Therefore …: In verses 9-11a God tells how he will punish the Moabites for not respecting him and his people.

I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities on its frontier: In Hebrew this clause is literally “behold I will open the flank/shoulder of Moab from/of the cities, from/of its cities from its end.” For “behold” see Ezek 25.7. The Hebrew phrase rendered I will lay open the flank of Moab is probably a military expression that means God will make the border of Moab vulnerable to attack by allowing all the fortresses and towns that defend the border to be attacked and destroyed. The flank of Moab actually refers to the slopes of Moab’s hills that rose up from the Dead Sea to the Transjordan Plateau. This was Moab’s western border. New Living Translation says “their eastern flank,” which is incorrect. As the Revised Standard Version footnote shows, the Hebrew text repeats the word “cities.” This repetition has caused much confusion among translators. It is best to understand the second occurrence of the word “cities” as explaining which cities are going to be attacked, namely, the cities near the border (“its end” refers to the frontier or border of the country). These cities were fortresses, built to protect the country against enemies. Revised Standard Version omits two words from this clause, so a better model is “behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier” (New King James Version ). Good News Translation expresses its sense clearly with “I will let the cities that defend the border of Moab be attacked” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

The fortified cities on Moab’s border were the glory of the country, which is a figurative way of referring to its “finest” (Good News Translation) or “best” (New Century Version) cities. Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim are the names of three of these cities. They were located on the northeastern border of Moab, a short distance east of the place where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. The modern names for the sites of these cities are Tell el- ʿAzeimeh, Maʿin, and Khirbet el-Qureiyat.

A model for this verse is:

• I will let enemies clear out the cities that defend the border of Moab. These fine cities include Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim.

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 .