Ezekiel 36:21 (YLT)

Passage

And I have pity on My holy name, That the house of Israel have polluted among nations whither they have gone in.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:19 And I scatter them among nations, And they are spread through lands, According to their way, and according to their doings, I have judged them.

Ezekiel 36:20 And one goeth in unto the nations whither they have gone, And they pollute My holy name by saying to them, The people of Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> these, And from His land they have gone forth.

Ezekiel 36:21 And I have pity on My holy name, That the house of Israel have polluted among nations whither they have gone in.

Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Not for your sake am I working, O house of Israel, But--for My holy name, That ye have polluted among nations whither ye have gone in.

Ezekiel 36:23 And I have sanctified My great name, That is profaned among nations, That ye have polluted in your midst, And known have the nations that I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, In My being sanctified in you before your eyes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pity", "holy", "name", "house", "israel", "polluted", "nations", and "whither". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pity" and "holy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And one goeth in unto the nations..." into verse 22's "Therefore say to the house of Israel...", so "pity" and "holy" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pity" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.