Matthew Henry’s Modern English CommentaryEzekiel 8

The Vision of the Divine Glory.This section begins a new vision that God gives to Ezekiel while he is in Babylon. Even though Ezekiel is far from Jerusalem, God shows him what is happening there. The vision continues through chapter 11. It reveals both the glory of God and the terrible sins happening in the temple at Jerusalem. God wants Ezekiel and the people in exile to understand why judgment is coming.v. 1: The vision is carefully dated. It happens fourteen months after Ezekiel’s first vision (Ezekiel 1:1-2 ). Ezekiel is sitting in his house, probably after his time lying on his side as a sign for Israel’s sins. Some elders of Judah are sitting with him, likely on the Sabbath, to hear God’s word and pray together. Even though they are in captivity, they now respect God’s prophets more than before. When people are in trouble, they often listen to God more closely (Job 36:8,10 ). God is not limited by place—He can speak to His people anywhere.

v. 2: Suddenly, Ezekiel feels the power of God. The hand of the Lord

v. 3: Ezekiel sees a figure that looks like a man, shining with brightness above the waist and fire below. This is similar to the vision he saw before (Ezekiel 1:27 ). It is probably the same person, the man Christ Jesus. The elders with Ezekiel may have seen a bright light, but only Ezekiel sees the full vision (Acts 22:9 ).

v. 4: The figure reaches out what looks like a hand and lifts Ezekiel by a lock of his hair. The Spirit lifts him up between heaven and earth and carries him in a vision to Jerusalem, to the temple. This shows that God’s Spirit can move people wherever He wants, even if it is only in a vision. Ezekiel is shown the city and the temple as if he is really there. Those who want to be close to God must be willing to leave behind earthly things and focus on Him (Psalm 27:8 ).

v. 5: In Jerusalem, Ezekiel sees the glory of the God of Israel, just as he saw before with the living creatures and the throne (Ezekiel 1:1-28 ). God’s glory is present, but this makes Israel’s sin even worse. They have turned away from the true and glorious God to worship false idols. The more we see God’s greatness, the more we should hate sin, especially idolatry, which replaces God’s truth with lies. Soon, God’s glory will leave the temple because of these sins (Ezekiel 11:23 ).

v. 6: Ezekiel also sees something terrible—the image of jealousyat the north gate of the altar. This is probably an idol, maybe one that King Manasseh put in the temple (2 Kings 21:7; 2 Chronicles 33:3 ). Josiah removed it, but later kings brought it back (2 Kings 23:11 ). The idol is called the image of jealousybecause it makes God jealous, like a husband whose wife is unfaithful. God is a jealous God and will punish those who worship other gods (Nahum 1:2 ).

Secret Abominations Discovered; The Chambers of Imagery.This section reveals even deeper sins happening inside the temple at Jerusalem. God shows Ezekiel that the evil is not just public, but also hidden in secret places. The people pretend to be faithful on the outside, but inside they are worshipping idols and doing things they know are wrong. God exposes these hidden sins so that no one can pretend they are innocent.v. 7: God leads Ezekiel, in a vision, to the door of the outer court of the temple, near the priests' rooms. Instead of showing Ezekiel these secret sins immediately, God allows him to discover them step by step. This teaches us that people who hide their sins often try to make them very private, even building walls to keep others from seeing. But God lets Ezekiel find a hole in the wall—a small opening that reveals their secrets. Just like in life, people may try to hide their wrong actions, but something always gives them away. Jesus said, He that does evil hates the light (John 3:20 ). Ezekiel makes the hole bigger, finds a door, and goes inside to see what is really happening.Setting up this idol in God's house is a direct insult to Him. It is placed at the entrance where people come to worship, tempting them to turn away from God. This is like the woman in Proverbs who sits at her door to lead people astray (Proverbs 9:14-16 ). The idol is meant to provoke God and lead the people into sin.

v. 8: Ezekiel is shocked and saddened to see such evil in the temple. He hoped that the people's suffering would have led them to change, but there is still much wickedness. God asks Ezekiel if this is not enough reason to leave the temple and let it be destroyed. The people have, in effect, asked God to leave by their actions. But God tells Ezekiel that there are even greater sins to see. Where there is one sin, there are often many more. Sin does not come alone. Inside the hidden room, Ezekiel discovers 70 elders of Israel burning incense and worshipping other idols and beasts; their images on the walls and smoke from the incense fill the air . These elders, who played a significant leadership role in keeping Israel in order, have become corrupt and are leading the people into idolatry.

v. 10: Inside, Ezekiel sees a room full of pictures of idols. These images show all kinds of creatures—creeping things and beasts—that Israel had copied from other nations. The room is like a collection of all the idols they worship, even the most shameful ones. God’s law forbids not just carved images, but also painted ones. Worshipping any image, whether carved or painted, is against God’s command (Exodus 20:4 ).

v. 11: Ezekiel also sees seventy elders of Israel inside this secret chamber, burning incense to these idols. This is especially shocking because these leaders were supposed to stop people from worshipping idols, not do it themselves. Each elder has his own censer, and a thick cloud of incense fills the room. This shows how serious they are about their secret idol worship. Even one leader stands out among them, possibly the main person in charge. When leaders do wrong, it is even more dangerous because others follow their example.

v. 12: God then asks Ezekiel, Son of man, have you seen this?God points out that these sins are done in the dark, in secret, because they know it is wrong. There is a lot of secret evil in the world, but God will reveal it all on the day of His judgment. These secret chambers are only a sample; each man has his own room for idol worship at home. While the idolaters have chambers of imagery, Christians should have (chambers of devotionfor worshipping God. The root of all this secret sin is their belief that the Lord

The Chambers of Imagery.This section continues to show Ezekiel the hidden sins of Israel. Each time Ezekiel thinks he has seen the worst, God tells him there are even greater abominations. Sin runs deep, both in the hearts of individuals and in the actions of the nation. God reveals these things step by step so Ezekiel—and we—can see how far the people have fallen from true worship.v. 13: God tells Ezekiel to look again, saying, You will see even greater abominations. This means that there is always more sin to uncover. The more we look, the more evil we find, both in the world and, if we are honest, in our own hearts. As the Bible says, The heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?(Jeremiah 17:9 ).

v. 14: Ezekiel sees women sitting at the north gate of the Lord

v. 15: God then shows Ezekiel another scene. In the inner court of the Lord

v. 16: The men’s actions show how far they have turned from God. By turning their backs on the temple, they show disrespect for everything holy. When people ignore God’s ways, they often fall into worse errors and make up their own rules. The Bible warns us that impiety is the beginning of all kinds of evil (Romans 1:21-23 ).

v. 17: God asks Ezekiel if he can believe what he sees. Is it a small thing for the people of Judah, who have received so many blessings and know God’s truth, to do such terrible things in His temple? Their sins are not just religious; they have filled the land with violence and injustice. Even when they come to the temple, their worship only makes God more angry, because their hearts are wicked (Isaiah 1:11 ). God says, They put the branch to their nose, which may mean they are mocking God or doing a pagan ritual. Whatever it means, it is a sign of disrespect and adds to their guilt (Daniel 9:27 ).

v. 18: Because the people are so determined to sin, God will respond in fury. He says, My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity.Even if they cry out loudly, He will not listen, because their sins cry out even louder for judgment (Proverbs 1:28 ). In the past, God was quick to hear the prayers of His people, but now their hearts are so far from Him that their prayers have no effect. Only a sincere heart can move God’s mercy, not loud voices or ceremonies (1 Kings 18:26 ).