Ezekiel 8:6

6 And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations.

Ezekiel 8:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 8:6

He said furthermore unto me, son of man
He continued his speech to the prophet, saying seest thou what they do?
the idolatrous Jews, who had set up a graven image at the northern gate of the court, where the altar was, and were sacrificing to it: [even] the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here;
for to set up an idol where he was, and an altar by his altar, and to sacrifice to Baal, and not to him, or to Baal along with him, or besides him, or to any other idol, were very abominable to the Lord: even to such a degree, that I should go far from my sanctuary?
be obliged to leave it, not being able to bear such abominable idolatries: or, "that they should go far from my sanctuary" ^F21; depart from the true worship and service of it, and fall into idolatry: but turn thee yet again;
from the north to the south it may be; however, to some other part of the temple: [and] thou shalt see greater abominations;
or, "great abominations" {w}; for there is no necessity of rendering it "greater": but the meaning is, that he should see other great abominations besides what he had seen, than which there could not be anything well greater.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F21 (yvdqm lem hqxrl) "ut longius recedant, [vel] abeant, [sub.] Israelitae a sauctuario meo", Vatablus; and to this sense are the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; "ad longe recedendum", Cocceius.
F23 (twldg twbewt) "abominationes magnas", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin, Piscator, Cocceius. Starckius.

Ezekiel 8:6 In-Context

4 And behold the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision which I had seen in the plain.

5 And he said to me: Son of man, lift up thy eyes towards the way of the north, and I lifted up my eyes towards the way of the north: and behold on the north side of the gate of the altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry.

6 And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations.

7 And he brought me in to the door of the court: and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall.

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