And they do not lie with the fallen mighty men of old means the people of Meshech-Tubal “are not buried in honor like their fallen heroes” (New Living Translation). We do not know who these fallen mighty men of old were, apart from the fact that they were “soldiers who were killed in battle long ago” (New Century Version), but it is clear from the rest of this verse that they did not suffer a shameful death. There is a textual problem here. Instead of mighty men of old, which follows the Septuagint, the Hebrew text has “mighty men of the uncircumcised.” Many translations follow the Hebrew by saying “uncircumcised warriors” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; similarly New International Reader’s Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Revised English Bible) or “unclean soldiers” (International Children’s Bible). The meaning of this whole clause in Hebrew is that the dead people of Meshech-Tubal were not buried in the same part of the underworld as other non-Israelite soldiers who gained great honor in life and death. Whether they were in a better or worse part is unknown. This reading makes reasonable sense, although the reference to uncircumcised, that is, non-Israelite, soldiers is unexpected. On the other hand, the Revised Standard Version reading involves a minor change to the Hebrew text (meʿolam [“of old”] instead of meʿarelim [“of the uncircumcised”]), and it makes much better sense in this verse, which refers to heroic ancient warriors being rewarded in the afterworld for their bravery in battle. This reading is preferable (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project), but the other reading cannot be ruled out.

The Septuagint and New International Reader’s Version omit the word not in the first clause of this verse, so according to these translations, the people of Meshech-Tubal were buried in the same part of the underworld as the great soldiers who gained great honor in life and death. There is no difference between the two groups. If that is the case, there seems to be no point in mentioning it at all. Therefore we do not recommend this reading.

Who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war: These ancient mighty warriors went to the place of the dead with their weapons. They were not stripped naked and abused like others killed in war (see the comments on 31.17). For Sheol see verse 21.

Whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose shields are upon their bones: In ancient times it was the custom to bury people with personal items, and if they were great warriors, with their weapons as a mark of honor (Block; Greenberg). For swords see 5.1; for shields see 23.24. These two clauses may be rendered “People placed their swords under their heads and put their shields over their bodies.” However, there is a textual problem here also. Instead of shields, which most translations have, the Hebrew text says “iniquities” (King James Version / New King James Version, English Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) were on the bones of the ancient mighty warriors. New International Version follows the Hebrew by saying “The punishment for their sins rested on their bones” (similarly New American Standard Bible), and New International Reader’s Version is similar with “But now the shame of their sin covers their bones.” For this reading to make sense, the mighty men have to be uncircumcised warriors, so that in death they too are punished for their sins. This does not fit well in this context where these dead warriors are in a position of honor in the underworld. However, the reading of shields makes very good sense, reflecting ancient burial customs. The difference between the Hebrew words for “their iniquities” (ʿawonotam) and “their shields” (tsinotam) involves similar letters that could easily be confused. Despite the lack of textual support for shields, which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project notes, translators may feel free to choose whichever reading makes more sense to them.

For the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living: See verse 23. Here it was the mighty warriors that frightened or terrified everyone. Translators may say “People did this because those mighty soldiers had terrified everyone when they were alive.”

The variety of different readings for verse 27 shows that it is very difficult to be certain of how to translate it. But the reading followed by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation makes very good sense, and translators should feel free to follow it. A model for this reading is:

• They are not lying with the great warriors of ancient times. When they died, those warriors went down to the underworld with all their armor on. When people buried them, they placed their swords under their heads and their shields on top of their bodies. They did this because, when they were alive, those warriors caused everyone to be frightened of them.

A model for those wishing to follow the Hebrew closely is:

• They are not lying with the great warriors of uncircumcised people [that is, non-Israelites]. When they died, those warriors went down to the underworld with all their armor on. When people buried them, they placed their swords under their heads. They are lying there [in their graves] with [the punishment for] their sins covering their bones. This is because, when they were alive, those warriors caused everyone to be frightened of them.

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 .