With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets means “His troops will ride through your streets” (Contemporary English Version). Trampling the streets under the hoofs of horses gives an impression of the arrogance of the conquerors, riding wherever they like, but it is not necessary to retain the picture in all its detail.

He will slay your people with the sword: See Ezek 26.8. Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers will kill the people of Tyre with their swords.

And your mighty pillars will fall to the ground: Your mighty pillars is literally “the pillars of your strength.” This phrase may refer to the “strong columns” (Contemporary English Version) of the buildings of Tyre, or to the “famous pillars” (New Living Translation [1996]) of the Temple of Heracles in Tyre. Most translations take them to refer to the large, strong pillars and walls of which Tyre was built. When these fall down to the ground, the city will be totally destroyed. A better interpretation is that these pillars refer to the “sacred pillars” or “memorial stones” that people set up to commemorate a significant event (such as a great victory), to mark an important treaty, or to keep alive the memory of an ancestor. Although these sacred pillars may have been quite large, they mainly had a symbolic or spiritual significance that pointed to maintaining the continued security of the city. According to this interpretation of pillars, this clause means Tyre’s security will be finished and gone. Translators who follow this interpretation may say “The sacred stones that you depended on [to protect you] will be completely gone.”

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 .