Yehezkiel 5:16

5:16 I will shoot against them deadly, ¹  destructive ²  arrows of famine, ³  which I will shoot to destroy you. ⁴  I will prolong a famine on you and will remove the bread supply. ⁵ 

Yehezkiel 6:3

6:3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, ⁶  Hear the word of the sovereign Lord! ⁷  This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am bringing ⁸  a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. ⁹ 

[5:16]  ¹ tn The Hebrew word carries the basic idea of “bad, displeasing, injurious,” but when used of weapons has the nuance “deadly” (see Ps 144:10).

[5:16]  ² tn Heb “which are/were to destroy.”

[5:16]  ³ tn The language of this verse may have been influenced by Deut 32:23.

[5:16]  ⁴ tn Or “which were to destroy those whom I will send to destroy you” (cf. NASB).

[5:16]  ⁵ tn Heb, “break the staff of bread.” The bread supply is compared to a staff that one uses for support. See 4:16, as well as the covenant curse in Lev 26:26.

[6:3]  ⁶ tn The phrase “mountains of Israel” occurs only in the book of Ezekiel (6:2, 3; 19:9; 33:28; 34:13, 14; 35:12; 36:1, 4, 8; 37:22; 38:8; 39:2, 4, 17). The expression refers to the whole land of Israel.

[6:3]  sn The mountainous terrain of Israel would contrast with the exiles’ habitat in the river valley of Babylonia.

[6:3]  ⁷ tn The introductory formula “Hear the word of the sovereign Lord” parallels a pronouncement delivered by the herald of a king (2 Kgs 18:28).

[6:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “Look I, I am bringing.” The repetition of the pronoun draws attention to the speaker. The construction also indicates that the action is soon to come; the Lord is “about to bring a sword against” them.

[6:3]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term refers to elevated platforms where pagan sacrifices were performed.