Ezekiel 36:17
New International Version
“Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.

New Living Translation
“Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by the evil way they lived. To me their conduct was as unclean as a woman’s menstrual cloth.

English Standard Version
“Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity.

Berean Standard Bible
“Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity.

King James Bible
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

New King James Version
“Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.

New American Standard Bible
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

NASB 1995
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

NASB 1977
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

Amplified Bible
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their [own] behavior and by their [idolatrous] actions. Their conduct before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman during her [physical] impurity.

Christian Standard Bible
“Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions. Their behavior before me was like menstrual impurity.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions. Their behavior before Me was like menstrual impurity.

American Standard Version
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean.

English Revised Version
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her separation.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they dishonored it by the way they lived and by everything they did. Their ways were as unclean as a woman's menstrual period.

Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "when the Israelites were living in their land, they defiled it by the way they lived and acted. I regarded their behavior as being as ritually unclean as a woman is during her monthly period.

International Standard Version
"Son of Man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it with their lifestyles and behavior; they were as disqualified to be with me as a menstruating woman is to you.

Majority Standard Bible
“Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity.

NET Bible
"Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it by their behavior and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was like the uncleanness of a woman having her monthly period.

New Heart English Bible
"Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

World English Bible
“Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and by their deeds. Their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Son of man, "" The house of Israel are dwelling on their land, "" And they defile it by their way and by their doings, "" Their way has been as the uncleanness of a separated one before Me.

Young's Literal Translation
'Son of man, The house of Israel are dwelling on their land, And they defile it by their way and by their doings, As the uncleanness of a separated one hath their way been before Me.

Smith's Literal Translation
Son of man, the house of Israel dwelling upon their land, and they will defile it with their way and with their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of her set apart.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it with their ways, and with their doings: their way was before me like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Son of man, the house of Israel lived on their own soil, and they defiled it with their ways and with their intentions. Their way, in my sight, became like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman.

New American Bible
Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in its land, they defiled it with their behavior and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was like the impurity of a woman in menstruation.

New Revised Standard Version
Mortal, when the house of Israel lived on their own soil, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds; their conduct in my sight was like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual period.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their evil ways and by their doings; their way was before me like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was dwelling in their land, and they defiled it in their ways and in their schemes, and according to the uncleanness of a menstruous woman, so was their way before me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings; their way before Me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Son of man, the house of Israel dwelt upon their land, and defiled it by their way, and with their idols, and with their uncleannesses; and their way was before me like the uncleanness of a removed woman.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A New Heart and Spirit
16Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17“Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity. 18So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.…

Cross References
Leviticus 18:24-28
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. / Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. / But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. ...

2 Kings 17:7-18
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. / The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities. ...

Jeremiah 2:7
I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.

Jeremiah 16:18
And I will first repay them double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have filled My inheritance with their abominations.”

Isaiah 24:5
The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.

Hosea 9:1
Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

Amos 2:4
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked.

Psalm 106:38
They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

Deuteronomy 32:16-18
They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations. / They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear. / You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

2 Chronicles 36:14
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Romans 2:24
As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. / And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 2:1-3
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, / in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. / All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

Colossians 3:5-7
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. / When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways.


Treasury of Scripture

Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelled in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

they defiled

Leviticus 18:24-28
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: …

Numbers 35:33,34
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it…

Psalm 106:37,38
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, …

as the

Leviticus 15:19
And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Jump to Previous
Actions Acts Children Conduct Deeds Defile Defiled Doings Dwelling Dwelt House Impurity Israel Kept Monthly Removed Separated Separation Time Unclean Uncleanness Way Ways Woman's
Jump to Next
Actions Acts Children Conduct Deeds Defile Defiled Doings Dwelling Dwelt House Impurity Israel Kept Monthly Removed Separated Separation Time Unclean Uncleanness Way Ways Woman's
Ezekiel 36
1. The land of Israel is comforted, by destruction of the heathen, who spitefully used it
8. and by the blessings of God promised unto it
16. Israel was rejected for their sin
21. and shall be restored without their desert
25. The blessings of Christ's kingdom














