In their midst was a young man of great stature, taller than any of the others may be rendered “In the middle of this crowd was a very tall young man, taller than all the others.”

And on the head of each of them he placed a crown: In this context the crown is a symbol of victory (compare 2 Tim 4.8; James 1.12; 1 Peter 5.4; Rev 2.10). It was customary in ancient times to place a wreath of leaves or flowers on the heads of victors in athletic competitions. In this case, though, it is probably a “crown of gold.” In cultures where the crown is unknown, it may be better to say “wreath of flowers.”

But he was more exalted than they: The conjunction but may also be rendered “Even so.” He was more exalted than they not only means he was still taller than they, but it also implies that he received greater honor. New English Bible translates “he stood out above them all,” but Good News Bible and Revised English Bible say “he towered above them all,” which may be exaggerating too much. The English verb phrase “stood out” pictures it nicely. The young man was taller than the others, yes, but in spite of the fact that he is putting crowns on everyone’s head, he is still the obvious figure. He is the one the eyes are drawn to. Other possible models are “he was the center of attention” and “everyone was looking at him.”

And I was held spellbound: The English phrase held spellbound literally means “held helpless in a magic spell cast by someone,” but it is no longer taken literally. The Latin clause here is literally “and I was held by the marvel.” Contemporary English Version says “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” which is a good English idiom, but it must not be taken literally. It is not a matter of Ezra believing anything, but of his marveling at what he sees. We may say “It was such a marvelous scene that I could not take my eyes off it.” Translators should try to find some idiom in their language that conveys this same intensity.

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• In the middle of the crowd was a very tall young man, taller than anyone else, and he was placing a crown on the head of each person. Even so, he was still the center of attention. It was such a marvelous scene that I could not take my eyes off it.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.