The One Year Bible TLB (291 page)

27:26
Your mighty vessel flounders in the heavy eastern gale,
i.e., Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.

28:12
weep for the king of Tyre.
In this passage (vv. 11-19) some descriptive phrases apply to a human king of Tyre, and some seem to apply to Satan. Great care therefore must be taken to apply these verses with discernment.

28:14
You walked among the stones of fire.
Probably a symbol of the Angels.

28:16
O Guardian Angel, from the midst of the stones of fire,
or “and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire.”

28:18
with lust for gain,
literally, “in the unrighteousness of your trade.”
I brought forth fire from your own actions,
literally, “I brought fire from the midst of you.”

29:6
instead of trusting me,
implied.

29:17
King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
implied.

29:18
and could not pay the army for all this work.
Tyre capitulated to Nebuchadnezzar at the end of a thirteen-year siege (587–574 
B.C.
) There was little left to pay the “salary” of Nebuchadnezzar, so the Lord was giving Egypt to him to make up for what he was “shortchanged” at Tyre.

30:14
along the upper Nile,
implied.

30:20
A year later,
587 
B.C.
, the year Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar and was destroyed.
the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
literally, “the eleventh year of our exile.”

30:21
I have broken the arm of Pharaoh.
When Pharaoh Hophra sent an army to relieve Jerusalem in 588 
B.C.
, Nebuchadnezzar withdrew from the siege just long enough to defeat the Egyptian force. This is what Ezekiel means by the first “broken arm.”

112:9
His deeds will never be forgotten,
literally, “His righteousness endures forever.”

31:1
the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
implied. It was the year 587 
B.C.
, the year Jerusalem fell.

31:10
But Egypt,
implied.

31:15
restrained their tides,
literally, “the great waters were held back.”

32:2
crocodile,
or “sea serpent.”

32:9
when I destroy you,
or “when I carry you captive among the nations.”

32:17
Two weeks later,
literally, “In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month.”

32:27
and their swords beneath their heads,
literally, “and their iniquity [iniquities] upon their bones.”

27:20
Ambition,
literally, “A man’s eyes.” Possibly the reference is to lust.

33:21
In the eleventh year.
Some manuscripts read, “In the twelfth year.”

33:30
Come on, let’s have some fun! Let’s go hear him tell us what the Lord is saying!
literally, “Come and let us hear what the word is that comes from the Lord!”

34:29
a notable Vine (the Messiah),
literally, “a plant of renown”; so perhaps the meaning is, “I will give them bumper crops.” Either translation is permissible, but the word for “plant” is in the singular.

13:13
that is . . . willing to be despised,
implied.

115:2
Their God is dead,
literally, “Where is their God?”

115:17
The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on earth,
implied.

36:17
as filthy rags,
literally, “as a menstruous cloth.”

36:23
by delivering you from exile among them,
implied.

36:26
hearts of love,
literally, “hearts of flesh,” in contrast to “hearts of stone.”

1:18
And it was a happy day for him when,
literally, “Of his own free will.”

116:10-11
In my discouragement I thought, “They are lying when they say I will recover,”
literally, “I said in my alarm, all men are liars.”

116:13
an offering of wine,
literally, “the cup of salvation,” i.e., the thank offering of wine for saving me.

116:15
His loved ones are very precious to him, and he does not lightly let them die,
literally, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” See context for the validity of the paraphrase.

27:23-24
business,
implied.

38:2-3
face northward,
implied.
against Gog.
The names of Gog’s confederates (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Beth-togarmah) can be identified as Muschki, Tabal, Gimaraya, Tegerama, peoples who lived in the mountainous area southeast of the Black Sea and southwest of the Caspian, currently in central Turkey. It therefore seems that Gog was, or is to be, the leader of one of these nations. But from the context Gog seems to be a symbol rather than a historical figure like Nebuchadnezzar. In any event he represents the aggregate military might of the forces opposed to God, especially in a mighty battle of the end times. See also Revelation 20:7-9.

38:13
Sheba and Dedan,
great trading centers in Arabia.
the merchant princes of Tarshish with whom she trades,
implied.

38:15-16
in the latter years of history,
implied; literally, “in the latter days,” an expression which, in Hebrew usage, does not necessarily mean “the end times.”

39:2
I will destroy 85 percent of your army,
literally, “I will leave one-sixth of you.”

40:3
standing beside the Temple gate,
implied.

