Ezekiel 8:3

3 The form of a hand was put out, which took me by a lock of my hair; and a spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me, in these visions from God, to Yerushalayim, to the entrance of the inner [courtyard] gate that faces north. There stood the idol that [arouses God's] jealousy and provokes [his] zealous indignation.

Ezekiel 8:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 8:3

And he put forth the form of an hand
That is, he that appeared in the likeness of a man, and with so much glory and splendour, out of the midst of the fire and brightness which were about him, put forth the form of a hand, that looked like a man's hand; for this appearance was not real, only visionary; and this seems to design the Spirit of God sent forth by Christ, sometimes called the finger of God, ( Luke 11:20 ) ; as appears by what follows: and took me by a lock of mine head;
without hurting him, showing his power over him; and by this means raising him from his seat, as it seemed to the prophet: and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and heaven;
took him off of his seat, and out of his house, lifted him up in the air, and carried him through it, as he thought; for this was not real and local; in like manner as the spirit caught away Philip, ( Acts 8:39 ) ; but in vision, as follows: and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem;
so it was represented to him in a true vision, which was of God, and not of Satan, that he was carried from Chaldea to Jerusalem; not that he really was, for he was still in Chaldea; and here in vision was he brought again, and found himself to be when that vision was over, ( Ezekiel 11:24 Ezekiel 11:25 ) ; but things so appeared to him, as if he was actually brought to Jerusalem by the power of the Spirit of God: to the door of the inner gate:
not of Jerusalem, but the temple, or rather the court, the inner court; see ( Ezekiel 10:3 ) ; and so it should be rendered "to the door of the gate of the inner court" ^F19; and thus it is explained by Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech: that looketh toward the north;
for there were gates on every side: where [was] the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to
jealousy;
some graven image, perhaps the image of Baal; so called, because it provoked the Lord to jealousy, ( Deuteronomy 32:21 ) . Gussetius ^F20 suggests, that (lmo) , "Semel", here may be the same with Semele; who, in the opinion of the Heathens, made Juno jealous.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 (tymynph rev xtp la) "ad ostium portae interioris, [sub.] atrii", Pagninus, Vatablus, Piscator.
F20 Ebr. Comment. p. 903.

Ezekiel 8:3 In-Context

1 On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year, as I was sitting in my house, and the leaders of Y'hudah were sitting there with me, the hand of Adonai ELOHIM fell on me.

2 I looked and saw what seemed like a man made of fire. From what appeared to be his waist downward was fire, and from his waist upward was what appeared to be a gleaming amber-colored brilliance.

3 The form of a hand was put out, which took me by a lock of my hair; and a spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me, in these visions from God, to Yerushalayim, to the entrance of the inner [courtyard] gate that faces north. There stood the idol that [arouses God's] jealousy and provokes [his] zealous indignation.

4 There before me was the glory of the God of Isra'el, as in the vision I had seen in the valley.

5 Then he said to me, "Human being, raise your eyes toward the north." I raised my eyes toward the north and saw, north of the Altar Gate, this image that [arouses God's] jealousy in the entryway.