Then He told them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” They went out, and struck in the city.
- KJV And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
- NKJV Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.
- NASB He also said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with the dead. Go out!” So they went out and struck and killed the people in the city.
- NLT “Defile the Temple!” the Lord commanded. “Fill its courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went and began killing throughout the city.
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
God commands them to defile the temple with the slain and go out to strike the city. It shows the temple no longer protects a people who defiled it.
Overview
The very sanctuary the people trusted in is now filled with the slain, a shocking sign that ritual presence cannot shield unrepentant hearts. Their idolatry had already defiled the house; now judgment makes the defilement complete and visible. False confidence in religious privilege is stripped away. True security is found not in a building but in the Lord Himself, fully revealed in the true temple, Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ezek 7:20–22His beautiful ornaments they transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something unclean for them.
- 2 Chr 36:17So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
- Ps 79:1–3A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
- Luke 13:1At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
- Lam 2:4–7He has bent His bow like an enemy; His right hand is positioned. Like a foe He has killed all who were pleasing to the eye; He has poured out His wrath like fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion.
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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 9:7 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.