Ezekiel 8:14

Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Then he brought H935 me to the door H6607 of the gate H8179 of the LORD'S H3068 house H1004 which was toward the north H6828; and, behold, there sat H3427 women H802 weeping H1058 for Tammuz H8542.
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Complete Jewish Bible
He brought me to the entrance of the north gate to ADONAI's house; and there before me were women weeping for Tammuz.
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Berean Standard Bible
Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.
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American Standard Version
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Jehovah’s house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.
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World English Bible Messianic
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and see, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And he caused me to enter into the entrie of the gate of the Lords house, which was toward the North: and beholde there sate women mourning for Tammuz.
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Young's Literal Translation
And He bringeth me in unto the opening of the gate of the house of Jehovah that is at the north, and lo, there the women are sitting weeping for Tammuz.
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See also
Ezekiel 46:9Ezekiel 44:4
In the KJVVerse 20,619 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 8:14 vividly portrays a deeply disturbing scene within the prophet's vision of the Jerusalem Temple, where women are observed engaging in the pagan mourning rituals for the deity Tammuz at a prominent gate of the Lord's sacred house. This act represents a profound spiritual abomination and a blatant display of idolatry, serving as irrefutable evidence of Israel's pervasive apostasy and providing divine justification for the severe judgment and impending destruction that would soon befall Jerusalem.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within a pivotal prophetic vision in Ezekiel chapter 8, where the Lord supernaturally transports Ezekiel from his Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. The purpose of this divine journey is for Ezekiel to witness firsthand the escalating abominations occurring within the sacred precincts of the Temple. The vision unfolds as a series of four progressively more egregious acts of idolatry, each revealing a deeper layer of defilement. It begins with an "image of jealousy" at the north gate (Ezekiel 8:5), followed by seventy elders secretly worshipping images of creeping things and detestable idols in a hidden chamber (Ezekiel 8:10-12). This verse, depicting the women weeping for Tammuz, constitutes the third abomination, leading to the climactic fourth scene of men bowing down to the sun in the inner court (Ezekiel 8:16). Each successive revelation intensifies the sense of Israel's spiritual corruption, meticulously building the case for God's righteous judgment, which is then dramatically executed in Ezekiel chapter 9.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ezekiel's prophetic ministry occurred during a tumultuous period in Judah's history, the early 6th century BCE, which culminated in the devastating Babylonian exile. Though Jerusalem still stood, it was under severe threat or siege from Babylon, and its spiritual condition was dire. The worship of Tammuz, known as Dumuzi in Sumerian mythology, was a prominent fertility cult originating in Mesopotamia. This deity was closely associated with vegetation and the annual cycle of death and rebirth in nature. The "weeping for Tammuz" was an annual ritualistic mourning, typically performed by women during the summer solstice (the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar, later named Tammuz), lamenting his supposed death or descent into the underworld. This ritual was believed to be essential for ensuring the return of fertility to the land. For the Israelites, engaging in such pagan practices, especially within the hallowed grounds of the Temple complex, represented a profound syncretism—a blasphemous blending of the worship of Yahweh with the idolatrous customs of surrounding nations. This was a direct and egregious violation of the Mosaic Law's stringent prohibitions against foreign gods and their associated rituals, as explicitly warned in passages like Deuteronomy 12:29-31.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prevalent in the book of Ezekiel and the broader prophetic literature. It starkly illustrates the theme of Profound Idolatry, showcasing Israel's egregious abandonment of exclusive worship of Yahweh in favor of pagan deities. This act is a direct and flagrant violation of the first commandment, which demands monotheistic devotion. The specific location of this ritual, "the door of the gate of the LORD'S house," emphatically underscores the theme of Temple Defilement. It highlights how the sacred space, meticulously designed for God's exclusive presence and pure worship, had been utterly profaned by blasphemous acts, rendering it unfit for divine habitation. This spiritual unfaithfulness is also a vivid manifestation of Spiritual Adultery, a recurring prophetic metaphor where Israel, likened to a bride in covenant with God, has forsaken her faithful relationship for illicit spiritual liaisons. Prophets like Jeremiah frequently explore this theme, as seen in Jeremiah 3:8-9. Ultimately, this vision, including the scene of women weeping for Tammuz, serves as irrefutable evidence to justify God's Righteous Indignation and the impending judgment, demonstrating that the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile were not arbitrary acts but a just and necessary divine response to Israel's persistent and escalating rebellion against their covenant Lord.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • house (Hebrew, bayith', H1004): Refers specifically to the "LORD'S house," which is the Temple in Jerusalem. This word (H1004) encompasses a broad range of applications, from a physical dwelling to a family or household. Here, its use emphasizes the sacred nature of the structure as God's designated dwelling place, which is being profoundly defiled. The profanation of God's physical "house" powerfully reflects the deep spiritual decay within the "house" of Israel itself.
