Translation of Ezekiel 28:14-16 question.

[charispistis]

Hello,

I have a question regarding the translation of this section of the book of Ezekiel in one of my Portuguese (Brazil) translations. Compared to many other reliable translations like ESV, NASB, KJV and others in the Portuguese language, it reads differently especially in verses 14 and 16. I will mark the questionable sections in bold bellow:

Here is how this Bible, the "Almeida Século 21" (Almeida 21st century) translates this portion, I will translate it to English:

28.14 Eu te coloquei com o querubim da guarda; estiveste sobre o monte santo de Deus; andaste no meio das pedras resplandecentes.

- I placed you with the guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the bright stones.

28.15 Tu eras perfeito nos teus caminhos, desde o dia em que foste criado, até que se achou maldade em ti.

- You were perfect in your ways, from the day you were created, til it was found wickedness in you.

28.16 Teu coração se encheu de violência por causa do teu muito comércio, e pecaste; por isso te lancei, profanado, fora do monte de Deus, e o querubim da guarda te expulsou do meio das pedras resplandecentes.

- Your heart was full of violence because of the abundance of your trade, and you sinned, so I cast you out, profaned, out of the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub expelled you from the midst of the bright stones.

Does the Hebrew allow it to say "I placed you with the cherub" instead of "you were the cherub? In verse 14?

What about in verse 16 where it says "the guardian cherub expelled you"?

Any Hebrew scholars available?

God Bless!
-Alex

 

[BibleCyst]

I am by no means an expert, but I have posted Young's Literal Translation below. Perhaps the translation of this particular verse is dynamic equivelance?

14 Thou [art] an anointed cherub who is covering, And I have set thee in the holy mount, God thou hast been, In the midst of stones of fire thou hast walked up and down.

15 Perfect [art] thou in thy ways, From the day of thy being produced, Till perversity hath been found in thee.

16 By the abundance of thy merchandise They have filled thy midst with violence, And thou dost sin, And I thrust thee from the mount of God, And I destroy thee, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

The sentence syntax is cryptic, but that's the manner of Heb. poetry.

The word-groups of v14 go as follows:

you[maqef]cherub. The maqef is Massoretic punctuation, a hyphen, indicating a long-standing tradition that ties two words closely together for interpretation); hence, a typical English translation inserts only a copula (be-verb) that basically equates "you" and "cherub"

anointed. Modifies cherub

the covering (one). Rendered by "guarding" is some.

and I set you. One Heb word/verb, with prefix, pronominal subject-ending and pronominal-object suffix

In any case, it seems the translation question turns on whether "you" (the addressee) is identified with the guardian anointed cherub. If it is not, then part of translation must be determining the relation of that cherub to "you." Thus, too, the decision in v14 affects v16, as to whether the "guardian cherub" is vocative (where "you" and "cherub" are equated again), or whether the cherub ends up in an instrumental role as the one doing the removal of "you."

Personally, I think the standard English translations are closer to Heb. text than what you've offered as English translation from the Almeida. But, I don't speak Portuguese either...