Ezekiel 7:21-22
And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it. I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse reveals a profound irony: the very treasures Israel had turned into idols, defiling God's house, would become a "prey" and "spoil" for foreigners. God declares He will hand over what was once the sacred beauty of His temple to ruthless outsiders, who would then “profane it” by treating it as mere plunder. This highlights how, when we corrupt sacred things for selfish gain, we invite profanity and disrespect upon them.
God declares He will hand over His beloved temple, the dwelling place of His presence, to foreign invaders for them to plunder and desecrate. These wicked outsiders will seize its treasures and treats it with utter contempt, a direct consequence of Israel's own idolatry and defilement of sacred things. This judgment serves as a grim fulfillment of earlier prophecies against those who have profaned God's holiness.
Ezekiel's prophecy speaks of the temple being handed over. But what does it mean for something so sacred to be treated as mere 'prey' and 'spoil'?
This verse reveals the ultimate desecration of God's dwelling place.
From Sacred to Spoil
God declares, "I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil." The "it" refers to the temple, and specifically, to the treasures within – the silver and gold that had been dedicated to God, and tragically, even used to craft idols.
God's Judgment Unleashed
When a people corrupt God's sanctuary, turning it into a place of idolatry and impurity, God’s judgment can involve handing it over to those who will treat it with utter contempt. The very things that were meant to honor Him become instruments of His wrath. The foreigners, described as wicked and barbaric, would not respect its sanctity. They would plunder its riches and treat it as nothing more than common loot.
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The prophecy climaxes with a chilling word: 'they shall profane it.' What does this ultimate desecration entail?
The act of profaning the temple signifies the complete violation of its sacred purpose and God's presence.
Turning Sacred to Common
The foreigners would not just steal the temple's riches; they would turn a holy place into something common and vile. Their brutal invasion, looting, and likely destruction would strip away any sense of reverence. What was set apart for God would be treated like any ordinary, debased location.
Judgment on Idolatry
This profanation is a direct consequence of Israel's own spiritual adultery. By creating idols from precious metals and dedicating them within God's temple, they had already begun to profane it. God's judgment, therefore, involves allowing foreign invaders to complete this desecration, highlighting the emptiness and powerlessness of the idols they had created.
Understand the original words
zarim · Hebrew Noun
Used throughout Scripture to refer to non-Israelites or those outside the covenant community of God; often, as in Ezekiel, these represent the instruments of divine judgment against unfaithful Israel.
rasha · Hebrew Adjective
A state of being in opposition to God’s moral standards; those who have turned away from His ways and manifest evil, often characterized by rebellion, injustice, and a lack of fear of the Lord.
chalal · Hebrew Verb
To treat something sacred as common or secular; the act of desecrating or defiling that which has been set apart or consecrated specifically for the worship and presence of God.
panim · Hebrew Noun
Often implies a withdrawal of divine favor, protection, or communion; when God turns His face, it signifies judgment and the removal of His blessing due to persistent rebellion.
segullah · Hebrew Noun
An object or location highly valued by God, specifically set apart for His name; in Ezekiel, it refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, which represented His covenant presence among His people.
Ezekiel's prophecy describes the brutal reality of the Babylonian conquest. The 'strangers' and 'wicked of the earth' are the Babylonians, who will not only plunder Jerusalem but also desecrate its most sacred place, the Temple, turning its holy treasures into common spoil.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Invasions
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians, initiating a pattern of foreign conquest and exile that would later threaten Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting skilled Israelites, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
After a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, eventually breaching its walls, destroying the city, and burning Solomon's Temple.
c. 586 BC onwards
Exile Continues
The remaining population of Judah is largely exiled to Babylon, leaving the land desolate and its sacred sites desecrated.
This passage describes the actual plundering of the Temple by the Babylonians, echoing Ezekiel's prophecy of foreign invaders desecrating the sacred space.
Isaiah 46:1-2Here, the Babylonian gods themselves are depicted as being carried away as spoil by the conquering Persians, highlighting the futility of idols and how even 'sacred' objects can be profaned by foreign hands.
Hosea 10:6This verse foretells that the golden calf, a symbol of Israel's idolatry, will be taken to Assyria as a tribute, directly paralleling the idea of sacred (or misused sacred) items becoming spoil and being carried off by foreign powers.
Psalm 79:1This psalm laments the desecration of Jerusalem and the Temple by enemies, crying out 'O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins,' reflecting the profound sorrow and outrage over the profanation described in Ezekiel.
pooleEzekiel 7:21: "And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it."
I will give it, my temple, into the hands, power and possession, of the strangers, foreigners, who by direction of my law were excluded coming to it, they now shall enter into it, and take the riches of it as lawful prey. To the wicked: this description of these men, strangers by their distance of place, and the worst of men on earth, by their pro…
gillEzekiel 7:21: "And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it."
And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey,.... The Babylonians, who lived in a foreign country, and were strangers to the commonwealth of Israel; the temple was suffered of the Lord to fall into their hands as a prey; who spoiled it of all its riches and glory, and carried away the vessels of gold, of silver, and of brass, and…
This verse reveals a profound irony: the very treasures Israel had turned into idols, defiling God's house, would become a "prey" and "spoil" for foreigners. God declares He will hand over what was once the sacred beauty of His temple to ruthless outsiders, who would then “profane it” by treating it as mere plunder. This highlights how, when we corrupt sacred things for selfish gain, we invite profanity and disrespect upon them.
God declares He will hand over His beloved temple, the dwelling place of His presence, to foreign invaders for them to plunder and desecrate. These wicked outsiders will seize its treasures and treats it with utter contempt, a direct consequence of Israel's own idolatry and defilement of sacred things. This judgment serves as a grim fulfillment of earlier prophecies against those who have profaned God's holiness.
God declares He will hand over His beloved temple, the dwelling place of His presence, to foreign invaders for them to plunder and desecrate. These wicked outsiders will seize its treasures and treats it with utter contempt, a direct consequence of Israel's own idolatry and defilement of sacred things. This judgment serves as a grim fulfillment of earlier prophecies against those who have profaned God's holiness.
"And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it. I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it." — This verse reveals a profound irony: the very treasures Israel had turned into idols, defiling God's house, would become a "prey" and "spoil" for foreigners. God declares He will hand over what was o…
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