And lo, six men came …: Lo renders the Hebrew word hinneh. Here it is used to connect the appearance of the six men closely with God’s announcement in verse 1. It probably points to the immediate appearance of the men, so Good News Translation renders it “At once,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “Immediately.” However, it can also mean simply “I saw” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version). Ezekiel describes those who came as men, so there is no justification to change the term to “angels” or “supernatural beings,” even though their actions make that interpretation attractive.

From the direction of the upper gate, which faces north: Scholars do not agree on which gate the upper gate is. Some say that it was the north gate of the Temple’s inner courtyard—it was called the upper gate because the Temple itself and the inner courtyard around it were higher than the surrounding area. But others say that it was a gate of the Temple’s outer courtyard, which is also called the Benjamin Gate (see Jer 20.2). Fortunately, the uncertainty need not affect the translation. It is most important that the gate faced north, the direction from which the Old Testament prophets often claimed that judgment came. Whether the gate was higher up than other gates, or whether Upper Gate was its name, is less significant.

Every man with his weapon for slaughter in his hand: See the comments on Ezek 9.1.

And with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his side: Ezekiel saw another man with the others, making seven in all. This man was clothed in linen. Linen is a white cloth made from the fibers of flax and known for its strength and coolness. In those areas where linen is unknown, a more generic expression such as “fine white cloth” is acceptable. This man had a writing case, that is, “something to write with” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew expression for writing case (literally “case of the scribe”) refers to a small box, usually made of wood, for carrying several pens and sometimes ink. Revised English Bible has “a writer’s pen and ink,” but a more general expression such as “things to write with” is probably better. He had these things at his side, that is, tied around his waist.

And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar: The seven men went in, that is, they entered the inner courtyard of the Temple. There they stood beside the bronze altar. The bronze altar was the main sacrificial altar that stood in front of the Temple (see 8.16). In those areas where there is no word for bronze (which is a mixture of copper and tin), a general term for “metal” is acceptable.

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 .