  • weeping (Hebrew, bâkâh', H1058): Describes the action of the women mourning. This term (H1058) signifies a deep emotional expression of sorrow, often involving tears and lamentation. In this context, it specifically highlights the ritualistic nature of mourning for Tammuz, an act of devotion and supplication directed towards a pagan deity, which stands in direct blasphemous contrast to the worship and lamentation due exclusively to Yahweh.
  • Tammuz (Hebrew, Tammûwz', H8542): The specific Phoenician/Mesopotamian deity for whom the women are mourning. This proper noun (H8542) denotes a foreign god whose worship was utterly anathema and strictly forbidden to the covenant people of Israel. The very presence of his worship within the sacred precincts of the Temple signifies the complete spiritual compromise and pervasive syncretism that had tragically overtaken Jerusalem.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which [was] toward the north;": This initial clause precisely establishes the location of the impending abomination. Ezekiel is divinely transported by the Spirit to a prominent and highly accessible entrance of the Temple complex, specifically identified as the north gate. The phrase "door of the gate" suggests a significant public access point, implying that this idolatrous practice was not hidden in secret but brazenly performed in a place visible to many. This public display further underscores the profound depth of Israel's spiritual decline and their open, defiant rebellion against God.
  • "and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.": This second clause immediately reveals the specific act of idolatry. The prophet observes women, unmistakably Israelite women, deeply engaged in a ritualistic lament. Their "sitting" implies a formal, perhaps prolonged, and dedicated act of mourning. Crucially, the object of their weeping is explicitly identified as "Tammuz," a foreign fertility god. This act of devotion to a pagan deity, performed within the sacred confines of the Temple, represents the ultimate act of spiritual betrayal and an egregious, covenant-breaking violation of God's commands against idolatry.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 8:14 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of spiritual apostasy and impending judgment. Symbolism is paramount, with the "door of the gate of the LORD'S house" powerfully symbolizing the sanctity of God's dwelling place and, by extension, the purity and exclusivity of Israel's covenant relationship with Him. Its defilement by pagan worship signifies the nation's profound spiritual corruption and broken covenant. The act of "weeping for Tammuz" is itself a potent Symbol of spiritual adultery and syncretism, representing Israel's unholy alliance with foreign gods and their tragic abandonment of Yahweh. The entire scene is part of a larger Prophetic Vision, a common and effective literary form in Ezekiel, which allows for the dramatic revelation of spiritual truths and divine judgment through vivid, often unsettling, imagery. The progressive unveiling of abominations throughout Ezekiel chapter 8 creates a compelling sense of escalating horror and Foreshadowing, meticulously building towards the inevitable divine wrath and judgment depicted in the subsequent chapters.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 8:14 stands as a stark testament to the devastating consequences of spiritual compromise and idolatry, a theme that reverberates throughout the entirety of biblical theology. The weeping for Tammuz, a fertility god, highlights humanity's persistent and inherent temptation to seek life, provision, and security from sources other than the one true, living God. This scene powerfully underscores God's unwavering demand for exclusive worship and His fierce, holy jealousy for His own glory, as He categorically declares that He will not share His honor with idols. It profoundly reveals that idolatry is not merely a ritualistic act but a profound betrayal of covenant love, akin to the most grievous spiritual adultery. The defilement of the Temple, God's designated dwelling place, demonstrates unequivocally that sin, especially when it permeates the community of faith, grieves God deeply and renders sacred spaces unfit for His holy presence, thereby necessitating either purification or righteous judgment. This passage serves as a powerful and timeless warning against syncretism, reminding all believers that true worship demands absolute, uncompromised allegiance to Yahweh alone, untainted by worldly philosophies, cultural trends, or competing allegiances.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel's vision of the women weeping for Tammuz offers a profound and challenging call for contemporary believers, urging us to engage in a vigilant examination of the subtle, often insidious, forms of idolatry that can infiltrate our personal lives and communal worship. While overt pagan rituals may seem distant and irrelevant to our modern context, the underlying human tendency to seek comfort, security, identity, or fulfillment apart from God remains an ever-present spiritual danger. We must therefore diligently guard against allowing prevailing cultural trends, personal desires, material pursuits, or even seemingly noble ambitions to subtly displace God from His rightful, central, and supreme position in our hearts and worship. True devotion requires an uncompromised and exclusive allegiance, ensuring that our deepest affections, our most valuable time, and our most significant resources are primarily and passionately directed towards Him. This passage compels us to engage in deep self-examination: what "Tammuz" might we be prioritizing, consciously or unconsciously, that subtly demands our devotion or distracts us from God's absolute centrality? Are there ideologies, relationships, achievements, or even anxieties that we "weep for" or invest our emotional energy into more than our relationship with the Lord? Recognizing the profound seriousness with which God views spiritual infidelity should compel us to cultivate a pure, exclusive, and unadulterated worship, rooted in heartfelt commitment and obedient love, thereby ensuring that our lives remain a fitting and holy dwelling place for His Spirit.

