God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 8:3
3It stretched out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair on my head. In these visions from God, the Spirit carried me between heaven and earth. He took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple. That was where an idol that stirs up ⌞God’s⌟ anger was located.
Ezekiel 8:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
- New International Version (NIV)He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He put out 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 visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.
Context of Ezekiel 8:3
1On the fifth day of the sixth month in the sixth year, I was sitting in my home. Judah’s leaders were sitting in front of me. The power of the Almighty Lord came over me. 2As I looked, I saw something that looked like a human. From the waist down its body looked like fire, and from the waist up its body looked like glowing metal. It stretched out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair on my head. In these visions from God, the Spirit carried me between heaven and earth. He took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple. That was where an idol that stirs up ⌞God’s⌟ anger was located. 4There I saw the glory of Israel’s God as I did in the vision that I saw in the valley. 5God said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked toward the north, and there in the entrance to the north gate beside the altar, I saw the idol that stirs up ⌞God’s⌟ anger.
Read all of Ezekiel 8Ezekiel 8:3 word by word
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ תַּבְנִ֣ית יָ֔ד וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי בְּצִיצִ֣ת רֹאשִׁ֑י וַתִּשָּׂ֣א אֹתִ֣י ר֣וּחַ׀ בֵּֽין־הָאָ֣רֶץ וּבֵ֣ין הַשָּׁמַ֡יִם וַתָּבֵא֩ אֹתִ֨י יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָה בְּמַרְא֣וֹת אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֶל־פֶּ֜תַח שַׁ֤עַר הַפְּנִימִית֙ הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה צָפ֔וֹנָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֣ם מוֹשַׁ֔ב סֵ֖מֶל הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הַמַּקְנֶֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he put forthשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
- the formתַּבְנִיתtabnîyth · patternH8403
- of an handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- and tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- me by a lockצִיצִתtsîytsith · tasselH6734
- of mine headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- and the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- lifted me upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
- between the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- me in the visionsמַרְאָהmar'âh · visionH4759
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- to Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- to the doorפֶּ֫תַחpethach · entranceH6607
- of the innerפְּנִימִיpenîymîy · innerH6442
- gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- that lookethפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
- toward the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
- the seatמוֹשָׁבmôshâb môshâb · seatH4186
- of the imageסֶ֫מֶלsemel sêmel · idolH5566
- of jealousyקִנְאָהqin'âh · jealousyH7068
- which provoketh to jealousyקָנָהqânâh · to buyH7069
Cross-references for Ezekiel 8:3
- Ezekiel 2:9As I looked, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. In it was a scroll.
- Daniel 5:5Suddenly, the fingers of a person’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster wall opposite the lamp stand of the royal palace. The king watched as the hand wrote.
- Daniel 10:10Then a hand touched me and made my hands and knees shake.
- Ezekiel 3:14Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went away feeling bitter and angry. The strong power of the Lord came over me.
- Ezekiel 11:1Then the Spirit lifted me and took me to the east gate of the Lord’s temple. (It’s the gate that faces east.) Twenty-five men were at the entrance of the gate. I saw among them Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah. They were leaders of the people.
- Ezekiel 40:2In visions, God brought me to Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. On the south side of the mountain were some buildings that looked like those in a city.
- 1 Kings 18:12This is what will happen: When I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will take you away to some unknown place. I’ll tell Ahab, but he won’t be able to find you. Then he will kill me. “I have been faithful to the Lord since I was a child.
- 2 Kings 2:16They said to him, “There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Lord’s Spirit lifted him up and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” Elisha answered, “Don’t send them ⌞to look⌟.”
- Acts 8:39When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
- 2 Corinthians 12:2I know a follower of Christ who was snatched away to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.
- Revelation 1:10I came under the Spirit’s power on the Lord’s day. I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet,
- Revelation 4:2Instantly, I came under the Spirit’s power. I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it.
- Ezekiel 8:5God said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked toward the north, and there in the entrance to the north gate beside the altar, I saw the idol that stirs up ⌞God’s⌟ anger.
- 2 Kings 16:14But he moved the bronze altar dedicated to the Lord. It had been in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord’s temple. Ahaz put it on the north side of his altar.
- Ezekiel 5:11“As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, because you have dishonored my holy worship place with all your disgusting and detestable things, I will have you killed. I will not have compassion for you or feel sorry for you.
- Ezekiel 7:20They were proud of their beautiful jewels and used them to make disgusting and detestable statues ⌞of false gods⌟. That is why I will make their jewels disgusting.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 8:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The image of jealousy - הקנאה סמל semel hakkinah . We do not know certainly of what form this image was, nor what god it represented. Some say it was the image of Baal, which was placed in the temple by Manasses; others, that it was the image of Mars; and others, that it was the image of Tammuz or Adonis. Calmet supports this opinion by the following reasons: - The name agrees perfectly with him. He was represented as a beautiful youth, beloved by Venus…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3In the visions of God - Ezekiel was not transported “in the body,” but rapt “in spirit,” while he still sat amidst the elders of Judah. The inner gate - Or, the gate of the inner court. This gate, leading from the outer to the inner court (the court of the priests), is called Ezekiel 8:5 “the gate of the altar,” because it was from this side that the priests approached the brass altar. The prophet is on the “outside” of this gate, so that the “image of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3While the leaders gathered, Ezekiel saw a vision of what seemed to be a man. The description is similar to the one in Ezekiel 1:26–27. This time, Ezekiel was lifted into the sky and transported to Jerusalem. like that of … His appearance was like … looked like: What Ezekiel saw went beyond normal human experience (see study note on Ezekiel 1:4–28).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Instead of prompting him to address directly the elders before him, the Spirit carried him away in vision (not in person bodily) to the temple at Jerusalem; he proceeds to report to them what he witnessed: his message thus falls into two parts: (1) The abominations reported in Eze 8:1-18. (2) The dealings of judgment and mercy to be adopted towards the impenitent and penitent Israelites respectively (Eze 9:1-11:25). The exiles looked hopefully towards…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 8:3
In the dictionaries
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
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