Ezekiel 8:7-17

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

8 Then said he 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 Yisra'el, portrayed on the wall round about.

11 There stood before them seventy men of the Zakenim of the house of Yisra'el; and in the midst of them stood Ya`azanyah the son of Shafan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up.

12 Then said he to me, Son of man, have you seen what the Zakenim of the house of Yisra'el do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, the LORD doesn't see us; the LORD 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 the LORD's house which was toward the north; and see, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.

15 Then said he 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 the LORD's house; and see, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, 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 Yehudah 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.

Ezekiel 8:7-17 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.