And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

EZEKIEL 43:7KJV
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Ezekiel 43:7 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 43:7 mean?

Ezekiel 43:7 presents God’s promise to live among the people of Israel permanently, in a place they must no longer make unclean by their unfaithfulness and the remains of their kings. The verse connects God’s presence with a demand for an end to practices that dishonored his holy name.

God addresses Ezekiel as “Son of man” in a vision of a temple. The pictures of a throne and the soles of God’s feet describe the temple as the place from which God rules and where he is present among Israel.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 43:7

  • “dwell” — שָׁכַן (shakhan): This word means to live or settle in a place. Here it gives the picture of an ongoing home among the people, not merely a visit.
  • “whoredom” — זְנוּת (zenut): This word can mean sexual unfaithfulness. In this setting, it uses the image of unfaithfulness to describe Israel’s worship of other gods.
  • “defile” — טָמֵא (tame): This word means to make unclean. Here the actions of the people and their kings are described as bringing dishonor on God’s holy name.

Why Ezekiel 43:7 matters

  • The responsibility includes both ordinary people and rulers. God says “neither they, nor their kings” are to continue these practices.
  • The concern is also about how close the kings’ activities came to God’s dwelling. Verse 8 describes their thresholds and doorposts beside his, with only a wall between them.
  • “Carcases of their kings” is connected with the kings’ “high places,” places associated with worship. The verse treats these remains as part of what had made God’s holy name unclean.

Where else these words appear

“whoredom” Hebrew H2184 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
  • Jeremiah 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
  • Ezekiel 43:9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.

“carcases” Hebrew H6297 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
  • 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
  • Jeremiah 31:40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

“places” Hebrew H1116 · used in 92 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 2 Kings 15:35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?

“dwell” Hebrew H7931 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
  • 1 Chronicles 17:9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,
  • Proverbs 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.