As a pleasing odor I will accept you: When the “new Exodus” is complete, God will accept, that is, “be pleased with” (Contemporary English Version), the Israelites. They will be as a pleasing odor to him. Pleasing odor refers to the sweet-smelling smoke that rose from the altar when the priests burned incense during the sacrifices. People believed that, when the gods smelled this smoke, they were happy with the people. Ezekiel uses this metaphor to show that God will be happy with the people of Israel. In most languages it will be possible to keep the comparison here; for example, New Century Version renders this clause as “I will accept you like the pleasing smell of sacrifices,” and Contemporary English Version says “I will be pleased with you, just as I am pleased with the smell of the smoke from your sacrifices.” Some translations abandon the comparison altogether and understand the pleasing odor to refer to the sacrifices that the people will actually offer after they return to their land; for example, Bible en français courant says “I will accept your offerings with the soothing smell” (similarly Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). We do not recommend this interpretation because the Hebrew clearly says that God will accept you, that is, the people.

When I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered: See verse 34.

Translators may reorder the first sentence of this verse as follows:

• When I take you out from among the peoples and countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will be pleased with you just as I am pleased with the sweet smell from burning sacrifices.

And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations: In verses 9, 14 and 22, God refrained from punishing Israel so that his reputation would not be dishonored before the other nations. In the future God’s action in bringing his people home will have the opposite effect. Contemporary English Version says “Every nation on earth will see that I am holy.” Manifest … holiness renders the same Hebrew verb translated “sanctify” in verse 12 (see the comments there). If it is difficult to render the idea of holiness, translators may follow Revised English Bible here, which says “I alone shall have your worship, and the nations will witness it.” Other possible models are “All the nations will see that I am the true God” and “All the nations will see that I am perfect.”

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 .