God’s judgment on the cedar tree begins here, namely, that he rejected it and handed it over to a strong king to punish it for its pride and wickedness.

I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations: To give something into the hand of a person means to put it into the power of that person (see 16.39). The Hebrew phrase rendered the mighty one of the nations (literally “a ram of the nations”) may refer to “the ruler of the nations” (New International Version, Christian Community Bible), “the prince of the nations” (New Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible) or “the leader of nations” (Anchor Bible). New International Reader’s Version identifies this person as “the Babylonian ruler of the nations,” that is, Nebuchadnezzar. But the Hebrew phrase here is unusual and may instead mean “a mighty nation” (New Living Translation) or “the mightiest of nations” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Either interpretation is acceptable.

He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves: That ruler (or nation) punished the cedar tree in an appropriate way for its evil. He shall surely deal with it renders a Hebrew phrase that repeats the verb for deal in two different forms to emphasize it. Revised Standard Version uses the adverb surely for this emphasis. Other possible emphatic expressions are “really,” “for sure,” and “no doubt.” Its wickedness may be expressed as “the wicked things it did.” A possible model for this whole clause is “He definitely punished it according to its evil behavior.”

I have cast it out: The Hebrew verb here usually refers to God’s action in removing nations from their land and destroying them. This clause may be rendered “I have rejected it” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Christian Community Bible), “I banished it” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “I got rid of it” (New Century Version), or “I have driven it away” (New American Standard Bible).

The tenses of the Hebrew verbs in this verse are inconsistent. For the verb rendered will give there is only one small vowel difference between future and past, and it is difficult to be sure which tense is meant, but the verb translated shall … deal is clearly future. Some translations use the future tense for both these verbs, showing that the judgment is still in the future (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New King James Version , New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Christian Community Bible). Many other translations take them as past tense, as if the judgment had already happened (so New International Version, New International Reader’s Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Septuagint). The Hebrew verb rendered have cast … out is clearly past tense. Some of the uncertainty about how to translate these verbs may be due to the translators’ views on who the prophecy is about: Assyria or Egypt. Although the picture of the cedar tree is about Assyria (see Ezek 31.3), the prophecy as a whole is about Egypt (see verses 2, 18). In this context it is best to keep the focus on Assyria and use the past tense. Here is one possible model for this verse:

• So I rejected it. I handed it over to a mighty ruler of the nations. Certainly he punished it the way it deserved for its evil [or, the evil things it had done].

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 .