Her priests have done violence to my law …: The second group that God attacks are Israel’s priests (compare Zeph 3.4). Priests were the men who performed religious ceremonies and sacrifices, and they stood before God on behalf of the people (see 1.3). If translators have no word for someone who fills this role in their culture, they may say “ceremony men,” “sacrificers,” or “people who come before me for the people.” They have done violence to my law may mean they were breaking the laws of Moses (so Good News Translation) or they were interpreting the laws wrongly for their own gain (so Revised English Bible with “give rulings which violate my law” [similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch]). The Hebrew verb rendered have done violence is a very strong term that usually refers to social injustice and oppression (see the comments on 7.11, where the noun translated “Violence” comes from the same root), so the second interpretation is preferable. Translators may render this clause as “Israel’s priests have distorted my law” or .”.. have twisted my law [for their own benefit].”
And have profaned my holy things: The Hebrew verb rendered profaned means to make something ritually unclean (see 7.21), in this case by using it wrongly. My holy things refers to the sacred objects of the Temple and the sacrifices and donations that the people had given to God (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); some translations take this phrase to refer to the Temple itself (so New Jerusalem Bible), but this is less likely. Translators may render this clause as “and they have taken the things meant for my service and made them unfit for my service.”
They have made no distinction between the holy and the common: One of the main tasks of the priests was to keep apart holy things, that is, those that were set apart for God’s use, and common things, those that were for ordinary use. God accuses them of not doing this. Translators may say “They make no distinction between things meant for me and the things that are ordinary.”
Neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean: As well as distinguishing between the sacred and the ordinary, and keeping them apart, the priests were supposed to teach the people to distinguish between the things that were ritually unclean (see 4.13) and those that were ritually clean. This also they were not doing. Translators may say “They also have not taught the people the difference between things that are not fit for my service and those that are.”
And they have disregarded my sabbaths is literally “and they have hidden their eyes from my sabbaths” (similarly New International Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). This figurative expression means more than simply to “ignore” (Good News Translation), “pay no attention to” (New American Bible) or “not remember” (New Century Version) the Sabbath, although that is part of it. Not only did the priests “treat my Sabbath like any other day” (Contemporary English Version), but they also did not encourage the people to keep it as they were supposed to (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “they did not care when the Sabbath was being desecrated”). Translators may say “They did not pay any attention to people when they did not follow my laws for the day of rest.” Again the priests were not fulfilling their God-given tasks. For sabbaths see 20.12.
So that I am profaned among them: When the priests did not fulfil their tasks properly, the result was that the whole nation failed to obey God properly. Since it is difficult to speak of making God profaned, that is, defiled or unclean, it is better to translate this clause as “As a result the people of Israel do not respect me” (Good News Translation) or “and so my people no longer honor me” (Contemporary English Version).
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 .