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 20:14

20:14 I acted 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 20:39

20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, ⁴  if you will not listen to me. ⁵  But my holy name will not be profaned ⁶  again by your sacrifices ⁷  and your idols.

Ezekiel 36:20-21

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.’ 36:21 I was concerned for my holy reputation ⁸  which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

Ezekiel 36:36

36:36 Then the nations which remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken – and I will do it!’

Exodus 20:7

20:7 “You shall not take ⁹  the name of the Lord your God in vain, ¹⁰  for the Lord will not hold guiltless ¹¹  anyone who takes his name in vain.

Leviticus 18:21

18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, ¹²  so that you do not profane ¹³  the name of your God. I am the Lord!

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 sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.

⁵ tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.

⁶ sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.

⁷ tn Or “gifts.”

⁸ tn Heb “name.”

⁹ tn Or “use” (NCV, TEV); NIV, CEV, NLT “misuse”; NRSV “make wrongful use of.”

¹⁰ tn שָׁוְא (shav’, “vain”) describes “unreality.” The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God.

¹¹ tn Or “leave unpunished.”

¹² tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.

¹³ tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.