Ezekiel 9:7

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.

And he said {H559} unto them, Defile {H2930} the house {H1004}, and fill {H4390} the courts {H2691} with the slain {H2491}: go ye forth {H3318}. And they went forth {H3318}, and slew {H5221} in the city {H5892}.

Then he said to them, "Defile the house! Fill the courtyards with corpses! Get going!" So they went out, spreading death in the city.

Then He told them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.

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

Historical and Cultural Context

Ezekiel 9:7 is part of a series of vivid visions given to the prophet Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile. These visions describe the impending destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by God's judgment. The "house" referred to in the verse is the sacred Temple in Jerusalem, the spiritual heart of Israel. Prior chapters (especially Ezekiel 8) detail the various abominations and idolatrous practices that had taken root within the Temple courts and throughout the city, defiling God's holy dwelling place. This verse signifies the culmination of God's patience, where the very place meant for worship becomes a site of divine wrath and judgment due to the people's pervasive sin and rebellion against His covenant.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Divine Judgment and Wrath: This verse starkly portrays God's severe and decisive judgment against sin, particularly against a people who had repeatedly turned away from Him. The command to "defile the house" with the slain underscores the extent of God's anger.
  • Desecration of the Temple: Ironically, God Himself commands the defilement of His sanctuary. This is not arbitrary; it signifies that the Temple's sanctity had already been utterly violated by the people's idolatry and moral corruption, rendering it no longer holy in God's eyes, thus making it subject to His wrath. This shocking command reflects the depth of Israel's spiritual decay and the abominations committed within the very precincts of the Temple.
  • Consequences of Idolatry and Sin: The immediate execution of the command ("And they went forth, and slew in the city") highlights the swift and certain consequences of persistent disobedience and spiritual apostasy. God's judgment is a direct result of Israel's unfaithfulness.
  • God's Sovereignty in Judgment: God remains sovereign even over the instruments of judgment, directing the destruction and purification of His defiled sanctuary and city.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "defile" here is ḥāněp̄ (חָנֵף), which often means to pollute, profane, or make unholy. It's a powerful term, especially when applied to the Temple, emphasizing that God considered the place so thoroughly corrupted by human sin that He Himself would now allow its desecration through judgment. The term "slain" (חָלָל, ḥālāl) refers to those pierced, wounded, or killed, often in a context of divine judgment or battle, indicating the scale of the impending slaughter.

Practical Application

Ezekiel 9:7 serves as a powerful reminder of God's holiness and His unwavering justice. It teaches us that:

  • Sin has consequences: No individual or institution, no matter how sacred, is exempt from God's judgment when persistently defiled by sin.
  • Spiritual purity is paramount: This verse underscores the importance of maintaining spiritual purity and reverence for God's presence, not just in physical structures but in our hearts and lives. Our bodies are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit; therefore, we must guard against defilement.
  • God is just: While His mercy is vast, God is also a God of justice who will not tolerate unrepentant sin indefinitely. The immediate execution of this command underscores the certainty and swiftness of God's judgment on those who persist in rebellion, a theme echoed in warnings like the curses for disobedience found in Deuteronomy.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Chronicles 36:17

    Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [them] all into his hand.

  • Ezekiel 7:20

    As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations [and] of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.

  • Ezekiel 7:22

    My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret [place]: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.

  • Lamentations 2:4

    He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all [that were] pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.

  • Lamentations 2:7

    The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.

  • Luke 13:1

    ¶ There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

  • Psalms 79:1

    ¶ A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

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