New International Version
Ezekiel 8:12
12He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”
Ezekiel 8:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see us; he has deserted our land!’”
Context of Ezekiel 8:12
10So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. 11In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ” 13Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.” 14Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.
Read all of Ezekiel 8Ezekiel 8:12 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַי֮ הֲרָאִ֣יתָ בֶן־אָדָם֒ אֲשֶׁ֨ר זִקְנֵ֤י בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עֹשִׂ֣ים בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ אִ֖ישׁ בְּחַדְרֵ֣י מַשְׂכִּית֑וֹ כִּ֣י אֹמְרִ֗ים אֵ֤ין יְהוָה֙ רֹאֶ֣ה אֹתָ֔נוּ עָזַ֥ב יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- he unto me, Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- hast thou seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- what the ancientsזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- of the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- in the darkחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
- every manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- in the chambersחֶ֫דֶרcheder · chamberH2315
- of his imageryמַשְׂכִּיתmaώkîyth · figureH4906
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- hath forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Ezekiel 8:12
- Ezekiel 8:6And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”
- Ezekiel 8:11In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.
- Ezekiel 14:1Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.
- Ezekiel 20:1In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.
- Ephesians 5:12It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
- Ezekiel 8:7Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall.
- Job 24:13“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.
- John 3:19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
- Ezekiel 9:9He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’
- Job 22:12“Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!
- Psalms 73:11They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”
- Psalms 94:7They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
- Isaiah 29:15Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 8:12
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12In the dark - Hidden in the secret places which the seer dug through the wall to discover. Chambers of his imagery - i. e., chambers painted with images.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-12Verses 7-12 A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following their superstitions. When hypocrites screen themselves behind…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13The Lord saw the actions of Israel's leaders and shared this with his prophet (compare Luke 12:3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. every man in ... chambers of ... imagery--The elders ("ancients") are here the representatives of the people, rather than to be regarded literally. Mostly, the leaders of heathen superstitions laughed at them secretly, while publicly professing them in order to keep the people in subjection. Here what is meant is that the people generally addicted themselves to secret idolatry, led on by their elders; there is no doubt, also, allusion to the…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 8:12
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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