Ezekiel 36:21

21 I suffered much pain over my holy reputation, which the people of Israel blackened in every country they entered.

Ezekiel 36:21 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 36:21

But I had pity for my holy name
Had pity on the Jews for his name's sake, and not theirs; or he had a tender concern for his own honour and glory: which the house of Israel had profaned among the Heathen, whither they
went;
and therefore was resolved to take a method for the glorifying of it, and that in a way of special grace and mercy to his people; (See Gill on Ezekiel 36:20).

Ezekiel 36:21 In-Context

19 I kicked them out, exiled them to other countries. I sentenced them according to how they had lived.
20 Wherever they went, they gave me a bad name. People said, 'These are God's people, but they got kicked off his land.'
21 I suffered much pain over my holy reputation, which the people of Israel blackened in every country they entered.
22 "Therefore, tell Israel, 'Message of God, the Master: I'm not doing this for you, Israel. I'm doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you've blackened in every country where you've gone.
23 I'm going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.