Ezekiel 9 7

Ezekiel 9:7 kjv

And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

Ezekiel 9:7 nkjv

Then He said to them, "Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!" And they went out and killed in the city.

Ezekiel 9:7 niv

Then he said to them, "Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!" So they went out and began killing throughout the city.

Ezekiel 9:7 esv

Then he said to them, "Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out." So they went out and struck in the city.

Ezekiel 9:7 nlt

"Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. "Fill its courtyards with corpses. Go!" So they went and began killing throughout the city.

Ezekiel 9 verses

Ezekiel 9 7 Meaning

Ezekiel 9:7 describes a horrifying divine command given to the executioners in Ezekiel's vision: they are to begin the judgment of Jerusalem by first desecrating the very temple and its courtyards with the dead bodies of the slaughtered inhabitants, starting with the elders. This command dramatically overturns all notions of ritual purity, underscoring that the spiritual defilement of God's sanctuary by Israel's idolatry was so profound that God Himself decrees its physical profanation as a mark of His righteous wrath and impending judgment. After this initial desecration, the command extends the slaughter throughout the entire city.

Ezekiel 9 7 Context

Ezekiel chapter 9 presents a vision of God's final, devastating judgment on Jerusalem, immediately following the shocking revelations of widespread idolatry within the very temple in chapter 8. Ezekiel was shown pagan rites performed in the hidden chambers, women weeping for Tammuz, and priests bowing to the sun at the temple's eastern gate—all abhorrent to God. Chapter 9 describes six men with instruments of destruction, accompanied by a seventh man with a scribe's inkhorn to mark the righteous (Ezek 9:2-4). God's command in verse 6 and then verse 7 is unambiguous: the slaughter is to commence at "my sanctuary," starting with the elders, and then spread throughout the city. This particular verse, Ezek 9:7, details the explicit command to desecrate the holy space with the slain, making its defilement complete. Historically, Jerusalem and its temple were seen as inviolable by many of the exiles and those remaining, fostering a false sense of security despite rampant sin (Jer 7:4). This vision, given to Ezekiel in Babylonian exile, directly confronted that dangerous delusion.

Ezekiel 9 7 Word analysis

• "Then He said to them": This refers to the Lord God (Yahweh), who gives the authoritative command, speaking to the six destructive executioners (or angelic beings) and the man with the inkhorn from Ezek 9:1-2. It establishes divine authority behind the horrific action.
• "Defile" (טַמְּא֣וּ - ṭamməʾū): This is a Piel imperative verb, meaning to actively, deliberately, and thoroughly defile or pollute. It signifies God’s explicit instruction for desecration. Normally, human defilement of sacred space was strictly forbidden; here, God commands it, highlighting the severity of previous spiritual defilement.
• "the temple" (הַבַּ֔יִת - habbayiṯ): Literally "the house," referring specifically to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. This was the dwelling place of God’s manifest presence (Shekinah). Its commanded defilement signifies the complete withdrawal of divine favor and the ultimate condemnation of Jerusalem's apostasy.
• "and fill" (וּמַלְא֖וּ - ūmalʾū): Also a Piel imperative, commanding to completely fill or make full. The conjunction "and" links this action directly with "defile," indicating a holistic desecration.
• "the courts" (הַחֲצֵר֖וֹת - haḥăṣērōṯ): These were the courtyards surrounding the central sanctuary (Temple). Filling them indicates a pervasive, public defilement affecting all accessible areas of the sacred precinct.
• "with the slain" (חֲלָלִ֑ים - ḥălālîm): This refers to dead bodies, particularly those who have been killed. According to Mosaic Law, contact with a corpse rendered a person ritually unclean (Num 19:11). To fill God’s holy courts with slain bodies was the highest form of ritual desecration, making a profound statement that the sanctity of the place had been irrevocably violated by sin itself.
• "Go out!" (צֵֽאוּ - ṣēʾū): A Qal imperative, an abrupt, urgent command for the executioners to proceed from the temple to the city.
• "So they went out and struck the city" (וַיֵּֽצְא֥וּ וַיַּכּ֖וּ בָּעִֽיר - vayyēṣʾū vayyakkū bāʿîr): This reports the immediate execution of the divine command. The slaughter began at the desecrated sanctuary and extended into the city, confirming the universality of judgment upon Jerusalem.
• "Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.": This command group highlights the deliberate and total nature of the desecration, directly targeting the perceived holiness of the temple as a symbol of God's presence, now inverted by the judgment due to its inner corruption.
• "Go out! So they went out and struck the city.": This rapid sequence emphasizes the swift and obedient execution of God's judgment by His appointed agents, moving from the sacred heart to the general populace.

Ezekiel 9 7 Bonus section

This verse stands in stark contrast to the stringent Mosaic laws regarding temple purity and handling of the dead. For God to command what was strictly forbidden signifies the absolute dissolution of the covenant as it pertains to the temple's protective power. The sequence—defile the temple first, then strike the city—establishes a theological precedent echoed in the New Testament (1 Pet 4:17). This divine act effectively invalidates any lingering sense of divine presence or protection within the physically present but spiritually abandoned temple, paving the way for the glory of the Lord to ultimately depart from it (Ezek 10-11) and its subsequent destruction by Babylon. It also highlights the principle that ritual purity without genuine heart devotion is an empty facade before God.

Ezekiel 9 7 Commentary

Ezekiel 9:7 delivers a chilling and paradoxical divine command. God, the fount of all holiness and purity, instructs His angelic executioners to commit the gravest form of ritual defilement—filling His temple courts with dead bodies. This act is not random; it's a symbolic yet concrete judgment directly targeting the heart of Jerusalem's false security and its spiritual corruption. The defilement of the physical temple with ḥălālîm (slain ones) mirrors the deep spiritual defilement that Israel's pervasive idolatry (Ezek 8) had already inflicted upon the sanctuary and the covenant relationship. By beginning the slaughter "at My sanctuary" (Ezek 9:6) and specifically commanding its desecration, God emphasizes that judgment must begin where sin is most grievous: within the very household and leadership meant to uphold His holiness. This dramatic divine intervention underscores God's absolute sovereignty over His creation and His sanctuary, confirming that a defiled place of worship offers no protection from righteous judgment but rather invites it. The command "Go out!" immediately followed by its execution illustrates the unwavering certainty and comprehensiveness of this judgment for the sin-laden city.