Ezekiel 8:17

Ezekiel 8:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
• New International Version (NIV)He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.

Context of Ezekiel 8:17

15He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater repulsive acts than these [that they are committing].” 16So He brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch (vestibule, portico) and the [bronze] altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing down toward the east and worshiping the sun. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too slight a thing for the house of Judah to commit the repulsive acts which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and repeatedly provoked Me to anger? And behold, they are putting the branch to their nose. 18Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare [them]; and though they cry loudly in My ears, yet I will not listen to them.”

Ezekiel 8:17 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַי֮ הֲרָאִ֣יתָ בֶן־אָדָם֒ הֲנָקֵל֙ לְבֵ֣ית יְהוּדָ֔ה מֵעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־הַתּוֹעֵב֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָֽשׂוּ־פֹ֑ה כִּֽי־מָלְא֨וּ אֶת־הָאָ֜רֶץ חָמָ֗ס וַיָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ לְהַכְעִיסֵ֔נִי וְהִנָּ֛ם שֹׁלְחִ֥ים אֶת־הַזְּמוֹרָ֖ה אֶל־אַפָּֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto me, Hast thou seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• O sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• Is it a light thingקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• to the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• that they commitעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• the abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• here? for they have filledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• with violenceחָמָסchâmâs · violenceH2555
• and have returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: againH7725
• to provoke me to angerכָּעַסka‛as · to provokeH3707
• and, lo, they putשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: reachH7971
• the branchזְמוֹרָהzemôrâh zemôrâh zemôr · branchH2156
• to their noseאַף'aph · face: noseH639

Cross-references for Ezekiel 8:17

• Ezekiel 7:23‘Prepare the chain [for imprisonment], for the land is full of bloody crimes [murders committed under the pretense of civil justice] and the city is full of violence.
• Ezekiel 9:9Then He said to me, “The wickedness (guilt) of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of blood and the city is full of perversion and injustice; for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land; the Lord does not see [what we are doing].’
• Ezekiel 11:6You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the corpses [of righteous men].”
• Genesis 6:13God said to Noah, “I intend to make an end of all that lives, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I am about to destroy them together with the land.
• 2 Kings 21:16Moreover, Manasseh shed a very great quantity of innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, by doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
• 2 Kings 24:4and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not pardon it.
• Jeremiah 6:7As a fountain springs up and pours out its fresh waters, So she [continually] pours out her fresh wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard inside her [walls]; Sickness and wounds are always before Me.
• Jeremiah 19:4Because the people [of Jerusalem] have abandoned (rejected) Me and have made this an alien and profaned place by burning sacrifices and incense in it to other gods, that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent
• Jeremiah 20:8For whenever I speak, I must shout out; I shout violence and destruction, Because the word of the Lord has become to me A reprimand and a mockery and has brought me insult all day long.
• Amos 3:10For they do not know how to do right,” says the Lord, “these who store up violence and devastation [like treasures] in their strongholds.”
• Amos 6:3Do you put off the day of punishment, Yet cause the seat of violence to come near?
• Micah 2:2They covet fields and seize them, And houses, and take them away. They oppress and rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.
• Micah 6:12For the rich men of the city are full of violence [of every kind]; Her inhabitants speak lies And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
• Zephaniah 1:9On that day I will also punish all those who leap over the temple threshold, Who fill their [pagan] lord’s temple with violence and deceit.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 8:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17They put the branch to their nose - This is supposed to mean some branch or branches, which they carried in succession in honor of the idol, and with which they covered their faces, or from which they inhaled a pleasant smell, the branches being odoriferous. That the heathens carried branches of trees in their sacred ceremonies is well known to all persons acquainted with classic antiquity; and it is probable that the heathen borrowed those from the use…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17“Violence” represents sin against man, “abominations” sins against God. These went hand in hand in Jerusalem. And have returned - After the reformation effected for a time by Josiah‘s zeal, they have gone back to their old state. They put the branch to their nose - An allusion to a then familiar practice, of which we find no clear traces elsewhere. Ezekiel is describing the attitude usual in such devotions, the branch held before the mouth, but wishing to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and our own hearts, the more abominations we shall discover; and the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18The abominations that the Israelites were committing in the temple complex were like openly insulting the Lord. The Hebrew expression literally says they were “putting the twig [or branch] to their nose.” This was likely a rude gesture. It showed defiance and disrespect. In other words, their actions were not only sinful. They were boldly rebellious against the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. put ... branch to ... nose--proverbial, for "they turn up the nose in scorn," expressing their insolent security [Septuagint]. Not content with outraging "with their violence" the second table of the law, namely, that of duty towards one's neighbor, "they have returned" (that is, they turn back afresh) to provoke Me by violations of the first table [Calvin]. Rather, they held up a branch or bundle of tamarisk (called barsom) to their nose at daybreak…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 8:17

• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Son of man
• Albeit
• Cloud
• Dig
• Hole
• Incense
• Living creatures

Commentaries on Ezekiel 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings