New Living Translation
Ezekiel 8:12
12Then 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!’”
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.’ ”
- 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.’ ”
Context of Ezekiel 8:12
10So I went in and saw the walls covered with engravings of all kinds of crawling animals and detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols worshiped by the people of Israel. 11Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads. 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!’” 13Then the Lord added, “Come, and I will show you even more detestable sins than these!” 14He brought me to the north gate of the Lord’s Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for 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 8:6“Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!”
- Ezekiel 8:11Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads.
- Ezekiel 14:1Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me,
- Ezekiel 20:1On August 14, during the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, some of the leaders of Israel came to request a message from the Lord. They sat down in front of me to wait for his reply.
- Ephesians 5:12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
- Ezekiel 8:7Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall.
- Job 24:13“Wicked people rebel against the light. They refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths.
- John 3:19And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
- Ezekiel 9:9Then he said to me, “The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’
- Job 22:12“God is so great—higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars.
- Psalms 73:11“What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
- Psalms 94:7“The Lord isn’t looking,” they say, “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.”
- Isaiah 29:15What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
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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