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Ezekiel 9:7

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 9:7 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city.
Ezekiel 9:7 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 9

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
4And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
5And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity;
6slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house.
7And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city.
8And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem?
9Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wrestling [of judgment]: for they say, Jehovah hath forsaken the land, and Jehovah seeth not.
10And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.
← Ezekiel 9:6Ezekiel 9:8 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said unto them, defile the house, &c.] The temple; do not be afraid of slaying any person in it, for fear of defiling it; they have defiled it with their abominations, and now do you defile it with their blood: and fill the courts with the slain; the court of the priests, and the court of the Israelites, and the court of the women, and all the chambers where the priests and Levites were, and had their images portrayed: go ye forth; from the brasen altar by which they stood, and out of the temple, after they had done their business there, and had slain all they should: and they went forth, and slew in the city; they went out of the temple, and slew in the city all but those that had…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Defile the house - By filling the temple and its courts with the bodies of the slain. See Numbers 19:11. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And slew - The slaughter also was in vision. Ezekiel 9:8”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“9:7 Defile the Temple! Unlike Queen Athaliah, who was dragged out of the Temple before she was executed so that her blood would not defile the holy site (2 Kgs 11:15-16), these idolaters were to be killed in the Temple, which was already so defiled by their idolatry that nothing sacred was left there. Without God’s holy presence, concern for the sanctity of the building was an empty gesture.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Eze 7:20-22; Ch2 36:17; Psa 79:1-3; Lam 2:4-7; Luk 13:1 Ezekiel 9:8”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 9 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification