Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the middle of which I dwell; for I, Yahweh, dwell in the middle of the children of Israel.’”
- BSB Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”
- NKJV Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
- NASB So you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’ ”
- NLT You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the Lord, who lives among the people of Israel.”
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 must not defile the land where God Himself dwells among them. His holy presence demands a people and place kept from the stain of bloodshed.
Overview
The motive for these laws is the holy presence of Yahweh dwelling in the midst of His people; the land must not be defiled because God is there. Justice and purity matter supremely because they reflect the character of the holy God who lives among His people. This anticipates the New Testament reality that God now dwells by His Spirit in His people, who are called to holiness as His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Num 5:3Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
- Ps 135:21Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
- Rev 21:27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
- 2 Cor 6:16–17And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- Hos 9:3They shall not dwell in the LORD’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
- Isa 57:15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
- Ps 132:14This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
- 1 Kgs 6:13And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
- Exod 29:45–46And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
- Lev 20:24–26But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
- Exod 25:8And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
- Isa 8:12Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
- Lev 18:24–25Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
- Rev 21:3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 35:34 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.