Ezek. 8 Ezekiel is brought in a vision of God to Jerusalem, Ezek. 8:1–4, and showed the image of jealousy set up in the temple, Ezek. 8:5–6, the worship of the ancients in their chambers of imagery, Ezek. 8:7–12, the mourners for Tammuz, Ezek. 8:13–14, and the worshippers of the sun, Ezek. 8:15–16.

In the sixth year of Jeconiah’s captivity. In the sixth month; they had been almost seven years in captivity, it was Elul, or our August. In the fifth day of the month; the sabbath day, as Ezek. 1:2.

A likeness of a man; that man whom he had seen upon the throne, i.e. of Christ. The appearance of fire: see Ezek. 1:26–28. This fire denotes the wrath of God against Jerusalem, and it is observed it was fire downward, wrath already coming down upon the Jews.

He put forth a hand; Christ. This was acted visionally, not corporally or actually, and so all that is here spoken of to the end of the 16th verse. The spirit; which indeed is the hand which took him by the head, gently, but with mighty strength.

The glory of God: see Ezek. 1:28, Ezek. 3:23. Was there; whither he carried me, and there it showed me what I saw. According to the vision that I saw; like that; which gave further confirmation to the prophet, and encouraged him in his work and call.

Then; when he had in vision brought me hither. Lift up thine eyes; observe diligently and exactly every thing which thou mayst see northward first. The gate of the altar; so called, because Ahaz had removed it from the middle of the court, where by God’s command it was placed by Solomon; but now…

Seest thou? dost thou observe? What they do; the inhabitants, the generality of the Jews. The great abominations; the notorious idolatries. Here; in this court, in view of my temple, and where all that come, as most did, this way to worship me see it, so shameless is it! That I should go; not that…

The door; the second door, for there were two in the north side. The court; Ezek. 8:3. Some say it was the court into which the Levites only, not the people, might enter, and round about which were the chambers of the priests.

The hole he saw in the wall was not quite through, it was not great enough for him to go through, therefore he is commanded to dig one large enough to come at the door mentioned in this verse.

Go in: this was to secure him; he need fear neither the violence which idolaters usually show against those that discover them, nor yet any legal impurity by coming so near these abominable things.

So I went in, according to the vision. Of creeping things; of such creatures as the Egyptians, or any others with whom the Jews had acquaintance, did worship. Abominable beasts; the beasts are here called abominable, because idolaters had abused them to unlawful uses, making idols of them.

There stood, offering incense before the idols. Seventy men; either the sanhedrim, or council of seventy, who should have preserved religion pure and untainted, to which their office bound them; or else seventy of the more aged heads of the tribes or families, who should have been examples by their…

Hast thou seen? observed and thoroughly considered. The ancients: see Ezek. 8:11. Do in the dark; whether ashamed to act openly what was most absurd, or whether out of blindness doting in secret on what heathens secretly derided, though for interest they acted it openly; owning that religion which…

Thou shalt see, represented in this vision, greater abominations; either because added to all the rest, or because some circumstances in these make them more abominable than what before was represented. Or it may be taken for very great, as when the word is applied to cities, Deut. 1:28, Deut.

He brought me, not by real and corporal change of place, but in vision and by representation. Of the gate of the outer court, or court of the women, so called because they were allowed to come into it, as were all the laity of the Jews: but it is more likely the gate of the inner court, the court…

Besides these thou hast seen, thou shalt again see great abominations. Or if the expression be strictly comparative, then these latter wickednesses may be accounted greater, because acted in a more sacred place.

The inner court; the inmost, that which was next to the temple, called here the Lord’s house. At the door of the temple: before he saw abominations in the gates of the courts, now he is come to the very house itself.

Then; after the prophet had seen all, and had time to consider all he saw. He said unto me; God appeals to the prophet. Doth the house of Judah think these no sins, or but little sins, or that I account not those provocations to anger? Do they so sottishly undervalue me and my law and ordinances,…

What I will do is greater than to be expressed; they with a furious heat for their idols provoked me, and I will with a just indignation provoke them, nay, destroy them. Mine eye shall not spare: see Ezek. 7:4, Ezek. 7:8–9.