Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

EZEKIEL 23:38KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 23:38 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 23:38 mean?

Ezekiel 23:38 says that the people have deeply offended God by making His holy place unclean and by disrespecting the special days He set apart, especially the Sabbath. The verse points to two specific wrongs: defiling God’s sanctuary and treating His Sabbaths as ordinary.

In this chapter, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, comparing their unfaithfulness to that of two sisters who have betrayed their commitments. The verse highlights how the people’s actions have not just been personal failings but have directly dishonored God’s presence (His sanctuary) and His appointed times (the Sabbaths), showing a serious breakdown in their relationship with Him.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 23:38

  • "Defiled" (נָטַמּוּ, nittamu, from H2930) means to make something ritually or morally unclean. In this verse, it stresses that the people’s actions have polluted what God set apart as holy.
  • "Sanctuary" (מִקְדָּשִׁי, miqdashi, from H4720) refers to God’s holy place, likely the temple. This word underscores that the offense is not just general wrongdoing but a violation of the very space where God’s presence was believed to dwell.
  • "Profaned" (חִלְּלוּ, hillilu, from H2490) means to treat as common or ordinary something that is supposed to be sacred. Here, it shows that the people have not respected the Sabbath as a special, set-apart day.
  • "Sabbaths" (שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, shabbototai, from H7676) refers to the weekly day of rest and worship. The use of the plural suggests repeated or ongoing disregard for these sacred times.

Why Ezekiel 23:38 matters

  • This verse makes clear that the people’s unfaithfulness was not just about personal sin but about breaking trust with God in public, communal ways—by defiling His sanctuary and ignoring His Sabbaths.
  • It connects to the broader message of Ezekiel 23, where Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness is compared to adultery, showing how these actions are seen as betrayals of a close relationship.
  • The verse helps explain why judgment is coming: it is not just for private wrongdoing, but for actions that undermine the very foundations of Israel’s worship and identity as God’s people.

Where else these words appear

“sanctuary” Hebrew H4720 · used in 71 verses

  • Exodus 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
  • Nehemiah 10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.
  • Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

“sabbaths” Hebrew H7676 · used in 89 verses

  • Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • Leviticus 26:35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
  • Nehemiah 13:21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.

“profaned” Hebrew H2490 · used in 131 verses

  • Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
  • Judges 20:31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
  • Isaiah 56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

“defiled” Hebrew H2930 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.