Ezekiel 9:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is the individual who was instructed to traverse the heart of Jerusalem and mark the foreheads of those who were grieving for their transgressions. He declares that he obeyed the Lord’s command and placed the sign of the letter tav upon the foreheads of the mourners. However, the six men whom the Lord ordered to follow him, striking down without mercy and putting to death, acted without hesitation. Their mission was one of mourning, not joy, validated not by mere words but by their actions. Additionally, in this context, instead of ποδήρη, which means a garment that reaches the heels, as translated by the LXX, Theodotion retained the Hebrew term baddim, while Simmachus referred to it as a linen garment, and Aquila described it as a specific type of robe. Similarly, Simmachus substituted a scribe's board for girdle, Aquila identified it as a scribe's tool, and Theodotion referred to it as κάστυ.