But when they came to the nations, wherever they came means whatever countries the Israelites went to when God scattered them. New Living Translation combines these two clauses, saying “But when they were scattered among the nations,” and so do Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version with “Wherever they went.” Instead of they came, the Hebrew text has “he came.” However, most scholars believe the Hebrew reading reflects a mistake in which two letters were switched, and because the context demands plural, they change it to plural. It is acceptable for translators to do the same and use the plural they came.
They profaned my holy name: The Hebrew word for profaned usually has the sense of removing the sacred character of something (see the comments on 7.21-22). However, when God is in view, it means to “dishonor,” “disgrace,” or “treat as not holy” (see 20.9). Although the Hebrew word for holy has the sense of being set apart for a special purpose, it also has the sense of “pure/perfect” or “worthy to be worshiped” when it describes anything to do with God, as it does here (see the comments on 20.39). In many languages the word for holy has the sense of “taboo” or “forbidden,” but this meaning is not appropriate in relation to God. Name refers to God’s character and reputation (compare 20.9). This clause may be rendered “they dishonored my perfect reputation.”
In that men said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land’: What did the Israelites do in the foreign countries that dishonored God’s name? Nothing. It was just the fact that they were there that brought dishonor to God. The reason for this was the belief in the ancient Near East that a god was the ruler and protector of the people who lived in his country. If the people were defeated in war, it showed that their god was too weak to protect them. So when people talked about the Israelites who had been defeated and were living in exile in foreign countries, and said, “These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land,” it implied that the god of Israel was weak and had been defeated by the god of the Babylonians. This brought dishonor on God. Men refers to the “people” (Good News Translation, New International Reader’s Version), not just males, the “foreigners” (Contemporary English Version) among whom the Israelites were living.
It may help to reorder this verse as follows:
• When my people went to the other nations, people there said, ‘These are Yahweh’s people and yet they had to leave Yahweh’s land.’ In this way my people dishonored my perfect character and reputation.
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .