Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns …: The conjunction Because introduces the reason why God will act to defend the weak sheep. It is because the strong sheep are mistreating them. You push with side and shoulder pictures the strong sheep pushing, shoving, and jostling with the weaker sheep to get the best positions to eat and drink. If the sense of jostling for position comes through in translation, it is not necessary to specify the particular parts of the body they use, that is, the side and the shoulder (so Good News Translation). Thrust … with your horns involves aggressive butting, using their horns to make space for themselves. All the weak (see Ezek 34.4) are the sheep suffering from the aggressive, selfish behavior of the strong ones. Many languages will need to make clear who the strong sheep are pushing and butting, as in “You push aside the sheep weaker than you and butt them [or, hit them with your horns].”

Till you have scattered them abroad is literally “until you have scattered them to the outside.” Because of the pushing and butting of the strong sheep, the weak ones are chased away. This clause also reminds the reader of the way God’s people were scattered everywhere in the exile.

In many languages the conjunction Because will not normally start a sentence. If so, translators may render this verse as follows:

• You push aside the weaker sheep and butt them to make them move away. For that reason 20….

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 .