The Hebrew chalal carries two distinct but related meanings. In its primary sense it means to profane, pollute, or desecrate what is sacred. Leviticus 20:3: 'I will set my face against that man and cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molek, he has defiled (chalal) my sanctuary.' In its secondary sense it means to begin, or to pierce β suggesting a break in what was whole.
The theology of chalal centers on the boundary between holy and common. God's name, Sabbath, sanctuary, priesthood, and covenant people are all candidates for profanation in the OT. Ezekiel is particularly focused on the chalal of God's holy name among the nations β Israel's exile was itself a profaning of God's reputation (Ezekiel 36:20-23). God's response is not to abandon his name but to re-sanctify it by restoring Israel. In Isaiah 53:5 the same root appears: 'he was pierced (chalal) for our transgressions' β the Servant profaned by our sin becomes the remedy for all profaning.