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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 8

Ezekiel 8: carried to Jerusalem to see abominations in the sanctuary

General context

A new heading dates the chapter "in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month," as the prophet sits in his house with "the elders of Judah" before him, and "the hand of the Lord God" falls on him. He sees a likeness like fire and brightness, and "the form of an hand" takes him by a lock of his head; the spirit lifts him between earth and heaven and brings him "in the visions of God to Jerusalem," to the north inner gate where "the image of jealousy" stands. The glory of the God of Israel is there as in the plain. He is told to look north and sees the image at the gate of the altar, and is asked, "seest thou what they do?" He is brought to the court door, digs through a hole in the wall, finds a door, and inside sees creeping things, abominable beasts and idols portrayed on the wall, with seventy elders of the house of Israel, "Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan" among them, each with a censer, saying "The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth." Each stage ends with "turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations." At the north gate of the Lord's house women sit "weeping for Tammuz." In the inner court, between porch and altar, about twenty-five men stand with their backs to the temple, worshipping the sun toward the east. The Lord asks whether this is "a light thing to the house of Judah," adds that they have filled the land with violence and "put the branch to their nose," and says he will deal in fury and not hear them though they cry loudly.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 8:1, Ezekiel 8:2, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 8:4, Ezekiel 8:5, Ezekiel 8:6, Ezekiel 8:8, Ezekiel 8:10, Ezekiel 8:11, Ezekiel 8:12, Ezekiel 8:13, Ezekiel 8:14, Ezekiel 8:16, Ezekiel 8:17, Ezekiel 8:18

Ezekiel 8 (KJV)

1And 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.

2Then 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.

3And 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.

4And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

5Then 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.

6He 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.

7And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

8Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

9And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

10So 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.

11And 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.

12Then 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.

13He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

14Then 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.

15Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

16And 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.

17Then 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.

18Therefore 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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The heading gives a year, month and day, "the sixth year," without restating what the years count from; chapter 1 counted from "king Jehoiachin’s captivity," and the reader has to carry that over. The prophet is at home, and "the elders of Judah" are with him; the transport to Jerusalem is "in the visions of God," the text's own phrase, and it does not say his body moved. Four scenes are shown in order, each introduced as a greater abomination than the last: the image of jealousy, the elders with censers in a dark chamber, the women weeping for Tammuz, and the sun worshippers between porch and altar. The text does not describe the image of jealousy beyond its name and its place, does not identify Tammuz, and does not say what "the branch to their nose" means. Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan is named as standing among the seventy elders; the chapter gives nothing else about him. The elders' words, "The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth," are quoted by the Lord as what "they say." The speaker who guides the prophet is "he," the fiery likeness of verse 2, and the text does not name him; the glory of the God of Israel is noted separately as present at the gate. The charge widens at the end from worship to "violence" in the land.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 8:1, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 8:6, Ezekiel 8:15, Ezekiel 8:12, Ezekiel 8:14, Ezekiel 8:11, Ezekiel 8:4, Ezekiel 8:17

Literary context

The chapter is a guided tour with a fixed pattern: the guide brings the prophet somewhere, tells him to look, asks whether he has seen ("Hast thou seen this, O son of man?") and promises "greater abominations." Each scene is set by a location word, "the door of the inner gate," "the door of the court," "the door of the gate of the Lord’s house," "the inner court," so the tour moves from the outer gate inward toward the temple door. Seeing is the chapter's verb; "I beheld," "lift up thine eyes," "when I looked," "seest thou," "I went in and saw," and the elders' excuse is precisely that the Lord does not see. The scene with the wall is the one place the prophet works, digging until "behold a door," so the hidden chamber is opened by his own hand. The final scene is arranged as a reversal of posture, "their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east." The Lord's opening question, "that I should go far off from my sanctuary?", plants the theme that chapters 9 to 11 carry out. The chapter ends with a closed ear, "yet will I not hear them," matching the closed eye claimed by the elders.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 8:15, Ezekiel 8:7, Ezekiel 8:16, Ezekiel 8:5, Ezekiel 8:10, Ezekiel 8:12, Ezekiel 8:8, Ezekiel 8:6, Ezekiel 8:18

Key moments

  1. The sixth year heading (Ezekiel 8:1). The elders of Judah sit before the prophet when the hand of the Lord falls on him.
  2. Taken by a lock of hair (Ezekiel 8:3). The spirit carries him in visions to the north gate at Jerusalem.
  3. The image of jealousy (Ezekiel 8:5). He sees the image at the gate of the altar toward the north.
  4. Digging through the wall (Ezekiel 8:8). He digs in the wall and finds a door to a hidden chamber.
  5. Seventy elders with censers (Ezekiel 8:11). Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan stands among elders offering incense to images.
  6. Women weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14). Women sit weeping for Tammuz at the north gate.
  7. Backs to the temple (Ezekiel 8:16). About twenty-five men worship the sun with their backs to the temple.

For reflection

The elders in the dark say, "The Lord seeth us not," while the prophet is being shown exactly what they do. What is the chapter suggesting about the link between hidden worship and the belief that no one is watching?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here:

  • Jaazaniah
  • Shaphan