So I arose and went forth into the plain: Ezekiel did what God told him to do. See the comments on the previous verse.

And lo, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I had seen by the river Chebar: Lo renders the emphatic Hebrew word hinneh, which is often translated “behold.” Here it introduces the surprising thing that Ezekiel saw, so it may be rendered “I saw to my surprise” or simply “I saw” (Good News Translation). Languages with emphatic particles should be able to capture its sense. If not, the first half of this sentence may be rendered “And there it was, the glorious presence of Yahweh” or “And it was there that I saw the glory of Yahweh.”

The glory which I had seen by the river Chebar refers to the vision of God’s throne that Ezekiel saw previously (as described in chapter 1). It now appears to him again. Here he just calls it the glory of the LORD. Most translators will render this phrase very much as they did in 1.28a (see the comments there). However, in this verse translators may wish to focus on the vision of God’s throne by rendering this whole sentence as “and I saw the throne of Yahweh standing there, shining impressively and awe-inspiring, just the same as I saw it before alongside the Chebar Canal.” Alternatively, translators may focus on the presence of the LORD himself by saying “and there I saw the glorious presence of Yahweh on his throne. It was majestic, awe-inspiring and shining impressively, just the same as I saw in the vision before by the Chebar Canal.” If the second alternative is used, care must be taken to avoid giving the impression that Ezekiel saw God himself, because he is careful never to say that he actually saw God.

And I fell on my face: The same thing happened to Ezekiel this time as when he first saw the vision of God’s throne (see the comments on 1.28). He did not trip or fall, but in a voluntary act of worship and submission, he knelt down and lay face down on the ground. Translators may need to say “and I knelt with my face on the ground in worship.”

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 .