Son of man
This phrase is a frequent address to Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity and role as a representative of the people. In Hebrew, "ben adam" underscores the prophet's connection to mankind, highlighting the contrast between human frailty and divine authority. It serves as a reminder of the humility required in the prophetic office and the responsibility to convey God's message faithfully.

when the house of Israel
This refers to the collective people of Israel, God's chosen nation. Historically, the "house of Israel" signifies the descendants of Jacob, who was renamed Israel. This phrase evokes the covenant relationship established between God and the Israelites, reminding readers of the promises and responsibilities inherent in that divine agreement.

lived in their own land
This phrase recalls the period when the Israelites inhabited the Promised Land, a gift from God. It is a poignant reminder of the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. The land was not just a physical territory but a symbol of God's provision and faithfulness to His covenant.

they defiled it
The Hebrew root for "defiled" is "ṭāmē," which means to make unclean or impure. This term is often used in the context of ritual impurity and moral corruption. The Israelites' actions rendered the land impure, violating the holiness that God intended for it. This defilement was both a physical and spiritual transgression, reflecting their departure from God's laws.

by their own ways and deeds
This phrase highlights personal responsibility and the impact of individual and collective actions. "Ways" and "deeds" refer to the lifestyle and specific actions of the Israelites, which were contrary to God's commands. The repetition emphasizes the deliberate nature of their disobedience and the resulting consequences.

Their conduct was like a woman's monthly impurity in My sight
This simile uses the imagery of ritual impurity associated with a woman's menstrual cycle, as outlined in Levitical law. In ancient Israel, this was a time of separation and uncleanness, symbolizing the separation between God and His people due to their sin. The comparison underscores the severity of Israel's defilement and the need for purification and repentance.

(17) They defiled it.--In Ezekiel 36:17-20 the sin of Israel in the past is set forth as the reason of their present condition. "The land" is always regarded in Scripture as peculiarly consecrated to God, and defiled by the sin of the people. (Comp. Leviticus 18:28; Numbers 35:34.) The comparison is with a woman who has been set apart for uncleanness (Leviticus 15:19), who until her purification was not allowed to come into the sanctuary.

Verse 17. - Their way was before me. Their ways and doings, i.e. their violent deeds and idolatrous practices (ver. 18), were as morally loathsome in Jehovah's sight as the uncleanness of a woman in her separation was materially disgusting. The comparison may have been derived from Isaiah 64:6, but was as likely to have been original, seeing Ezekiel was a priest-prophet, to whom the details of the Levitical Law must have been familiar (comp. Ezekiel 18:6; Leviticus 15:19).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of man,
אָדָ֗ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

when the people
בֵּ֤ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

lived
יֹשְׁבִ֣ים (yō·šə·ḇîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

their land,
אַדְמָתָ֔ם (’aḏ·mā·ṯām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 127: Ground, land

they defiled
וַיְטַמְּא֣וּ (way·ṭam·mə·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

it
אוֹתָ֔הּ (’ō·w·ṯāh)
Direct object marker | third person feminine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

by their own ways
בְּדַרְכָּ֖ם (bə·ḏar·kām)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

and deeds.
וּבַעֲלִֽילוֹתָ֑ם (ū·ḇa·‘ă·lî·lō·w·ṯām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5949: An exploit, a performance, an opportunity

Their behavior
דַרְכָּ֖ם (ḏar·kām)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

before Me
לְפָנָֽי׃ (lə·p̄ā·nāy)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6440: The face

was
הָיְתָ֥ה (hā·yə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

like the uncleanness
כְּטֻמְאַת֙ (kə·ṭum·’aṯ)
Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2932: Religious impurity

of a [woman] in her [monthly] impurity.
הַנִּדָּ֔ה (han·nid·dāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5079: Rejection, impurity, personal, moral


Links
Ezekiel 36:17 NIV
Ezekiel 36:17 NLT
Ezekiel 36:17 ESV
Ezekiel 36:17 NASB
Ezekiel 36:17 KJV

Ezekiel 36:17 BibleApps.com
Ezekiel 36:17 Biblia Paralela
Ezekiel 36:17 Chinese Bible
Ezekiel 36:17 French Bible
Ezekiel 36:17 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Ezekiel 36:17 Son of man when the house (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 36:16
Top of Page
Top of Page