered “They will take off your clothes” (New Century Version). Nakedness was the punishment for prisoners of war as well as for an adulterous wife (compare 16.37, 39).
And take away your fine jewels: Your fine jewels (literally “articles of your beauty”) were Oholibah’s precious ornaments, perhaps gold and silver rings, brooches, bracelets, and earrings (compare 16.17).
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 .
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