I will turn my face from them, that they may profane my precious place: Not only will God allow foreign enemies to take away all the silver and gold from Israel, but he also will allow them to defile his precious place. It is not clear what this place is. My precious place is literally “my hidden, treasured thing.” Although this expression is quite general in Hebrew, some translations make it specific and take it to refer to the Temple (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). For others it is the land of Israel (so Revised English Bible). Some are less specific but still appear to refer to the Temple (for example, “my secret place” [King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible], “my treasury” [Jerusalem Bible], “my treasure-house” [New Jerusalem Bible], and “My treasures” [New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh]), while others keep it very general (for example, “my treasured place” [New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Century Version]). The Contemporary English Version footnote suggests that it “may refer to the temple, to Jerusalem, or to Israel itself.” Unfortunately, the Hebrew term here is not used in this way anywhere else in the Old Testament, so it is impossible to be sure of the place here. What we can be sure of is that it is something that is very close to God’s heart. In the context of this chapter, which is a prophecy against the land of Israel (see Ezek 7.2), it is probably best to understand it as referring to the land. The only way that the Israelites’ enemies will be able to attack and capture their land is if God will allow it by not protecting them, which is the meaning of I will turn my face from them. New Century Version says “I will turn away from the people of Israel” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), and Contemporary English Version has “I will look away and let it happen.”

Robbers shall enter and profane it: The Hebrew word rendered robbers is not the usual word for “thief,” but it has the sense of “violent [men]” (New Revised Standard Version), “brigands” (Revised English Bible), or “ruffians” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). They will enter and profane it. This phrase fits equally well for entering and defiling the land, Jerusalem, or the Temple. The Hebrew word for profane means to take away the sacred character of something (see the comments on the previous verse). Even Jerusalem and the land were considered sacred by the Jews.

A model for this verse is:

• I will turn away from my people and let foreigners make my precious property no longer fit for my presence. Thugs will enter it and it will no longer be a place where I can dwell.

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 .