Profanation refers to the act of treating something sacred with irreverence or disrespect. In the biblical context, it often involves the desecration of holy things, places, or practices that are set apart for the worship and service of God. The concept of profanation is deeply rooted in the understanding of holiness and the distinction between the sacred and the common.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word often translated as "profane" is "ḥālal," which means to defile or pollute. The Israelites were given specific instructions to maintain the sanctity of the tabernacle, the temple, and the various offerings and sacrifices. Profanation was considered a serious offense against God, as it violated the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Leviticus 19:12 warns against profaning God's name: "You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." This underscores the importance of maintaining the holiness of God's name, which represents His character and authority.

The priests, in particular, were held to a high standard of holiness. Leviticus 21:6 states, "They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the offerings made by fire to the LORD, the food of their God. So they must be holy." The priests' conduct was to reflect the sanctity of their office and the offerings they presented.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the concept of profanation extends to the defilement of the body, which is considered the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple." This passage emphasizes the sacredness of the believer's body and the seriousness of defiling it through sinful actions.

Jesus Himself addressed the issue of profanation when He cleansed the temple, driving out those who were buying and selling within its courts. In Matthew 21:13 , He declared, "It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’" Here, Jesus condemned the profanation of the temple, which was meant to be a place of worship and communion with God.

Profanation in Worship and Conduct

Profanation is not limited to physical spaces or objects but also extends to worship and conduct. Malachi 1:12 criticizes the Israelites for offering blemished sacrifices: "But you are profaning it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible.’" This reflects a heart attitude that fails to honor God with the best offerings, thus profaning the worship due to Him.

In the New Testament, believers are called to live lives that reflect the holiness of God. Romans 12:1 urges, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." This call to holiness in daily life is a safeguard against profanation, as it aligns the believer's actions with the sacredness of their calling.

Consequences of Profanation

The Bible consistently warns of the consequences of profanation. In Ezekiel 22:26 , God rebukes the priests for failing to distinguish between the holy and the common: "Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the common, and they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean." Such actions lead to judgment and separation from God.

Profanation, therefore, is a grave matter in the biblical narrative, as it undermines the holiness of God and the integrity of His worship. The call to holiness and reverence is a recurring theme, urging believers to honor God in all aspects of life.1. (n.) The act of violating sacred things, or of treating them with contempt or irreverence; irreverent or too familiar treatment or use of what is sacred; desecration; as, the profanation of the Sabbath; the profanation of a sanctuary; the profanation of the name of God.

2. (n.) The act of treating with abuse or disrespect, or with undue publicity, or lack of delicacy.

1352. goel -- defiling, defilement
... Word Origin from gaal Definition defiling, defilement NASB Word Usage defiled (1).
defile. From ga'al; profanation -- defile. see HEBREW ga'al. 1351, 1352. ...
/hebrew/1352.htm - 6k

Profanations of Good and Truth
... leading is from hell. (AE, n.1043.). II. The First Kind of Profanation.
Profanations are of many kinds. The most grievous kind is ...
/.../spiritual life and the word of god/part thirdprofanations of good and.htm

The Commandments
... As Divine truth or the Word is meant by "the name of God," and the profanation of
it means a denial of its holiness, and thus contempt, rejection, and blasphemy ...
/.../swedenborg/spiritual life and the word of god/part secondthe commandments.htm

The Arrest
... But the crowning profanation, for which humanity will never forgive him, was the
sign by which he had agreed to make his Master known to His enemies. ...
/.../stalker/the trial and death of jesus christ/chapter i the arrest.htm

Faithlessness and Defeat
... There seems some hint that their action was presumptuous profanation, in the solemn,
full title given in verse 4: 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/faithlessness and defeat.htm

The Life of Mr. John Welch.
... After writing several times to him to suppress the profanation of the Lord's day
at his house, (which he slighted, not loving to be called a puritan) Mr. Welch ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr john 5.htm

That Upon the Conquest and Slaughter of vitellius Vespasian ...
... [7] It is worth noting here, that this Ananus, the best of the Jews at this time,
and the high priest, who was so very uneasy at the profanation of the Jewish ...
/.../chapter 11 that upon the.htm

Bourdaloue -- the Passion of Christ
... which began from that time to burst upon this nation, the ruin of Jerusalem which
followed soon after"the carnage of their citizens, the profanation of their ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/bourdaloue the passion of.htm

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... [70]. Many fearful examples of God's judgments by fire, have in our days been shewed
upon divers towns, where the profanation of the Lord's day hath been openly ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

The Third Commandment
... such. To bring Scripture therefore to uphold us in sin, is a high profanation
of Scripture, and taking God's name in vain. Again ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 3 the third commandment.htm

Prefatory Notice
... And on Lord's days, instead of the open profanation to which they had been so long
accustomed, a person in passing through the town in the intervals of public ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/baxter/the saints everlasting rest/prefatory notice.htm

Profanation (1 Occurrence)
... or of treating them with contempt or irreverence; irreverent or too familiar treatment
or use of what is sacred; desecration; as, the profanation of the Sabbath ...
/p/profanation.htm - 7k

Products (9 Occurrences)

/p/products.htm - 9k

Violation (6 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) An act of irreverence or desecration; profanation or contemptuous
treatment of sacred things; as, the violation of a church. ...
/v/violation.htm - 8k

Violence (98 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Injury done to that which is entitled to respect, reverence, or observance;
profanation; infringement; unjust force; outrage; assault. ...
/v/violence.htm - 38k

Woman (4043 Occurrences)
... The majority of the people strongly resented this act of profanation (Numbers
25:6). A pestilence was raging in the camp, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, in ...
/w/woman.htm - 45k

Wall (227 Occurrences)
... The Levites at once shut the gates, to prevent the possibility of any further
profanation, and Paul would have been torn in pieces, had not the Roman commander ...
/w/wall.htm - 49k

Felix (11 Occurrences)
... There Paul, being attacked at the instigation of the Asiatic Jews for alleged false
teaching and profanation of the temple, was rescued with difficulty by ...
/f/felix.htm - 15k

Forbid (46 Occurrences)
... 22:29; Joshua 24:16 1 Samuel 12:23 Job 27:5, etc.), "My God forbid it me" (1 Chronicles
11:19), the word is chalilah, denoting profanation, or abhorrence ...
/f/forbid.htm - 23k

Trophimus (3 Occurrences)
... Trophimus who was neither a Jew nor a proselyte, but Gentile Christian, had been
introduced into the temple itself by Paul-which would have been profanation. ...
/t/trophimus.htm - 15k

Middle (169 Occurrences)
... The Levites at once shut the gates, to prevent the possibility of any further
profanation, and Paul would have been torn in pieces, had not the Roman commander ...
/m/middle.htm - 45k

Profanation: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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