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Ezekiel 8

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Ezekiel's Visionary Journey to Jerusalem 1–4

1
And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. ​
2
Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. ​
3
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. ​
4
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. ​

The Abomination of the Image of Jealousy 5–6

5
Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. ​
6
He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. ​

The Secret Idolatry of the Elders 7–13

7
And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8
Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9
And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10
So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. ​
11
And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. ​
12
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. ​
13
He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

Women Weeping for Tammuz 14–15

14
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. ​
15
Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

Men Worshipping the Sun and the Fury Declared 16–18

16
And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. ​
17
Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. ​
18
Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezekiel 8

Verse 1

the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me — The date falls fourteen months after the vision of 1:1–3, given as the fifth day of the fourth month in the fifth year. The elders of Judah sit before him, as they do again in 14:1 and 20:1, and the hand that was 'upon him' by the river Chebar (1:3) now carries him to Jerusalem in vision (v.3).

Verse 2

the colour of amber — Chashmal, a word that occurs only in Ezekiel (1:4, 1:27 and here). Fire below the loins and brightness above is the description of the one 'as the appearance of a man' on the throne in 1:26–27, so the figure who takes Ezekiel by the hand is the LORD in his glory.

Verse 3

a lock of mine head — Tsitsith, a tuft or lock, is found elsewhere only for the 'fringe' of Num 15:38–39, which was to help Israel remember the LORD's commandments. 'Image' is semel, the word used of the idol Manasseh set 'in the house of God' (2 Chr 33:7). It 'provoketh to jealousy', as strange gods did (Deut 32:16).

Verse 4

the glory of the God of Israel — This is the same glory Ezekiel saw 'in the plain', where it 'stood… as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar' (3:22–23). It is still in the house here. Its departure begins when it leaves 'the threshold of the house' (10:18) and ends when it goes up from the city and stands on the east mountain (11:23).

Verse 5

this image of jealousy in the entry — 'Entry' (bi'ah) occurs only here. The image shown in v.3 at the north gate is now seen 'at the gate of the altar', the approach to the court where the LORD's altar stood. It had been said of this house, 'will I put my name for ever' (2 Chr 33:7), and the image stands where that name was placed.

Verse 6

go far off from my sanctuary — 'Go far off' is rachaq, to be distant. The abominations are what drive the LORD from his own house, and the visions that follow show it happening (10:18; 11:23). 'Greater abominations' are promised here and again in vv.13 and 15, so this first sight is the least of four.

Verse 10

pourtrayed upon the wall — 'Abominable beasts' is sheqets, the word for the unclean creatures of Lev 11 (vv.10–13, 20, 23, 41–42), and 'creeping things' is remes. Such figures broke the command, 'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing…' (Ex 20:4). Paul describes the same exchange in Rom 1:23.

Verse 11

seventy men of the ancients — The number recalls the seventy elders who stood with Moses at the tabernacle (Num 11:16), but each of these holds a censer. Incense was for the seed of Aaron alone, and the two hundred and fifty men who offered it with Korah were consumed by fire (Num 16:35, 40). Another Jaazaniah, son of Azur, appears in 11:1.

Verse 12

the chambers of his imagery — Maskith is a carved or figured thing, the word for 'image of stone' in Lev 26:1; each man has a room of his own. The LORD's question, 'hast thou seen', uses the same verb as their saying, 'The LORD seeth us not'. Isa 29:15 records the same thought, 'Who seeth us?', and 9:9 repeats this one.

Verse 14

weeping for Tammuz — Tammuz is named only here in the Bible. The verse says that women sat weeping for him at the door of the north gate of the LORD's house, and the LORD counts it among the 'greater abominations' promised in v.13. The same house had been set apart by his name (2 Chr 33:7).

Verse 16

they worshipped the sun toward the east — The men stand 'between the porch and the altar', where the priests were told to weep and say, 'Spare thy people, O LORD' (Joel 2:17), but their backs are to the temple. Worship of 'the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven' was forbidden (Deut 17:3), and Josiah had removed 'the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun' (2 Kgs 23:11).

Verse 17

the branch to their nose — 'Branch' is zemorah, a vine shoot, as in Num 13:23 and Ezek 15:2. The text does not say what the gesture was. It is added to the abominations done 'here' and to the violence with which they 'have filled the land', the 'violence' of 7:23 and the 'blood' of 9:9.

Verse 18

mine eye shall not spare — The LORD repeats the sentence of 7:4, 'mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity', and says it again in 9:10. That he will not hear a loud cry is the warning of other prophets, 'Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them' (Mic 3:4), and of Jer 11:11.