40:7-12
18 inches wide,
or an 18-inch pillar in front of (or between) the guardrooms, projecting out into the hallway.

40:19
(which was called “the outer court” of the Temple),
implied.

3:1-2
don’t be too eager to tell others their faults,
literally, “not many [of you] should become masters [teachers].”

40:28
Some manuscripts add to this verse: “And the arches around it were 37
¹
/
2
feet by 8
³
/
4
feet broad.”

40:29-30
Verse 30, omitted in the Septuagint and several other of the ancient manuscripts, reads, “There were vestibules round about, and they were 37
¹
/
2
feet long and 8
³
/
4
feet broad.”

40:47
in front of the Temple,
implied.

41:22
the Table of the Lord,
literally, “the table which is before the Lord.”

118:19
the gates of the Temple,
literally, “the gates of righteousness.”

118:22
the capstone of the arch,
literally, “the head of the corner.”

118:26
the one sent by the Lord,
literally, “in the name of the Lord.”

42:12
from the outer court,
implied.

42:16-20
to separate the restricted area from the public places,
literally, “between the holy and the common.”

43:3
at Jerusalem,
implied.

43:9
totem poles,
literally, “stellae.”

5:9
Let him do whatever criticizing must be done,
implied.

119:7
After you have corrected me,
literally, “When I learn [have experienced] your righteous judgments.”

119:8
Oh, don’t forsake me and let me slip back into sin again,
literally, “Oh, forsake me not utterly.”

44:23
between what is holy and what is secular, what is right and what is wrong,
literally, “between what is ritually clean and ritually unclean.”

44:28
That is enough!
implied.

45:12
Fifty shekels,
or “Sixty shekels,” the manuscripts are unclear.

119:17
Bless me with life,
literally, “deal bountifully that I may live.”

45:18
On each New Year’s Day,
literally, “On the first day of the first month.” The first month of the Hebrew year corresponded approximately to March 15–April 15 of our calendar.

46:7
a half bushel,
literally, “one ephah.”

2:2-3
An alternative paraphrase of these verses could read: “If you have tasted the Lord’s goodness and kindness, cry for more, as a baby cries for milk. Eat God’s Word—read it, think about it—and grow strong in the Lord and be saved.”

2:5
you who are acceptable to him because of Jesus Christ,
implied.

119:37
from wanting any other plan than yours,
literally, “from beholding vanity.”

47:2
through the north passageway.
The eastern passageway was closed.
of the eastern passageway,
implied.

47:7
to my surprise,
implied.

47:13
(Ephraim and Manasseh),
implied.

47:15
Labweh.
The present village on this site is so named. It was originally called Lebo-hamath.

48:17
for approximately a tenth of a mile,
literally, “for 437
¹
/
2
feet in every direction.”

48:35
The City of God,
literally, “Jehovah-Shammah,” which means “The Lord is there.”

3:6
offending your husbands,
implied.

1:3-4
who was in charge of his palace personnel,
literally, “his chief eunuch”; see 2 Kings 20:17-18.
to teach them the Chaldean language and literature.
The language was Aramaic; the literature would have included mathematics, astronomy, and history—plus a strong dose of alchemy and magic!

1:8
made up his mind not to eat,
literally, “determined that he would not defile himself with.” The defilement was probably in eating pork or other foods outlawed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14:3-21.
He asked the superintendent for permission to eat other things instead,
literally, “He asked the superintendent to allow him not to defile himself.”

3:21
In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ,
or “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you through the resurrection.”

4:3
other terrible sins,
literally, “lawless idolatries.”

4:6
killed by the flood,
implied; see 3:19-20.

2:34
a Rock was cut from the mountainside,
implied.

2:39
another world power,
the Medo-Persian Empire, whose first great ruler was Cyrus.
yet a third great power,
the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great.

2:40
the fourth kingdom,
apparently the Roman Empire.

3:5
the band,
literally, “the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltry, dulcimer, and every other sort of instrument.” So also in vv. 7 and 10.

3:7
whatever his nation, language, or religion,
implied.

3:25
looks like a god,
 literally, “looks like a son of the gods.”

3:29
of any nation, language, or religion,
implied.

4:8
love makes up for many of your faults,
or “love overlooks each other’s many faults.”

4:14
the Spirit of God will come upon you with great glory,
or “the glory of the Spirit of God is being seen in you.”