Questions for Reflection

  • What modern "Tammuz" figures, cultural practices, or personal aspirations might subtly compete for our ultimate devotion or distract us from exclusive worship of God?
  • How can we proactively ensure that our personal and corporate worship remains pure, uncompromised, and truly centered on God amidst the pressures of the world?
  • In what ways might our "temple"—our individual body as a dwelling of the Holy Spirit, or our spiritual community—be inadvertently defiled by unacknowledged or unaddressed spiritual compromise?
  • What concrete steps can we take to cultivate a deeper, more exclusive, and passionately devoted relationship with God in our daily lives?

FAQ

What was the significance of weeping for Tammuz in ancient Near Eastern religions?

Answer: Weeping for Tammuz was a profoundly significant annual ritual in ancient Mesopotamian and Canaanite religions, particularly associated with fertility cults. Tammuz (or Dumuzi in Sumerian) was a deity intrinsically linked to vegetation, agriculture, and the cyclical rhythm of the seasons. The ritualistic mourning, typically performed by women, lamented his supposed death or descent into the underworld, which was believed to be the cause of the drying up of vegetation and the subsequent loss of agricultural fertility. The weeping was an act of sympathetic magic, intended to appease the deity and encourage his return, thereby ensuring the land's fruitfulness and the continuation of life and prosperity. For the Israelites to engage in this ritual within the sacred precincts of the Temple was a direct and egregious adoption of pagan practices, fundamentally antithetical to the exclusive worship of Yahweh, who alone is the sovereign source of all life, blessing, and provision, as beautifully described in Psalm 65:9-13.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 8:14, with its stark depiction of profound idolatry and the defilement of God's sacred Temple, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in several profound and redemptive ways. The women weeping for Tammuz powerfully symbolize humanity's persistent and tragic tendency to seek life, comfort, and salvation from false gods and empty rituals, a spiritual idolatry that Jesus Christ came decisively to eradicate. He is the true source of life and spiritual fertility, not a dying god of vegetation, but the resurrected Lord, who has conquered death and offers eternal life. The defilement of the Temple by pagan worship foreshadows Christ's righteous indignation when He physically cleansed the Temple, driving out those who had turned His Father's house into a "den of robbers" (Matthew 21:13). More profoundly, Jesus Himself becomes the new Temple, the true and ultimate dwelling place of God among humanity, as He declared, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19-21). His body, broken on the cross, is the ultimate and perfect sacrifice that cleanses not merely a physical structure, but the human heart from the deep-seated idolatry that grieves God. Through His atoning work, believers are transformed into a "spiritual house," a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), where true worship in "spirit and truth" is offered to God the Father (John 4:23-24). Thus, the weeping for Tammuz, a futile ritual for a dead god, stands in stark and glorious contrast to the joy, life, and eternal hope found in Christ, who has triumphed over death and offers salvation to all who turn from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

