In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month: Ezekiel is careful to record when he saw this vision. It was In the sixth year after the Babylonians had taken King Jehoiachin, Ezekiel and many others as prisoners. Contemporary English Version makes this explicit by beginning with “Six years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia.” However, there is a problem with this model. In the sixth year means after five years, but before a full six years have passed. The deportation took place in 597 B.C., and this vision probably occurred in 592. Therefore a better way to begin this verse is “Five years after the Babylonians had taken King Jehoiachin and the rest of us into exile.” Parole de Vie is also helpful with “It was the sixth year after the deportation.” For this whole date Good News Translation has “On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of our exile.” When rendering this date, translators should follow the most natural order of recording dates in their own language. For those translators who include footnotes in their Bibles, it is appropriate to indicate that this date is probably September 17, 592 B.C.

As I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me: When Ezekiel saw this vision, he and the leaders of Judah were sitting in his house. The elders of Judah refers to the older Jewish men who were the leaders of their fellow exiles in Babylonia. They may have been members of the ruling class before they went into exile. In languages where elders would only mean old people, translators may say “leading men” or “leaders” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). They were probably discussing their situation and waiting for a word from the LORD through Ezekiel. The Hebrew text reads literally sitting before me, but it is acceptable to say “sitting with me” (Revised English Bible; similarly Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

The hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me: The meaning of this clause is very similar to the one in 1.3, which is “the hand of the LORD was upon him there” (see the comments there). The clause here is more intense to show the sudden supernatural power that took control of Ezekiel. Contemporary English Version says “the LORD God suddenly took control of me,” and New Century Version has “There I felt the power of the Lord GOD.” Lord renders the Hebrew word ʾadonai, and GOD renders “Yahweh” (YHWH in Hebrew), the name of God.

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 .