And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’
Parallel translations
- WEB You have not performed the duty of my holy things; but you have set performers of my duty in my sanctuary for yourselves.
- KJV And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
- NKJV And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.”
- NASB And you have not taken responsibility for My holy things yourselves, but you have appointed foreigners to take responsibility for My sanctuary.”
- NLT Instead of safeguarding my sacred rituals, you have hired foreigners to take charge of my sanctuary.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel failed to keep charge of God's holy things and instead delegated sacred duties to unfit substitutes.
Overview
Rather than guarding the sanctuary's holiness themselves, the people handed its care to those who had no right to it. This neglect of sacred responsibility dishonored God and corrupted worship. The passage underscores that God's holiness demands faithful stewardship, a charge ultimately kept perfectly by Christ our great High Priest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ezek 40:45–46Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,
- 1 Chr 23:32So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.
- 2 Tim 4:1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
- Ezra 8:24–30Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,
- 1 Tim 6:13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:
- Num 18:7But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
- Ezek 44:14Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of all the work for the temple and everything to be done in it.
- Num 18:3–5And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die.
- Acts 7:53you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
- Lev 22:2–33“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.
- Ezek 44:16They alone shall enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister before Me. They will keep My charge.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 44:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.