1 It happened in the sixth year, in the sixth (month), in the fifth (day) of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Yahweh fell there on me. 2 Then I saw, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his waist and downward, fire; and from his waist and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as it were glowing metal. 3 He put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the sky, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner (court) that looks toward the north; where there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4 Behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the appearance that I saw in the plain. 5 Then he said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and see, northward of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. 6 He said to me, Son of man, do you see what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But you shall again see yet other great abominations. 7 He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 8 Then he said to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had dug in the wall, behold, a door. 9 He said to me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here. 10 So I went in and saw; and see, every form of creeping things, and abominable animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed around on the wall. 11 There stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his rooms of imagery? for they say, Yahweh doesn't see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land. 13 He said also to me, You shall again see yet other great abominations which they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh's house which was toward the north; and see, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, Have you seen (this), son of man? You shall again see yet greater abominations than these. 16 He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh's house; and see, at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said to me, Have you seen (this), 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 turned again to provoke me to anger: and behold, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in wrath; my eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
The prophecies contained in these chapters Ezek. 8-19 fall within eleven months (compare Ezekiel 8:1 with Ezekiel 20:1). Although they were not all delivered on the same day, they may be regarded as a whole. They contain in fact a review of the condition of the people of Judah, including those who were still in the holy land, and those who were with the prophet exiles in Chaldaea. This is first represented by a vision Ezek. 8-11 in which the seer is transported in spirit to the Temple of Jerusalem; and next - the prophet having again taken his stand as a man among men - by symbolic act, parables, figures, etc., addresses his fellow-exiles.
Here begins a section of prophecy extending to the twelfth chapter. In this chapter the prophet is carried in vision to Jerusalem, Ezekiel 8:1-4; and there shown the idolatries committed by the rulers of the Jews, even within the temple. In the beginning of this vision, by the noblest stretch of an inspired imagination, idolatry itself is personified, and made an idol; and the image sublimely called, from the provocation it gave God, the Image of Jealousy, Ezekiel 8:5. The prophet then proceeds to describe the three principal superstitions of this unhappy people: the Egyptian, Ezekiel 8:6-12, the Phoenician, Ezekiel 8:13, Ezekiel 8:14, and the Persian, Ezekiel 8:15, Ezekiel 8:16; giving the striking features of each, and concluding with a declaration of the heinousness of their sins in the sight of God, and the consequent greatness of their punishment, Ezekiel 8:17, Ezekiel 8:18.
INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 8
This chapter contains a vision the prophet had of the idolatry of the Jews, which was the cause of their destruction. The time when, place, where, and persons with whom he was, when the hand of the Lord came upon him, are mentioned, Ezekiel 8:1; then follows a description of the divine Person that appeared to him, Ezekiel 8:2; and an account is given how he was in a visionary way brought to Jerusalem, and to the temple, where he saw the glory of the God of Israel, and the idolatry of the people, Ezekiel 8:3; which latter was gradually represented to him; first the image of jealousy in the entry at the gate of the altar northward, Ezekiel 8:5; then greater abominations through a hole in the wall, by which he saw their idols, in the form of reptiles and four footed beasts, portrayed on the wall, Ezekiel 8:6; next seventy of the ancients of Israel, among whom were one mentioned by name, offering incense to these idols, Ezekiel 8:11; after this, greater abominations still are showed him, at the north of the temple, women weeping for Tammuz, Ezekiel 8:13; and then again far greater ones, twenty five men, between the porch and the altar, with their backs to the temple, and their face to the east, worshipping the sun, and putting the branch to the nose, Ezekiel 8:15; wherefore it is reasoned to deal with them in fury, without any mercy, pity, and compassion, Ezekiel 8:18.
(Ezekiel 8:1-6) The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers.
(Ezekiel 8:7-12) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian.
(Ezekiel 8:13, Ezekiel 8:14) The Phoenician.
(Ezekiel 8:15, Ezekiel 8:16) The Persian.
(Ezekiel 8:17, Ezekiel 8:18) The heinousness of their sin.
Vision of the Destruction of Jerusalem - Ezekiel 8-11
A year and two months after his call, the glory of the Lord appeared to the prophet a second time, as he had seen it by the Chebar. He is transported in spirit to Jerusalem into the court of the temple (Ezekiel 8:1-4), where the Lord causes him to see, first the idolatry of Israel (Ezekiel 8:5-18), and secondly, the judgment why, on account of this idolatry, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem are smitten (Ezekiel 9:1-11), the city is burned with fire, and the sanctuary forsaken by God (Ezekiel 10). Lastly, after he has been charged to foretell to the representatives of the people more especially the coming judgment, and to those who are sent into exile a future salvation (Ezekiel 11:1-21), he describes how the gracious presence of God forsakes the city before his own eyes (Ezekiel 11:22-23). After this has taken place, Ezekiel is carried back in the vision to Chaldea once more; and there, after the vision has come to an end, he announces to the exiles what he has seen and heard (Ezekiel 11:24-25).
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.