Ezekiel 8:16

Ezekiel 8:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
• New International Version (NIV)He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, 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 worshiping the sun toward the east.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. At the entrance to the sanctuary, between the entry room and the bronze altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the sanctuary of the Lord. They were facing east, bowing low to the ground, worshiping the sun!

Context of Ezekiel 8:16

14Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these." And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. 17Then 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. 18Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."

Ezekiel 8:16 word by word

וַיָּבֵ֣א אֹתִ֗י אֶל־חֲצַ֣ר בֵּית־יְהוָה֮ הַפְּנִימִית֒ וְהִנֵּה־פֶ֜תַח הֵיכַ֣ל יְהוָ֗ה בֵּ֤ין הָֽאוּלָם֙ וּבֵ֣ין הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ כְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה אִ֑ישׁ אֲחֹ֨רֵיהֶ֜ם אֶל־הֵיכַ֤ל יְהוָה֙ וּפְנֵיהֶ֣ם קֵ֔דְמָה וְהֵ֛מָּה מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֥ם קֵ֖דְמָה לַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• me into the innerפְּנִימִיpenîymîy · innerH6442
• courtחָצֵרchâtsêr · courtH2691
• of the Lord’sיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• and, behold, at the doorפֶּ֫תַחpethach · entranceH6607
• of the templeהֵיכָלhêykâl · templeH1964
• between the porchאוּלָם'ûlâm 'ûlâm · PorticoH197
• and the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• about fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• and twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• with their backsאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
• and their facesפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• toward the eastקֵ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · eastH6924
• and they worshippedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
• the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121

Cross-references for Ezekiel 8:16

• Ezekiel 10:3Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.
• Ezekiel 40:28Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others.
• Ezekiel 43:5the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
• Ezekiel 45:19The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court.
• 2 Kings 16:14And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
• 2 Chronicles 7:7And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.
• Joel 2:17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
• Ezekiel 11:1The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
• Ezekiel 23:35Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring."
• 1 Kings 8:29that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.
• 2 Chronicles 29:6For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs.
• Jeremiah 2:27who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, 'Arise and save us!'
• Jeremiah 32:33They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction.
• Deuteronomy 4:19And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Deuteronomy 17:3and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden,
• 2 Kings 23:5And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 8:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Five and twenty men - These most probably represented the twenty-four courses of the priests, with the high priest for the twenty-fifth. This was the Persian worship, as their turning their faces to the east plainly shows they were worshipping the rising sun.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The inner court - The court of the priests. About five and twenty men - Rather, as it were five etc. This was the number of the heads of the 24 courses (shifts) with the high priest presiding over them. These then were the representatives of the priests, as the seventy were of the people. In the temple the seat of the Divine Majesty was at the west, perhaps appointed for this very purpose, to guard against the idolatrous adoration of the rising sun…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. 16The fourth and final act of idolatry took place in the very center of the temple complex. It happened in the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord. This was as close as a person could come to the temple building without entering it. The 25 men worshiping the sun were likely priests, since only priests should have accessed this area. It is also possible that they were not priests and were openly breaking the rules. These men stood physically closer to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. The next are "greater abominations," not in respect to the idolatry, but in respect to the place and persons committing it. In "the inner court," immediately before the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, where the priests advanced only on extraordinary occasions (Joe 2:17), twenty-five men (the leaders of the twenty-four courses or orders of the priests, 1Ch 24:18, 19, with the high priest, "the princes of the…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 8:16

• Altar
• Idolatry
• Sun
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Albeit
• Cloud
• Dig
• Hole
• Incense
• Living creatures
• Look
• Chariots of the Sun
• Court of the Sanctuary; Tabernacle; Temple
• Horses of the Sun

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