Ezekiel 36:22

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.

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 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.

24 "'For here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land.