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Commentary on Ezekiel 8 verses 13–18

Here we have,

I. More and greater abominations discovered to the prophet. He thought that what he had seen was bad enough and yet (Eze 8:13): Turn thyself again, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations, and greater still, Eze 8:15, as before, Eze 8:6. There are those who live in retirement who do no think what wickedness there is in this world; and the more we converse with it, and the further we go abroad into it, the more corrupt we see it. When we have seen that which is bad we may have our wonder at it made to cease by the discovery of that which, upon some account or other, is a great deal worse. We shall find it so in examining our own hearts and searching into them; there is a world of iniquity in them, a great abundance and variety of abominations, and, when we have found out much amiss, still we shall find more; for the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it perfectly? Now the abominations here discovered were, 1. Women weeping for Tammuz, Eze 8:14. An abominable thing indeed, that any should choose rather to serve an idol in tears than to serve the true God with joyfulness and gladness of heart! Yet such absurdities as these are those guilty of who follow after lying vanities and forsake their own mercies. Some think it was for Adonis, an idol among the Greeks, other for Osiris, an idol of the Egyptians, that they shed these tears. The image, they say, was made to weep, and then the worshippers wept with it. They bewailed the death of this Tammuz, and anon rejoiced in its returning to life again. These mourning women sat at the door of the gate of the Lord's house, and there shed their idolatrous tears, as it were in defiance of God and the sacred rites of his worship, and some think, with their idolatry, prostrating themselves also to corporeal whoredom; for these two commonly went together, and those that dishonoured the divine nature by the one were justly given up to vile affections and a reprobate sense to dishonour the human nature, which nowhere ever sunk so far below itself as in these idolatrous rites. 2. Men worshipping the sun, Eze 8:16. And this was so much the greater an abomination that it was practised in the inner court of the Lord's house at the door of the temple of the lord, between the porch and the altar. There, where the most sacred rites of their holy religion used to be performed, was this abominable wickedness committed. Justly might God in jealousy say to those who thus affronted him at his own door, as the king to Haman, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? Here were about twenty-five men giving that honour to the sun which is due to God only. Some think they were the king and his princes; it should rather seem that they were priests, for this was the court of the priests, and the proper place to find them in. Those that were entrusted with the true religion, had it committed to their care and were charged with the custody of it, they were the men that betrayed it. (1.) They turned their backs towards the temple of the Lord, resolvedly forgetting it and designedly slighting it and putting contempt upon it. Note, When men turn their backs upon God's institutions, and despise them, it is no marvel if they wander endlessly after their own inventions. Impiety is the beginning of idolatry and all iniquity. (2.) They turned their faces towards the east, and worshipped the sun, the rising sun. This was an ancient instance of idolatry; it is mentioned in Job's time (Job 31:26), and had been generally practised among the nations, some worshipping the sun under one name, others under another. These priests, finding it had antiquity and general consent and usage on its side (the two pleas which the papists use at this day in defence of their superstitious rites, and particularly this of worshipping towards the east), practised it in the court of the temple, thinking it an omission that it was not inserted in their ritual. See the folly of idolaters in worshipping that as a god, and calling it Baal - a lord, which God made to be a servant to the universe (for such the sun is, and so his name Shemesh signified, Deu 4:19), and in adoring the borrowed light and despising the Father of lights.

