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Selected Verse: Ezekiel 8:7 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Eze 8:7	Strong Concordance	And he brought [0935] me to the door [06607] of the court [02691]; and when I looked [07200], behold a [0259] hole [02356] in the wall [07023].
	King James	And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
door of the court--that is, of the inner court (Eze 8:3); the court of the priests and Levites, into which now others were admitted in violation of the law [GROTIUS]. hole in . . . wall--that is, an aperture or window in the wall of the priests' chambers, through which he could see into the various apartments, wherein was the idolatrous shrine.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

door of the court--that is, of the inner court (Eze 8:3); the court of the priests and Levites, into which now others were admitted in violation of the law [GROTIUS].

hole in . . . wall--that is, an aperture or window in the wall of the priests' chambers, through which he could see into the various apartments, wherein was the idolatrous shrine.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The door of the court - The seer is brought to another spot. In Ezekiel's time there were various buildings on the space around the inner court which formed a court or courts, not improbably enclosed by a wall. The idolatries here were viewed as taking place in secret, and it is more in accordance with the temple arrangements to suppose that such chambers as would give room for those rites should belong to the outer than to the inner court. The seer is now outside the wall of the outer court, by the door which leads from it out of the temple-boundary. By breaking through the wall he enters into a chamber which stands in the outer court against the wall near the gate.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Second Abomination: Worship of Beasts Eze 8:7. And He brought me to the entrance of the court, and I saw, and behold there was a hole in the wall. Eze 8:8. And He said to me, Son of man, break through the wall: and I broke through the wall, and behold there was a door. Eze 8:9. And He said to me, Come and see the wicked abominations which they are doing here. Eze 8:10. And I came and saw, and behold there were all kinds of figures of reptiles, and beasts, abominations, and all kinds of idols of the house of Israel, drawn on the wall round about. Eze 8:11. And seventy men of the leaders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, stood in front, every man with his censer in his hand; and the smell of a cloud of incense arose. Eze 8:12. And He said to me, Seest thou, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in his image-chambers? For they say: Jehovah doth not see us; Jehovah hath forsaken the land. - The entrance of the court to which Ezekiel was now transported cannot be the principal entrance to the outer court towards the east (Ewald). This would be at variance with the context, as we not only find the prophet at the northern entrance in Eze 8:3 and Eze 8:5, but at Eze 8:14 we find him there still. If he had been taken to the eastern gate in the meantime, this would certainly have been mentioned. As that is not the case, the reference must be to that entrance to the court which lay between the entrance-gate of the inner court (Eze 8:3) and the northern entrance-gate to the house of Jehovah (Eze 8:14), or northern gate of the outer court, in other words, the northern entrance into the outer court. Thus the prophet was conducted out of the inner court through its northern gate into the outer court, and placed in front of the northern gate, which led out into the open air. There he saw a hole in the wall, and on breaking through the wall, by the command of God, he saw a door, and having entered it, he saw all kinds of figures of animals engraved on the wall round about, in front of which seventy of the elders of Israel were standing and paying reverence to the images of beasts with burning incense. According to Eze 8:12, the prophet was thereby shown what the elders of Israel did in the dark, every one in his image-chamber. From this explanation on the part of God concerning the picture shown to the prophet, it is very evident that it had no reference to any idolatrous worship practised by the elders in one or more of the cells of the outer court of the temple. For even though the objection raised by Kliefoth to this view, namely, that it cannot be proved that there were halls with recesses in the outer court, is neither valid nor correct, since the existence of such halls is placed beyond the reach of doubt by Jer 35:4; Kg2 23:11, and Ch1 28:12; such a supposition is decidedly precluded by the fact, that the cells and recesses at the gates cannot have been large enough to allow of seventy-one men taking part in a festive idolatrous service. The supposition that the seventy-one men were distributed in different chambers is at variance with the distinct words of the text. The prophet not only sees the seventy elders standing along with Jaazaniah, but he could not look through one door into a number of chambers at once, and see the pictures draw all round upon their walls. The assembling of the seventy elders in a secret cell by the northern gate of the outer temple to worship the idolatrous images engraved on the walls of the cell, is one feature in the visionary form given to the revelation of what the elders of the people were doing secretly throughout the whole land. To bring out more strikingly the secrecy of this idolatrous worship, the cell is so completely hidden in the wall, that the prophet is obliged to enlarge the hole by breaking through the wall before he can see the door which leads to the cell and gain a view of them and of the things it contains, and the things that are done therein. (Note: "Because the whole is exhibited pictorially and figuratively, he says that he saw one hole in a wall, and was directed to dig through and make it larger, that he might enter as if through an open door, and see the things which he could not possibly have seen while stationed outside." - Jerome.) And the number of the persons assembled there suggests the idea of a symbolical representation, as well as the secrecy of the cell. The seventy elders represent the whole nation; and the number is taken from Exo 24:1. and Num 11:16; Num 24:25, where Moses, by the command of God, chooses seventy of the elders to represent the whole congregation at the making of the covenant, and afterwards to support his authority. This representation of the congregation was not a permanent institution, as we may see from the fact that in Num 11 seventy other men are said to have been chosen for the purpose named. The high council, consisting of seventy members, the so-called Sanhedrim, was formed after the captivity on the basis of these Mosaic types. In the midst of the seventy was Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, a different man therefore from the Jaazaniah mentioned in Eze 11:1. Shaphan is probably the person mentioned as a man of distinction in Kg2 22:3.; Jer 29:3; Jer 36:10; Jer 39:14. It is impossible to decide on what ground Jaazaniah is specially mentioned by name; but it can hardly be on account of the meaning of the name he bore, "Jehovah heard," as Hvernick supposes. It is probable that he held a prominent position among the elders of the nation, so that he is mentioned here by name as the leader of this national representation. On the wall of the chamber round about there were drawn all kinds of figures of רמשׂ וּבהמה, reptiles and quadrupeds (see Gen 1:24). שׁקץ is in apposition not only to בּהמה, but also to רמשׂ, and therefore, as belonging to both, is not to be connected with בּהמה in the construct state. The drawing of reptiles and quadrupeds became a sheqetz, or abomination, from the fact that the pictures had been drawn for the purpose of religious worship. The following clause, "and all the idols of the house of Israel," is co-ordinate with 'כּל־תּבנית וגו. Besides the animals drawn on the walls, there were idols of other kinds in the chamber. The drawing of reptiles and quadrupeds naturally suggests the thought of the animal-worship of Egypt. We must not limit the words to this, however, since the worship of animals is met with in the nature-worship of other heathen nations, and the expression כּל־תּבנית, "all kinds of figures," as well as the clause, "all kinds of idols of the house of Israel," points to every possible form of idol-worship as spread abroad in Israel. עתר, according to the Aramaean usage, signifies suffimentum, perfume, בּחשׁך, in the dark, i.e., in secret, like בּסּתר in Sa2 12:12; not in the sacred darkness of the cloud of incense (Hvernick). חדרי משׂכּית, image-chambers, is the term applied to the rooms or closets in the dwelling-houses of the people in which idolatrous images were set up and secretly worshipped. משׂכּית signifies idolatrous figures, as in Lev 26:1 and Num 33:52. This idolatry was justified by the elders, under the delusion that "Jehovah seeth us not;" that is to say, not: "He does not trouble Himself about us," but He does not see what we do, because He is not omniscient (cf. Isa 29:15); and He has forsaken the land, withdrawn His presence and His help. Thus they deny both the omniscience and omnipresence of God (cf. Eze 9:9).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

