Meaning
Profane 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 Lev 21:7, Lev 21:14, 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 Lev 18:21, Lev 19:8, Neh 13:17, Neh 13:18, Psa 89:39, Isa 43:28, Eze 22:8, Eze 22:26, 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, 1Ti 4:7, 1Ti 6:20, 2Ti 2:16, Heb 12:16), and "to profane," or violate, in Mat 12:5, Act 24:6. The verb is frequent in Apocrypha in 1 Macc (1:43,45,63; 2:34, etc.; also in 2Macc 8:2, 10:5; compare Esdras 15:8, Judith 4:3,12, Macc 1:48, 2Macc 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" (Num 18:32, Eze 7:21), etc.
W. L. Walker
