Ezekiel 9:7

7 And he said to them, Defoul ye the house (of the Lord), and fill ye the foreyards with slain men; go ye out. And they went out, and killed them that were in the city. (And he said to them, Defile ye the House of the Lord, and fill ye the courtyards with the slain; go ye out. And they went out, and killed those who were in the city.)

Ezekiel 9:7 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:7

And he said unto them, defile the house
The temple; do not be afraid of slaying any person in it, for fear of defiling it; they have defiled it with their abominations, and now do you defile it with their blood: and fill the courts with the slain;
the court of the priests, and the court of the Israelites, and the court of the women, and all the chambers where the priests and Levites were, and had their images portrayed: go ye forth;
from the brasen altar by which they stood, and out of the temple, after they had done their business there, and had slain all they should: and they went forth, and slew in the city;
they went out of the temple, and slew in the city all but those that had the mark.

Ezekiel 9:7 In-Context

5 And he said to them in mine hearing, Go ye through the city, and follow ye him, and smite ye; your eye spare not, neither do ye mercy. (And he said to the others in my hearing, Go ye through the city, and follow ye him, and strike ye them down; do not let your eye spare them, nor have ye any mercy on them.)
6 Slay ye till to death, an eld man, a young man, and a virgin, a little child, and women; but slay ye not any man, on whom ye see Tau; and begin ye at my saintuary. Therefore they began at the elder men, that were before the face of the house (And so they began with the elders, who were in front of the House of the Lord).
7 And he said to them, Defoul ye the house (of the Lord), and fill ye the foreyards with slain men; go ye out. And they went out, and killed them that were in the city. (And he said to them, Defile ye the House of the Lord, and fill ye the courtyards with the slain; go ye out. And they went out, and killed those who were in the city.)
8 And lo! when the slaying was [ful]filled, I was left (alone). And I fell down on my face, and I cried, and said, Alas! alas! alas! Lord God, therefore whether thou shalt lose all the remnants of Israel, and shalt shed out thy strong vengeance on Jerusalem? (And I fell down on my face, and I cried, and said, Alas! alas! alas! Lord God, and so shalt thou destroy all the remnants of Israel, and shalt thou pour out thy strong vengeance upon Jerusalem?)
9 And he said to me, The wickedness of the house of Israel and of Judah is full great, and the land is filled of bloods, and the city is filled with turning away; for they said, The Lord hath forsaken the land, and the Lord seeth not. (And he said to me, The wickedness of the house of Israel and Judah is very great, and the land is filled with bloodshed, or of murder, and the city is filled with turning away from righteousness; for they said, The Lord hath abandoned the land, and the Lord seeth not.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.