II. The inference drawn from these discoveries (Eze 8:17): "Hast thou seen this, O son of man! and couldst thou have thought ever to see such things done in the temple of the Lord?" Now, 1. he appeals to the prophet himself concerning the heinousness of the crime. Can he think it is a light thing to the house of Judah, who know and profess better things, and are dignified with so many privileges above other nations? Is it an excusable thing in those that have God's oracles and ordinances that they commit the abominations which they commit here? Do not those deserve to suffer that thus sin? Should not such abominations as these make desolate? Dan 9:27. 2. He aggravates it from the fraud and oppression that were to be found in all parts of the nations: They have filled the land with violence. It is not strange if those that wrong God thus make no conscience of wronging one another, and with all that is sacred trample likewise upon all that is just. And their wickedness in their conversations made even the worship they paid to their own God an abomination (Isa 1:11, etc.): "They fill the land with violence, and then they return to the temple to provoke me to anger there; for even their sacrifices, instead of making an atonement, do but add to their guilt. They return to provoke me (they repeat the provocation, do it, and do it again), and, lo, they put the branch to their nose" - a proverbial expression denoting perhaps their scoffing at God and having him in derision; they snuffed at his service, as men do when they put a branch to their nose. Or it was some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. We read of garlands used in their idolatrous worships (Act 14:13), out of which every zealot took a branch which they smelled to as a nosegay. Dr. Lightfoot (Hor. Heb. in John 15.6) gives another sense of this place: They put the branch to their wrath, or to his wrath, as the Masorites read it; that is, they are still bringing more fuel (such as the withered branches of the vine) to the fire of divine wrath, which they have already kindled, as if that wrath did not burn hot enough already. Or putting the branch to the nose may signify the giving of a very great affront and provocation either to God or man; they are an abusive generation of men. 3. he passes sentence upon them that they shall be utterly cut off: Therefore, because they are thus furiously bent upon sin, I will also deal in fury with them, Eze 8:18. They filled the land with their violence, and God will fill it with the violence of their enemies; and he will not lend a favourable ear to the suggestions either, (1.) Of his own pity: My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; repentance shall be hidden from his eyes; or, (2.) Of their prayers: Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them; for still their sins cry more loudly for vengeance than their prayers cry for mercy. God will now be as deaf to their prayers as their own idols were, on whom they cried aloud, but in vain, Kg1 18:26. Time was when God was ready to hear even before they cried and to answer while they were yet speaking; but now they shall seek me early and not find me, Pro 1:28. It is not the loud voice, but the upright heart, that God will regard.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–18. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 13, 14). And he said to me: You will still see greater abominations that they (or these) do. And he brought me through the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord, which faced north; and behold, there were women sitting there, mourning for Adonis. Whom we interpret as Adonis, and in the Hebrew and Syriac languages is called Thamuz. Therefore, because according to the Gentile fable, in the month of June the lover of Venus and the most beautiful young man is killed, and it is narrated that he then revived, they also call the same month by the same name and celebrate an annual commemoration for him, in which he is mourned by women as if dead, and then praised and honored when he revives. And afterwards, when the leaders and elders of the house of Israel saw what had been done in the temple and in the dark chambers, even the vices of women are described, who lament in private the loss of their lovers and rejoice if they are able to obtain them. And because the same Gentile people subtly interpret such fables of poets, which have obscenity, as the killing and resurrection of Adonis, accompanied by lamentation and joy: the former of which he thinks is shown in the seeds that die in the earth, and the latter in the crops in which the dead seeds are reborn; we also call those women who are saddened or excited by the good and evil of the world, with a soft and effeminate spirit: and we say that they lament for Thammuz, namely, those things which are considered the most beautiful in worldly matters.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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