Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen - literally, the wicked of the nations: the giving up of Israel to their power will convince the Jews that this is a final overthrow. I will ... make the pomp of the strong to cease - the pride wherewith men "stiff of forehead" despise the prophets.
Their holy places shall be defiled - the sacred compartments of the temple (Psalms 68:35; Jeremiah 51:51). (Calvin.) God calls it "their holy places," because they had so defiled it that He regarded it no longer as His. However, as the defilement of the temple has already been, mentioned (Ezekiel 7:20; Ezekiel 7:22), and 'their sacred places' are introduced as a new subject, it seems better to understand this of the places dedicated to their idols. Since they defiled God's sanctuary, He will defile their self-constituted 'sacred places.'