PHIL HARRIS | Seeker of Truth |
Introduction
This vision is called “The Vision of the Divine Glory” in the Matthew Henry Commentary and is the theme of chapters 8 through 11 of the book of Ezekiel, dated to the year 593 B.C. In this chapter Ezekiel is taken up by the Spirit of God and shown great abominations in and on the temple grounds. Because of this he learns that the Divine Glory of God will very soon be departing from the temple.
The Hand of God
Now it happened in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of Lord Yahweh fell on me there. —Ezekiel 8:1
“In the sixth year” most likely refers to the time of their captivity in Babylon. The sixth month would be the Jewish month of Elul; however, comparing this date to our present day calendar is much debated and inconclusive.
The mention of elders being with Ezekiel in his home indicates that he did have a certain amount of prestige with these rebellious exiles. Suddenly the hand of God fell upon Ezekiel, initiating a new vision.
As is normal with any prophet of God, Ezekiel simply records an inspired account of what he is doing when God appears before him. This account includes what God says and shows him. Furthermore, he does what God instructs him to do.
Ezekiel In Vision Is Transported to Jerusalem
Then I looked, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of one on fire; from His loins and downward there was the appearance of fire, and from His loins and upward the appearance of brightness, like the gleam of glowing metal. — Ezekiel 8:2
With the hand of God upon him, Ezekiel sees the “likeness and appearance” of one on fire from the waist downward; and upward, the figure had the appearance of the brightness of glowing metal. While Ezekiel saw a human-like form, this appearance is obviously a manifestation of God who is very upset with what is happening in Jerusalem.
He sent forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the figure of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located.And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain. — Ezekiel 8:3-4
To have been taken up “by a lock of my head” indicates this vision happened in a certain amount of time after he had shaved off his his hair; it had apparently had time to grow back. Notice that the pronoun “He” seems to refer to the Spirit of God who lifts him up.
The text implies that the elders didn’t see what Ezekiel experiences, that is, in vision he is transported by the hair of his head to Jerusalem. Ezekiel is personally shown by the Spirit of God what evil is happening at that moment in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel is now at the north gate of the inner court of the temple mount in the city of Jerusalem—even as his body is apparently still in his home with the elders.
The “figure of jealousy” is a real form of idol worship which is offensive to God. It was probably a statue of Asherah, the Canaanite goddess of fertility. Josiah had previously removed it 30 years before. While the “glory of God” is still at the temple it will soon depart. The glory of the God of Israel that Ezekiel sees was like the glory of the “four living creatures” recorded in Ezekiel 1:4-20.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, raise your eyes now toward the north.” So I raised my eyes toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this figure of jealousy at the entrance.And He said to me, “Son of man, are you seeing what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel is doing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations.” — Ezekiel 8:5-6
As before, Ezekiel is addressed as”Son of man” and told to look toward the north at the altar gate. What he sees is the “figure of jealousy” where great abominations are being performed by the Israelite people. He is told he will soon see even greater abominations.
Beasts, Reptiles, and Creeping Things
Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.He said to me, “Son of man, now dig through the wall.” —Ezkiel 8:7-9
Now the Spirit takes him to the entrance of the court where there is a small hole in the wall. Ezekiel is told dig out into the hole.
So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. And He said to me, “Go in and see the evil abominations that they are doing here.”So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around.Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising. —Ezekiel 8:10-11
Ezekiel does as instructed by the Spirit of God and realizes the hole leads to an entrance to something hidden under the temple grounds—whereupon he is told to go inside and see what is in there.
What he first sees is every form of creeping things plus beasts and detestable things along with all the idols of the house of Israel carved on all the walls around him.
Standing before all of this pagan art are seventy elders of the house of Israel, including Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan putting off a cloud of incense from their censers. One hast to wonder, as Ezekiel must have—what about all those elders sitting back in his own home? As for Jaazaniah, possibly this is the person mentioned in 2 Kings 25:23, a man who was among the Israelite military commanders.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land.’”And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are doing.” — Ezekiel 8:12-13
The Spirit of God says several things. “Son of man, do you see what the elders are doing?” Next, “They think God does not see what they are doing and has forsaken the land.” Again, he informs Ezekiel that he will see still greater abominations—and clearly, God sees them.
