Ezekiel 22 26

Ezekiel 22:26 kjv

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 22:26 nkjv

Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 22:26 niv

Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 22:26 esv

Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 22:26 nlt

Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them.

Ezekiel 22 verses

Ezekiel 22 26 Meaning

This verse describes the severe spiritual corruption of the priests and prophets of Jerusalem. They defiled the sacred, treated the holy as common, and could not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. This failure to uphold divine law and moral discernment led to judgment.

Ezekiel 22 26 Context

Ezekiel chapter 22 details the gross sins of Jerusalem, likening the city to dross or impure metal. This verse specifically targets the spiritual leadership – the priests and the prophets – who were meant to be guides but had become the primary source of corruption. The historical context is Jerusalem under siege and judgment, a direct consequence of its widespread sin and rebellion against God's covenant. The people, including their leaders, had turned away from God's statutes and ordinances, embracing pagan practices and moral impurity.

Ezekiel 22 26 Word analysis

• בִּ("${bē`}"): "Priests" - Referring to the Aaronic priests who served in the Temple, entrusted with God's law and mediation.
• חִ="${ḥî}`: "Profane" or "treat as common" - Implies treating something sacred and set apart as ordinary or defiled.
• קֳ="${qɔḏəš="${qōdeš"}): "His holy things" or "sacredness" - Encompasses all that was dedicated to God, including the Temple, rituals, and the Law itself.
• בֵּ="${bên"}): "Between" - Denotes a separation or distinction.
• בֵּ="${bēn"}): "Between" - Again, emphasizing the lack of differentiation.
• בֵּ="${bēn"}): "Between" - The repetition highlights the complete loss of discernment.
• הַ("${ha`"}): "The" - Article.
• בְּ"${bəqēbəqōḏ"): "Just" or "righteous" - Those who adhere to God's standards and conduct themselves ethically.
• וּ("${wə"}): "And" - Conjunction.
• אֵ("${'êne`"}): "Wicked" or "ungodly" - Those who transgress God's law and live contrary to His will.
• חִ="${ḥilleṭā ê">
  • Priests and prophets have corrupted the core functions of their roles by profaning sacred things.
  • There's a profound lack of discernment, blurring the lines between right and wrong, clean and unclean, holy and profane.
  • This moral and spiritual bankruptcy makes them incapable of guiding the people toward righteousness.
  • The verse signifies a critical failure in leadership that invites divine judgment.
  • It points to a systemic rot where the shepherds themselves lead the flock astray, mirroring similar condemnations found throughout the Old Testament prophets.
  • The consequence is not just personal failure but widespread impurity and unfaithfulness, leading to severe repercussions from God.
  • The concept of "profaning the holy" includes the misuse of Temple objects, a disregard for religious ceremonies, and the promotion of impurity.
  • The failure to distinguish the clean from the unclean extends to moral and ritual purity, showing a complete breakdown of covenant living.

Ezekiel 22 26 Bonus section

The Hebrew phrase for "profane his holy things" uses the verb ḥallal (חלל), which carries the sense of desecration or treating something as common. This is particularly significant when applied to things God has set apart, indicating a severe insult to His holiness. The inability to distinguish the holy from the common, and the righteous from the wicked, suggests a blindness or deliberate disregard for divine truth and order. This corruption extended from the highest religious authorities down to the people, making the entire nation ripe for judgment, as prophesied by Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 22 26 Commentary

This verse encapsulates a critical failure within the spiritual leadership of ancient Israel. The priests, who were supposed to be guardians of God's Law and mediators of His presence, along with the prophets, who were to proclaim His truth, had succumbed to deep-seated corruption. They treated sacred things, including the laws, rituals, and even the very presence of God in the Temple, as common or ordinary. This demonstrates a loss of reverence and a blurring of critical spiritual distinctions. The most damning accusation is their inability to differentiate between the righteous and the wicked, or between what is ritually clean and unclean. This failure to uphold divine standards and moral clarity meant they could not guide the people toward repentance or maintain spiritual order. Instead, they contributed to the pervasive sinfulness of Jerusalem, which ultimately sealed its fate and invited God's judgment.