What does Ezechiel Chapter 8 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Dated circumstances precede visionary transport. Painted idols and ancients reveal private practices. Mourning and sun worship precede wrath.

Chapter breakdown

Ezechiel 8 dates the experience to year six, month six, day five, while the prophet sits at home with Juda's ancients. The Lord's hand falls upon him. A fiery likeness, with fire below the loins and amber-like brightness above, puts forth a hand and takes a lock of his head. The spirit lifts him between earth and heaven and brings him in vision to Jerusalem's north-facing inner gate, where an idol provokes jealousy. The glory matches the vision seen in the plain. The Lord questions abominations and departure from the sanctuary, repeatedly directing attention to greater abominations.

At the court door, a hole in a wall leads to digging and discovery of a door. Inside, creeping things, living creatures and Israel's idols are painted around the wall. Seventy ancients with Jezonias son of Saaphan stand before the pictures, each with a censer, and incense smoke rises. Their private darkness accompanies their claim that the Lord neither sees nor remains on earth. A subterranean chamber, plastered reliefs, gold censers and Jezonias's leadership are not stated.

At the north gate women mourn Adonis. The edition separately explains Venus's favorite, a wild-boar death feigned by heathen poets, female worshippers and Hebrew Tammuz; it does not identify Phoenician and Assyrian participants. In the inner court about twenty-five men between porch and altar face east with backs to the temple and worship toward sunrise. Juda's iniquity and a branch to the nose accompany provocation. The Lord announces wrath without sparing, mercy or hearing loud cries. Priesthood, bronze altar material, prostration and a universal doctrine believed by both communities are not supplied.

The story inside

Opening: Dated circumstances precede visionary transport. Development: Painted idols and ancients reveal private practices. Conclusion: Mourning and sun worship precede wrath.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Dated circumstances precede visionary transport.
2
Painted idols and ancients reveal private practices.
3
Mourning and sun worship precede wrath.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 91881–91894
8:1. 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 ancients of Juda sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. 8:2. And I saw, and behold 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 appearance of amber. 8:3. And the likeness of a hand was put forth and took me by a lock of my head: and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the vision of God into Jerusalem, near the inner gate, that looked toward the north, where was set the idol of jealousy to provoke to jealousy.
Lines 91899–91907
8:5. And he said to me: Son of man, lift up thy eyes towards the way of the north, and I lifted up my eyes towards the way of the north: and behold on the north side of the gate of the altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry. 8:6. And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations.
Lines 91918–91930
8:10. And I went in and saw, and behold every form of creeping things, and of living creatures, the abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were painted on the wall all round about. 8:11. And seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and Jezonias the son of Saaphan stood in the midst of them, that stood before the pictures: and every one had a censer in his hand: and a cloud of smoke went up from the incense. 8:12. And he said to me: Surely thou seest, O son of man, what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in private in his chamber: for they say: The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.
Lines 91935–91942
8:14. And he brought me in by the door of the gate of the Lord’s house, which looked to the north: and behold women sat there mourning for Adonis. Adonis.... The favourite of Venus, slain by a wild boar, as feigned by the heathen poets, and which being here represented by an idol, is lamented by the female worshippers of that goddess. In the Hebrew, the name is Tammuz.
Lines 91947–91957
8:16. And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men having their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east: and they adored towards the rising of the sun. 8:17. And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: is this a light thing to the house of Juda, that they should commit these abominations which they have committed here: because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned to provoke me to anger? and behold they put a branch to their nose.
Lines 91959–91961
8:18. Therefore I also will deal with them in my wrath: my eye shall not spare them, neither will I shew mercy: and when they shall cry to my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.