Profane

PROFANE [ISBE]

PROFANE - pro-fan' (verb chalal, adjective chalal, chol; bebeloo, bebelos): From profanus, "before (i.e. outside) the temple," therefore unholy, polluted, secular, is of frequent occurrence (verb and adjective) in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It occurs as the translation of chol in the King James Version only in Ezek (22:26, the Revised Version (British and American) "common"; 42:20; 44:23; 48:15, the Revised Version (British and American) "for common use"); as the translation of chalal in Lev 21:7,14, the Revised Version margin "polluted"; and Ezek 21:25, where, for the King James Version "thou profane wicked prince of Israel," the Revised Version (British and American) has "thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel." "To profane" (chalal) is seen in Lev 18:21; 19:8; Neh 13:17,18; Ps 89:39; Isa 43:28; Ezek 22:8,26, etc. "Profaneness" in Jer 23:15 (chanuppah) is in the American Standard Revised Version "ungodliness." In the New Testament "profane" occurs in the sense of unholy, godless, regardless of God and divine things (1 Tim 1:9; 4:7; 6:20; 2 Tim 2:16; Heb 12:16), and "to profane," or violate, in Mt 12:5; Acts 24:6. The verb is frequent in Apocrypha in 1 Macc (1:43,45,63; 2:34, etc.; also in 2 Macc 8:2; 10:5; compare 2 Esdras 15:8; Judith 4:3,12; 1 Macc 1:48; 2 Macc 4:13). In numerous cases the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "profane" for other words and phrases in the King James Version, as for "to prostitute" (Lev 19:29), "an hypocrite" (Isa 9:17), "pollute" (Nu 18:32; Ezek 7:21), etc.

W. L. Walker