Worship of Tammuz
Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of Yahweh which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.” — Ezekiel 8:14-15
This is the only place in Scripture that Tammuz is mentioned. According to the online Britannnica, Tammuz was worshiped in the Mesopotamian religion as the god of fertility. Apparently these women were engaging in the pagan practice of wailing for death of Tammuz, the god of fertility. This annual ceremony was practiced because, according to Canaanite thinking, the death of Tammuz caused the wilting of vegetation at the end of the growing season. The Israelites had fully embraced the gods of the Canaanites—the very thing God had told them not to do. The Spirit says Ezekiel will yet see a greater abominations than what these women are doing. They had abandoned God’s covenant command to them:
‘You shall have no other gods before Me.‘You shall not make for yourself an idol—any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, — Deuteronomy 5:7-9a
Sun Worship
Then He brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. — Ezekiel 8:16
The Spirit of God now takes Ezekiel to the temple entrance, a space between the porch and the alter. This is the very place where the priests (Joel 2:17) are to stand and weep before the Lord (facing the temple entrance), making intercession for the people. The context suggests that the “about twenty-five men” are men who represent the twenty-four divisions of the Levitical priesthood, as 1 Chronicles 24:1-19 suggests. Instead, these men have their backs to the temple prostrating themselves facing toward the east, worshiping the sun. Worship of Shamash the Mesopotamian sun god is condemned in Deuteronomy 4:19 & 17:3, as well as in the command “You shall have no other gods before me”, Deuteronomy 5:7. The Israelites have abandoned their covenant commitment to God and have fully embraced the Canaanite religions.
He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to do the abominations which they have done here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me to anger still more? For behold, they are sending forth the twig to their nose. — Ezekiel 8:17
Here Ezekiel is asked the rhetorical question, “Is it too light a thing?”. These apparent Levitical priests are acting as if their worship of the sun god is a “light thing” when, in fact, it is extreme blasphemy to be doing pagan worship in Yahweh’s temple!
The expression “the twig to their nose” seems to convey the idea that these men are masking the stench of what they are going from their collective noses. They know that sun worship is the ultimate abomination.
Therefore, I also will do this in wrath: My eye will have no pity, nor will I spare; and they will cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.” — Ezekiel 8:18
Israel has broken its covenant with God. The Spirit of God has just shown Ezekiel why God is about to do what he is going to do.
Summary
- The prophet Ezekiel is sitting in his own home with the Hebrew elders there with him when suddenly the hand of God “fell upon him” initiating a new vision. What he first sees is the likeness of a person of fire from the waist down and that of the gleam of glowing metal above. From this a hand is extended to the hair of his head, and he is taken by the Spirit of God to the temple in Jerusalem.
- First Ezekiel is taken to where he can see the inner north gate of the temple grounds. He sees the “figure of jealousy” with the glory of God nearby inside the temple. It is offensive to God for any form of idolatry be on or near God’s temple—let alone the probable statue of Asherah, the goddess of fertility, installed there. However, the Spirit of God tells him he will see greater abominations.
- Then the Spirit takes him to the entrance of the temple court where there is a hole in the wall; he is told to dig through and see what is hidden inside. What he finds are carved images of creeping things, beasts and detestable things on the walls along with idols of Israel. Standing there hidden in the dark, in front of this pagan display, are seventy elders of Israel. Again the Spirit of God tells him he will see greater abominations than this.
- Ezekiel is then taken to the entrance of the temple on the north where women are weeping for Tammuz. Tammuz was the Mesopotamian idol of fertility. They were engaging in the pagan annual ritual of weeping for the death of Tammuz, an event that occurred each year and was thought to bring about the wilting of the plants. Once again Ezekiel is told he will see greater abominations.
- Now Ezekiel is taken to the inner court of the temple between the porch and the alter where there are about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple facing east worshiping the sun. The context make it clear that they are Levitical priests who have rejected the one and only true God. This is the ultimate blasphemy.
- Therefore God will not pity nor spare these flagrant (root meaning: “burning”) unrepentant people from what is about to happen to them as His glory is about to depart from the temple. They have utterly broken their covenant terms with God, and He will soon pour out on them the covenant consequences for their unfaithfulness.
—All references unless otherwise stated are taken from the LSB.
- Ezekiel 8: Abominations In the Temple - October 8, 2026
- Ezekiel 6 and 7: You Will Know That I Am God - August 19, 2026
- Ezekiel 5: Prophecy of the Thirds - July 2, 2026