Ezekiel 48:15 – Translation
Question
What is the Hebrew translation for Ezekiel 48:15? In the KJV:
Ezekiel 48:15 KJV – And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane [place] for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.
Ezekiel 48:16 KJV – And these [shall be] the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.
None of the other common translations define this portion of the city as profane, so could you provide me the Hebrew translation of this verse? Based on all of the other translations I checked, it seems this is not only not correct but a huge distortion of an accurate interpretation.
Answers
The translation is pretty much correct. The word in Hebrew that is used is “chol” which in the context of the verse means “secular” or “not sanctified.” I think that the somewhat antiquated translation of “profane” fits.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team