Profane

Profane - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PROFA'NE, a. [L. profanus; pro and fanum, a temple.]

1. Irreverent to any thing sacred; applied to persons. A man is profane when he takes the name of God in vain, or treats sacred things with abuse and irreverence.

2. Irreverent; proceeding from a contempt of sacred things, or implying it; as profane words or language; profane swearing.

3. Not sacred; secular; relating to secular things; as profane history.

4. Polluted; not pure.

Nothing is profane that serveth to holy things.

5. Not purified or holy; allowed for common use; as a profane place. Ezek 42. and 48.

6. Obscene; heathenish; tending to bring reproach on religion; as profane fables. 1 Tim 4.

Profane is used chiefly in Scripture in opposition to holy, or qualified ceremonially for sacred services.

PROFA'NE, v.t. To violate any thing sacred, or treat it with abuse,irreverence, obloquy or contempt; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the sabbath; to profane the Scriptures or the ordinances of God.

1. To pollute; to defile; to apply to temporal uses; to use as base or common. Ezek 24.

2. To violate. Mal 2.

3. To pollute; to debase.Lev 21.

4. To put to a wrong use.

Profaned - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PROFA'NED, pp. Violated; treated with irreverence or abuse; applied to common uses; polluted.

pro-fan' (verb chalal, adjective chalal, chol; bebeloo, bebelos): From profanus, "before (i.e. outside) the temple," therefore unholy, polluted, secular, is of frequent occurrence (verb and adjective) in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It occurs as the translation of chol in the King James Version only in Eze (22:26, the Revised Version (British and American) "common"; 42:20; 44:23; 48:15, the Revised Version (British and American) "for common use"); as the translation of chalal in Le 21:7,14, the Revised Version margin "polluted"; and Eze 21:25, where, for the King James Version "thou profane wicked prince of Israel," the Revised Version (British and American) has "thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel." "To profane" (chalal) is seen in Le 18:21; 19:8; Ne 13:17,18; Ps 89:39; Isa 43:28; Eze 22:8,26, etc. "Profaneness" in Jer 23:15 (chanuppah) is in the American Standard Revised Version "ungodliness." In the New Testament "profane" occurs in the sense of unholy, godless, regardless of God and divine things (1Ti 1:9; 4:7; 6:20; 2Ti 2:16; Heb 12:16), and "to profane," or violate, in Mt 12:5; Ac 24:6. The verb is frequent in Apocrypha in 1 Macc (1:43,45,63; 2:34, etc.; also in 2 Macc 8:2; 10:5; compare 2 Esdras 15:8; Judith 4:3,12; 1 Macc 1:48; 2 Macc 4:13). In numerous cases the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "profane" for other words and phrases in the King James Version, as for "to prostitute" (Le 19:29), "an hypocrite" (Isa 9:17), "pollute" (Nu 18:32; Eze 7:21), etc.

W. L. Walker

Definition

To profane something means to act in a way that defiles, pollutes, or disrespects something that is holy.

• A profane person is one who acts in a way that is unholy and dishonoring of God.
• The verb to “profane” could be translated as to “treat as unholy” or to “be irreverent toward” or to “dishonor.”
• God told the Israelites that they “profaned” themselves with idols, meaning that the people were making themselves “unclean” or “dishonored” by this sin. They were also dishonoring God.
• Depending on the context, the adjective “profane” could be translated as “dishonoring” or “godless” or “unholy.”

(See also: defile, holy, clean)

Bible References

• 2 Timothy 2:16-18
• Ezekiel 20:9
• Malachi 1:10-12
• Matthew 12:5
• Numbers 18:30-32

Word Data

• Strong’s: H2455, H2490, H2491, H5234, H8610, G09520, G09530