8:1 And it came to pass in the {a} sixth year, in the {b} 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 the Lord GOD fell there upon me.

(a) Of the captivity of Jeconiah.

(b) Which contained part of August and part of September.

8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of {c} fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.

(c) As in Eze 1:27.

8:3 And he put forth the form of an hand, 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 {d} visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner {e} gate that looketh toward the north; where [was] the seat of the image of {f} jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

(d) Meaning that he was thus carried in spirit, and not in body.

(e) Which was the porch or the court where the people assembled.

(f) So called, because it provoked God's indignation, which was the idol of Baal.

8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel [was] there, according to the vision that I saw {g} in the plain.

(g) Read Eze 3:22.

8:5 Then said he to me, Son of man, lift up thy eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the {h} altar this image of jealousy in the entrance.

(h) That is, in the court where the people had made an altar to Baal.

8:6 He said furthermore to me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? [even] the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should withdraw from {i} my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations.

(i) For God will not be where the idols are.

8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping animals, and {k} abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed around upon the wall.

(k) Which were forbidden in the law, Le 11:4.

8:11 And there stood before them seventy {l} men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and {m} a thick cloud of incense went up.

(l) Thus they who would have kept all the rest in the fear and true service of God were the ringleaders of all abomination, and by their example pulled others from God.

(m) It was in such abundance.

8:12 Then said he to me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel {n} 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.

(n) For besides their common idolatry they had particular service, which they had in secret chambers.

8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which [was] toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for {o} Tammuz.

(o) The Jews write, that this was a prophet of the idols, who after his death was once a year mourned for in the night.

8:17 Then he said to me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the {p} branch to their nose.

(p) Declaring that the censings and service of the idolaters are but infections and villany before God.