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 22:26KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 22:26 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 22:26 mean?

Ezekiel 22:26 says that the priests in Jerusalem have failed in their duties by ignoring God’s law, treating holy things as ordinary, not distinguishing between what is sacred and what is common, and disregarding the Sabbath, making God’s name seem unimportant among the people. This verse highlights a deep failure of spiritual leadership, where those meant to guide and teach have instead blurred the lines between right and wrong.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to accuse the priests of serious neglect and corruption. The priests were supposed to uphold God’s instructions and teach the people the difference between what is holy and what is not, but instead they ignored these responsibilities. This breakdown in leadership is part of a larger list of sins in Jerusalem that Ezekiel is describing, showing why judgment is coming upon the city.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 22:26

  • The word for "priests" (כֹּהֵן, kohen) refers to those specifically appointed to serve in the temple and teach God’s law to the people, so their failure is especially serious.
  • "Violated" (חָמַס, chamas) here means to do violence to or wrong, showing that the priests’ actions are not just mistakes but active harm against God’s law (תּוֹרָה, torah).
  • "Profaned" (חָלַל, chalal) means to treat something as common or ordinary, so when the priests "profaned mine holy things" (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh), they made sacred things seem unimportant.
  • The terms "holy" (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh) and "profane" (חֹל, chol) are opposites; the priests failed to teach the difference, blurring the line between what belongs to God and what is just everyday.

Why Ezekiel 22:26 matters

  • This verse explains why God’s judgment is falling on Jerusalem: even the spiritual leaders have abandoned their calling, leading the people astray.
  • The verse shows that knowing and teaching the difference between holy and common, clean and unclean, is central to faithful worship and community life in Israel.
  • Ezekiel 22:26 connects to the wider chapter, where God lists the failures of all levels of society, making clear that the problem is not just with the people, but with those who should have set the example.

Where else these words appear

“profane” Hebrew H2455 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
  • 1 Samuel 21:5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
  • Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

“violated” Hebrew H2554 · used in 8 verses

  • Job 15:33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
  • Proverbs 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
  • Jeremiah 22:3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

“hid” Hebrew H5956 · used in 27 verses

  • Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
  • Deuteronomy 22:4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
  • Psalms 26:4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

“difference” Hebrew H914 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
  • Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
  • Ezra 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,