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 inLe 21:7,14, the Revised Version margin "polluted"; andEze 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 inLe 18:21;19:8;Ne 13:17,18;Ps 89:39;Isa 43:28;Eze 22:8,26, etc. "Profaneness" inJer 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, inMt 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