New English Translation
Ezekiel 8:17
17He said to me, “Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they are putting the branch to their nose!
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? You will see even greater abominations than these!” 16Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. Right there at the entrance to the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the Lord’s temple, facing east – they were worshiping the sun toward the east! He said to me, “Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they are putting the branch to their nose! 18Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”
Read all of Ezekiel 8Ezekiel 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(Make the chain, because the land is full of murder and the city is full of violence.)
- Ezekiel 9:9He said to me, “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption, for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’
- Ezekiel 11:6You have killed many people in this city; you have filled its streets with corpses.’
- Genesis 6:13So God said to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the earth.
- 2 Kings 21:16Furthermore Manasseh killed so many innocent people, he stained Jerusalem with their blood from end to end, in addition to encouraging Judah to sin by doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
- 2 Kings 24:4Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them.
- Jeremiah 6:7As a well continually pours out fresh water so it continually pours out wicked deeds. Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. All I see are sick and wounded people.’
- Jeremiah 19:4I will do so because these people have rejected me and have defiled this place. They have offered sacrifices in it to other gods which neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah knew anything about. They have filled it with the blood of innocent children.
- Jeremiah 20:8For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, “Violence and destruction are coming!” This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision.
- Amos 3:10“They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.) “They store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses.
- Amos 6:3You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, but you establish a reign of violence.
- Micah 2:2They confiscate the fields they desire, and seize the houses they want. They defraud people of their homes, and deprive people of the land they have inherited.
- Micah 6:12The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; her inhabitants lie, their tongues speak deceptive words.
- Zephaniah 1:9On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with wealth taken by 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
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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