Ezekiel 8:11-18

11 Standing in front of them were ¹seventy ²elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his ³censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising.

12 Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, '⁴The LORD does not see us; the LORD has ⁵forsaken the land.' "

13 And He said to me, "Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing."

14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the ⁶gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

15 He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these."

16 Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five * men with their ⁷backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and ⁸they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

17 He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have ⁹filled the land with violence and ¹⁰provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose.

18 "Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and ¹¹though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them."

Ezekiel 8:11-18 Meaning and Commentary

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, Eze 8:1; then follows a description of the divine Person that appeared to him, Eze 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, Eze 8:3,4; which latter was gradually represented to him; first the image of jealousy in the entry at the gate of the altar northward, Eze 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, Eze 8:6-10; next seventy of the ancients of Israel, among whom were one mentioned by name, offering incense to these idols, Eze 8:11,12; after this, greater abominations still are showed him, at the north of the temple, women weeping for Tammuz, Eze 8:13,14; 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, Eze 8:15-17; wherefore it is reasoned to deal with them in fury, without any mercy, pity, and compassion, Eze 8:18.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 11:16, 25; Luke 10:1
• 2. Jeremiah 19:1
• 3. Numbers 16:17, 35
• 4. Psalms 14:1; Isaiah 29:15; Ezekiel 9:9
• 5. Psalms 10:11
• 6. Ezekiel 44:4; Ezekiel 46:9
• 7. 2 Chronicles 29:6; Jeremiah 2:27; Ezekiel 23:39
• 8. Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 17:3; Job 31:26-28; Jeremiah 44:17
• 9. Ezekiel 7:11, 23; Ezekiel 9:9; Amos 3:10; Micah 2:2
• 10. Jeremiah 7:18, 19; Ezekiel 16:26
• 11. Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 11:11; Micah 3:4; Zechariah 7:13

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. worshiping