EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:1 Ezekiel’s “temple vision,” the second of his four dramatic visions, has strong connections with the opening vision (chs. Ezekiel 1:1) and the concluding vision (chs. Ezekiel 40:1), which is a mirror image to this one. In his vision, Ezekiel is taken on a tour and is shown... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:3 When interpreting chs. Ezekiel 8:1, one must keep in mind that what Ezekiel sees are dreamlike VISIONS OF GOD. This is spiritual, not “natural,” reality. The inner GATEWAY locates Ezekiel within the temple-palace complex, but not yet at its center. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = doc... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:4 GLORY. See note on 1:28. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:5 The first of the four scenes finds Ezekiel with his back to the altar, facing an IMAGE OF JEALOUSY, which remains unidentified. The vagueness is deliberate: focus remains on what provokes God’s outrage, not on the specifics of the image itself. It will get worse (STILL GR... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:10 The images ENGRAVED on the walls break the second commandment (Exodus 20:4) and violate the standards in Deuteronomy 4:15. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:11 The presence of JAAZANIAH THE SON OF SHAPHAN among the 70 elders may have been a shock. He was probably a member of the clan of Shaphan (2 Kings 22:8), which had proved loyal to Yahweh’s cause in Jeremiah’s ministry (e.g., Jeremiah 26:24). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.ge [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:14 Moving farther north, Ezekiel sees WOMEN WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ. This ancient Mesopotamian cult celebrated the shepherd-king and god of vegetation. Mourning rites among women in this cult are recorded in extrabiblical sources. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagNam... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 8:16 The final scene, which is the briefest, states simply and starkly the worst of the offenses against God. The TWENTY-FIVE MEN are not further identified, but the location BETWEEN THE PORCH AND THE ALTAR would normally be reserved for priests. At this sacred place they wor... [ Continue Reading ]