Sigh therefore, son of man; sigh with breaking heart and bitter grief before their eyes: The previous prophecy finished with a sigh of frustration by Ezekiel (see 20.49). This prophecy also finishes with a sigh, but this time God commands Ezekiel to sigh before their eyes, that is, in the presence of the people to attract their attention, so that he can give them the final part of the message. The Hebrew verb rendered Sigh refers to the moaning of someone who is grief-stricken or in physical pain (see 9.4). God addresses Ezekiel very emphatically here since this verse begins literally with “And you, son of man” (compare New American Standard Bible, which has “As for you, son of man”). For son of man, see Ezek 21.2. Sigh with breaking heart and bitter grief means Ezekiel has to show deep distress and great sorrow when he groans. Breaking heart is literally “breaking of loins,” which refers to the failure of a man’s strength when the muscles around his waist and lower body cease to support his body and he collapses. Here it is used figuratively for intense sorrow. Translators may use an appropriate idiom for this idea, such as breaking heart in English. Bitter grief has nothing to do with a bitter taste but is another idiom for great sorrow. Translators need to look for the strongest ways of expressing deep sorrow in their languages.

A model for this verse is:

• “As for you, human being, you must sigh [or, groan] aloud in their presence. Sigh as if your heart is breaking from your great grief.

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 .