Ezekiel 36:21 kjv
But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
Ezekiel 36:21 nkjv
But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.
Ezekiel 36:21 niv
I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
Ezekiel 36:21 esv
But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.
Ezekiel 36:21 nlt
Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations.
Ezekiel 36 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 36:21 | But I acted for my holy name, not according to your worthless deeds or your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD. | Original Verse |
| Exodus 20:6 | but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. | God’s enduring love |
| Leviticus 26:44-45 | Yet when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or despise them so as to destroy them completely or break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations, to be their God. I am the LORD. | Covenant faithfulness |
| Deuteronomy 7:6-8 | For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were fewer than all peoples. Instead, the LORD loved you because of his oath to your ancestors, the oath he swore with an upraised hand to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant and his love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. | God’s love and election |
| Isaiah 43:25 | “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. | God’s forgiveness |
| Jeremiah 31:31-34 | “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or each one say to another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” | New Covenant foreshadowed |
| Ezekiel 11:19-20 | I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. | New covenant promises |
| Ezekiel 37:23-28 | They will be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. The people of Israel, along with all the people of the land, will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. | Covenant and kingship |
| Romans 3:23-24 | for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. | Justification by grace |
| Ephesians 2:8-10 | For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. | Salvation by grace |
| 1 Peter 1:15-16 | But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” | Call to holiness |
| Hebrews 8:10 | This is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. | New Covenant described |
| 1 John 4:19 | We love because he first loved us. | God’s prior love |
| Revelation 21:3 | And I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Now the dwelling of God is with all people, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” | Future dwelling of God |
Ezekiel 36 verses
Ezekiel 36 21 Meaning
The verse signifies God's divine action of cleansing His people. This cleansing is not for their own merit but to demonstrate His holiness. The result is that they will be His people, and He will be their God, highlighting a restored and intimate relationship.
Ezekiel 36 21 Context
Ezekiel chapter 36 addresses the restoration of Israel after their Babylonian exile. The surrounding verses detail the devastation of the land and the reproach Israel had brought upon God’s name due to their sins and subsequent judgment. God is declaring His intention to restore them, not because they deserved it through their own righteousness, but to vindicate His own holy name. This promise is foundational to the concept of the New Covenant.
Ezekiel 36 21 Word Analysis
- "But I acted": This signifies a divine intervention and sovereign decision by God, initiating a process of restoration and vindication.
- "for my holy name": The driving motivation for God's actions is not human merit or worthiness, but His own inherent holiness and reputation. His name carries His character and glory.
- "not according to your worthless deeds": This explicitly contrasts God’s merciful action with the people's sinfulness and corruption. Their "worthless deeds" (Hebrew:
avalav) implies vanity, futility, and nothingness, emphasizing their inherent inability to save themselves. - "or your corrupt practices": This reinforces the idea of deep-seated sinfulness. "Corrupt practices" (Hebrew:
tsiyothor similar root meaning abominations, detestable things) refers to the idols and practices that led them into sin and exile. - "O house of Israel": A direct address to the covenant people, emphasizing their collective identity and the covenant relationship.
- "declares the Sovereign LORD": This is a repeated affirmation of God's absolute authority and sovereignty (Hebrew:
Adonai yhwh), lending immense weight and finality to His declaration.
Ezekiel 36 21 Bonus Section
The concept of God acting for "His holy name" is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, especially when dealing with His judgment and salvation (e.g., Exodus 32:12, Psalm 106:8, Isaiah 48:11). It underscores the biblical understanding that God's actions are intrinsically tied to His character. His name represents who He is – holy, righteous, and powerful. When His people disgrace Him, it is His own nature that compels Him to both judge sin and, ultimately, restore and vindicate His name. This verse directly foreshadows the New Covenant where God Himself takes the initiative to cleanse and indwell His people, securing their identity as His own.
Ezekiel 36 21 Commentary
This verse is a powerful declaration of God's unmerited favor and sovereign action. Despite Israel's profound sinfulness, which deserved destruction and shame, God chooses to act. His motivation is singular: the vindication of His holy name, which had been profaned among the nations because of Israel’s behavior. This action prefigures the ultimate work of redemption in Christ, where God saves humanity not because of their good deeds, but according to His rich mercy and for the glory of His own name. It emphasizes that salvation and restoration are rooted in God’s character, not human performance. This act sets the stage for a new relationship based on His grace and the impartation of His Spirit, ensuring a true knowing and adherence to His will.