After previously prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem, a year later Ezekiel has another vision. This vision runs through chapter 11 and begins with a vision of the idolatry in the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 8:1-4, A man grabs him by the hair
In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon me there. I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.
Ezekiel is sitting in Babylon fourteen months after the vision of chapter 1. (This would likely be after he had completed lying on his side for the 390 days and 40 days described in chapter 4.) Jewish elders, in exile with him, are gathered around him, visiting him in his house. There Ezekiel has a vision in which a man grabs him by the hair and carries him off to Jerusalem, to the north gate of the inner court. At the inner court is an idol that "provokes [God] to jealousy."
Ezekiel 8:5-6, Idol of jealousy
Then he said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north."
So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.
And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing--the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable."
The north gate of the inner court of the temple was the gate nearest the altar. There, near the altar is some type of idol. What the idol represents is despicable and provokes YHWH. Indeed, the provocation is severe enough that YHWH is about to move far from his sanctuary in Jerusalem. (This transition will be described in later chapters.) The speaker then says that Ezekiel will see worse things. Three more revelations will follow in this chapter.
Mackie suggests that this idol is Asherah and dates back to Manasseh's reign in 2 Kings 21:1-16. (That passage is worth reading in light of Ezekiel's later prophecy.)
Ezekiel 8:7-13, A secret society
Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, "Son of man, now dig into the wall."
So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. And he said to me, "Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here." So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel. In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.
He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, `The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'" Again, he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable."
Ezekiel is shown a secret hideaway where seventy elders are worshiping a variety of other gods, animals and idols. These elders believe that YHWH cannot see them. One person in particular, Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan, is mentioned. Shaphan was a temple official during Josiah's reign. He played a significant role in the discovery of the Book of the Law, which led to the revival during Josiah's reign several decades before (see 2 Kings 22:3-14; also Jeremiah 26:24, 29:3, 39:14.)
It is not clear if the secret room is a physical place or is metaphorical. Regardless, Ezekiel is being shown secret societies that believe YHWH does not see. Duguid suggests that the first idol, the "idol of jealousy" was probably the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah while the animals described here were probably of Egyptian origin.
The Hebrew word translated "idol" in verse 10 is gillul. Mackie (Bible Project classroom, session 9) argues that this word is intended to be derogatory, roughly "dung ball". Alexander agrees.
Ezekiel 8:14-15, Women mourning for Tammuz
Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz. He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this."
In another place in the temple there are women "mourning for Tammuz." Tammuz was a god in an ANE fertility cult and "mourning" (or "weeping") for Tammuz was believed to be a way to bring Tammuz back from the underworld and so promote the fall rains. (Even today, the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar is called Tammuz.) The sixth month, described at the beginning of this chapter, probably coincides roughly with September.
Ezekiel 8:16-18, Bowing to the sun
He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
He said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them."
Another group of people (about 25 men) are bowing to the sun in the east as it rises. They are worshiping a celestial being, not God. Throughout the temple, Ezekiel is witnessing various forms of blatant idolatry.
Ezekiel has observed people in Jerusalem worshiping a Canaanite idol, Egyptian snakes, an ANE fertility symbol and the sun god. The idolatry in the Jerusalem is rampant. The response of YHWH to this will be described in the next chapter.
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