Ezekiel 20:9
20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, 1 so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, 2 before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 3
Ezekiel 20:22
20:22 But I refrained from doing so, 4 and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
Ezekiel 36:20
36:20 But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they have departed from his land.’
Ezekiel 39:7
39:7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 5
Ezekiel 43:8
43:8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger.
1 tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”
2 tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”
3 tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.
4 tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.
5 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.