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Ezekiel 8:14

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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.

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}.

He brought me to the entrance of the north gate to ADONAI's house; and there before me were women weeping for Tammuz.

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.

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.

Commentary

Ezekiel 8:14 presents a disturbing scene within the prophet's vision of the abominations occurring in the Jerusalem Temple. This verse describes one of the increasingly grievous acts of idolatry that provoked God's wrath and led to the city's eventual destruction and the Babylonian exile.

Context

This verse is part of a prophetic vision given to Ezekiel by God, detailed in Ezekiel chapter 8. The Lord transports Ezekiel in the spirit from Babylonia to Jerusalem to witness the deep spiritual corruption within His own Temple. The vision progressively reveals four escalating levels of idolatry: first, a pagan idol at the north gate (Ezekiel 8:5); second, 70 elders secretly worshipping images of creeping things (Ezekiel 8:10); third, the women weeping for Tammuz (this verse); and fourth, men worshipping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16). Each scene reveals a deeper betrayal of God.

The specific location mentioned, the "door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north," highlights the brazenness of these acts. It was not hidden in secret chambers but performed at a significant entrance to the sacred Temple precincts, further demonstrating the extent of Jerusalem's spiritual defilement.

Key Themes

  • Profound Idolatry: The verse vividly portrays the nation's abandonment of Yahweh worship for pagan deities, a direct violation of the first commandment.
  • Temple Defilement: The presence of pagan rituals within the very house of the Lord was an ultimate act of blasphemy and desecration, making God's dwelling place unfit for His presence.
  • Spiritual Adultery: The weeping for Tammuz symbolizes Israel's spiritual infidelity, forsaking their covenant relationship with God for foreign gods, likened to a wife cheating on her husband (Jeremiah 3:8).
  • God's Righteous Indignation: This vision served to justify God's impending judgment and the destruction of Jerusalem, demonstrating that His actions were a just response to Israel's persistent rebellion.

Linguistic and Cultural Insights

The central figure in this verse is Tammuz (Hebrew: תַּמּוּז, tammūz). Tammuz was a prominent deity in ancient Mesopotamian religion, particularly Sumerian (where he was known as Dumuzi) and Babylonian mythology. He was associated with vegetation, fertility, and the annual cycle of death and rebirth of nature. The "weeping for Tammuz" was an annual ritualistic mourning, typically performed by women, lamenting his supposed death or descent into the underworld. This mourning was believed to be necessary to ensure the return of fertility to the land in the spring.

For Israel, the worship of Tammuz represented a complete syncretism – blending the worship of the one true God with the pagan practices of surrounding nations. It was an adoption of a foreign fertility cult, utterly contrary to the monotheistic principles of the Mosaic Law, which strictly forbade such practices (Deuteronomy 12:31).

Practical Application

Ezekiel's vision serves as a powerful warning for all generations:

  • Guard Against Spiritual Compromise: We must be vigilant against allowing foreign influences, secular ideologies, or worldly values to infiltrate and corrupt our worship or our understanding of God.
  • Purity of Worship: God demands exclusive devotion. True worship is not merely ritual but a heartfelt commitment to Him alone, free from competing allegiances.
  • Self-Examination: What "Tammuz" might we be weeping for or prioritizing in our lives today? Are there cultural trends, personal desires, or material possessions that subtly demand our devotion or distract us from God's centrality?
  • The Seriousness of Sin: The passage underscores that God does not take spiritual infidelity lightly. Persistent sin and idolatry, especially within the community of faith, grieve Him deeply and can lead to severe consequences.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Ezekiel 46:9 (2 votes)

    But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.

  • Ezekiel 44:4 (2 votes)

    ¶ Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.