Ezekiel 36:22

22 "Therefore thus say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "{Not for your sake} [am] I about to act, house of Israel, {but} {for my holy name}, which you defiled among the nations {to which you went}.

Ezekiel 36:22 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 36:22

Therefore say unto the house of Israel
This is an order to the prophet, the son of man, ( Ezekiel 36:17 ) : thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of
Israel;
what he hereafter promises to do for them, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual; which he did, not on account of any deserts or worthiness in them; for they had none, having done nothing to merit his favour, but, on the contrary, everything to provoke the eyes of his glory: but for my holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the Heathen,
whither ye went;
for the honour of his holy name, for the glory of his holy word, holy worship, and holy religion; all which were traduced and reproached among the Heathen, by reason of the ungodly behaviour of the Jews.

Ezekiel 36:22 In-Context

20 And they came into the nations {to which they went}, and they profaned {my holy name} when they said to them, 'These [are] the people of Yahweh, and from his land they went out.'

21 And I was concerned for {my holy name}, which, the house [of] Israel defiled among the nations {to which they went}.

22 "Therefore thus say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "{Not for your sake} [am] I about to act, house of Israel, {but} {for my holy name}, which you defiled among the nations {to which you went}.

23 And I will consecrate my great name, which [was] profaned among the nations [and] which you have profaned in the midst of them, and the nations will know that I [am] Yahweh!" ' [a] declaration of the Lord Yahweh, {when I show myself holy} {before} their eyes.

24 " 'And I will take you from the nations, and I will gather you from all of the lands, and I will bring you to your land.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "not for the sake of/on behalf of you"
• [b]. Literally "for it"
• [c]. Literally "for the name of holiness my"
• [d]. Literally "which you went there"