Ezekiel-Chapter-8
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
In Ezekiel Chapter 8, the prophet is transported in a Divine
vision from his exile in
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Below are the verses of Ezekiel Chapter 8:1-18: Whilst below the verses are the Explanation’s. (Chapter is from JPS-1917 version of
the Tanakh).
1. “And
it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the
month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the
hand of יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim fell there upon me.
Explanation: The specific date
(the sixth year, sixth month, fifth day) anchors the vision in history. Ezekiel
is sitting with the elders of Judah, the community leaders in exile, when the
“hand of יְהוָה - the LORD” falls upon him, indicating a sudden, overwhelming prophetic
state that transcends his physical surroundings.
2. Then I beheld, and lo, a
likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins and
downward, ‘fire’; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of
‘brightness’, as the ‘colour of electrum’.
Explanation: Ezekiel perceives a
celestial being described as having the appearance of ‘fire’ and ‘brightness’.
This “appearance of fire” signifies the intense, consuming purity of the
Divine, which is about to contrast sharply with the spiritual filth Ezekiel
will soon witness.
3. And the form of a hand was put
forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head; and a spirit lifted me up between
the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of
the inner court that looketh toward the north; where
was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh
to jealousy.
Explanation: The prophet is
spiritually “lifted” and brought to the inner court of the
4. And, behold,
the glory of the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of Israel was there, according to the vision
that I saw in the plain.
Explanation: Despite the idols,
the “Glory of the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of Israel” is still present,
appearing just as it did in Ezekiel’s initial vision by the River Chebar. This
highlights the tragedy: the Divine Presence is still there, but it is being
crowded out by the people's transgressions.
5. Then said He unto me: ‘Son of
man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north’. So I lifted up mine eyes
the way toward the north, and behold northward of the gate of the altar this
image of jealousy in the entry.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim directs Ezekiel’s attention
northward. At the “entry of the altar gate”, the prophet sees the idol again.
This placement is strategic; it ensures that anyone entering to offer a
sacrifice to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim must first pass or
acknowledge this pagan image.
6. And He said unto me: ‘Son of
man, seest thou what they do? even
the great abominations that the house of
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim asks Ezekiel if he sees
these “great abominations”. The stated purpose of these acts is “that I should
go far off from My sanctuary”. The people’s actions
are effectively evicting the Divine Presence; אֱלֹהִים - Elohim does not leave because He
wants to, but because the environment has become inhospitable to holiness.
7. And He brought me to the door
of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the
wall. 8. Then said He unto me: ‘Son of man, dig
now in the wall’; and when I had digged in the wall,
behold a door. 9. And He said unto me: ‘Go in,
and see the wicked abominations that they do here’. 10. So
I went in and saw; and behold every detestable form of creeping things and
beasts, and all the idols of the house of
Explanation: Ezekiel is brought
to a hole in the wall, which he digs through to find a hidden chamber. Inside,
he sees “every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts” portrayed on the
walls. This represents the secret, “underground” adoption of foreign mystery
cults and animal worship, hidden from public view but known to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim.
11. And there stood before them
seventy men of the elders of the house of
Explanation: Seventy elders of
12. Then said He unto me: ‘Son of
man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim points out that these
leaders justify their secret idolatry by claiming, “יְהוָה - the LORD seeth us
not; יְהוָה - the LORD hath forsaken the land”. They
believe that because of the exile, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is no longer watching or
cares about
13. He said also unto me: ‘Thou
shalt again see yet greater abominations which they do’. 14. Then
He brought me to the door of the gate of יְהוָה - the LORD’s house which was toward the north;
and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.
Explanation: Ezekiel is shown
"greater abominations." At the north gate, he sees women weeping for
“Tammuz”. This refers to a Mesopotamian deity of vegetation. By mourning this
god, the people were participating in a fertility cult, looking to nature
cycles rather than the Creator for their sustenance.
15. Then said He unto me: ‘Hast
thou seen this, O son of man? thou shalt again see yet
greater abominations than these’. 16. And He brought
me into the inner court of יְהוָה - the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of
the temple of יְהוָה - the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty
men, with their backs toward the temple of יְהוָה - the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun
toward the east.
Explanation: The final and most
severe abomination occurs in the inner court, between the porch and the altar.
Twenty-five men stand with their backs toward the
17. Then He said unto me: ‘Hast
thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim asks if it is “a light
thing” to commit these acts. He notes that they have also “filled the land with
violence”. This connects ritual idolatry with moral corruption; when the
relationship with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is severed, social justice
and human ethics inevitably collapse. The phrase “put the branch to their nose”
likely refers to a specific, insulting pagan ritual gesture.
18. Therefore will I also deal in
fury; Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry
in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them’”.
Explanation: Because the people have reached a point of total spiritual perversion, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim declares He will act with “fury”. The time for warnings has passed. Even if they cry out loudly, the structural and spiritual consequences of their choices are now unavoidable.
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My Closing Message:
Ezekiel 8 teaches us that the heart of the “Exile” began long before the Babylonian armies arrived. It began when the leaders and the people allowed “idols of the mind” and “secret chambers” of corruption to occupy their inner lives. The chapter serves as a powerful reminder that holiness cannot coexist with duplicity. To maintain a connection with אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם - Buruch Shem, we must ensure that our “inner courts” our private thoughts and motives align with our public profession of faith. The departure of the Divine Presence was not an act of abandonment by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, but a withdrawal necessitated by a people who had turned their backs on the Source of Life!
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