I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath: See verse 20. Blow upon you with the fire of my wrath does not mean that God will blow a stream of fire out of his mouth like a mythical dragon. Rather, he compares his anger to a fire that is burning very hot due to the action of bellows. Translators may need to use a simile here, such as “Just like blowing on a fire to make it hotter, I will make you feel the fire of my anger.”

And you shall be melted in the midst of it: The extreme heat will cause the people to melt in the fire. This is a figurative description of the punishment that will come upon the people of Jerusalem.

A model for translating this verse is included at the end of the discussion on verse 22.

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 .