Second Abomination: Worship of Beasts

Eze 8:7. And He brought me to the entrance of the court, and I saw, and behold there was a hole in the wall. Eze 8:8. And He said to me, Son of man, break through the wall: and I broke through the wall, and behold there was a door. Eze 8:9. And He said to me, Come and see the wicked abominations which they are doing here. Eze 8:10. And I came and saw, and behold there were all kinds of figures of reptiles, and beasts, abominations, and all kinds of idols of the house of Israel, drawn on the wall round about. Eze 8:11. And seventy men of the leaders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, stood in front, every man with his censer in his hand; and the smell of a cloud of incense arose. Eze 8:12. And He said to me, Seest thou, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in his image-chambers? For they say: Jehovah doth not see us; Jehovah hath forsaken the land. - The entrance of the court to which Ezekiel was now transported cannot be the principal entrance to the outer court towards the east (Ewald). This would be at variance with the context, as we not only find the prophet at the northern entrance in Eze 8:3 and Eze 8:5, but at Eze 8:14 we find him there still. If he had been taken to the eastern gate in the meantime, this would certainly have been mentioned. As that is not the case, the reference must be to that entrance to the court which lay between the entrance-gate of the inner court (Eze 8:3) and the northern entrance-gate to the house of Jehovah (Eze 8:14), or northern gate of the outer court, in other words, the northern entrance into the outer court. Thus the prophet was conducted out of the inner court through its northern gate into the outer court, and placed in front of the northern gate, which led out into the open air. There he saw a hole in the wall, and on breaking through the wall, by the command of God, he saw a door, and having entered it, he saw all kinds of figures of animals engraved on the wall round about, in front of which seventy of the elders of Israel were standing and paying reverence to the images of beasts with burning incense. According to Eze 8:12, the prophet was thereby shown what the elders of Israel did in the dark, every one in his image-chamber. From this explanation on the part of God concerning the picture shown to the prophet, it is very evident that it had no reference to any idolatrous worship practised by the elders in one or more of the cells of the outer court of the temple. For even though the objection raised by Kliefoth to this view, namely, that it cannot be proved that there were halls with recesses in the outer court, is neither valid nor correct, since the existence of such halls is placed beyond the reach of doubt by Jer 35:4; Kg2 23:11, and Ch1 28:12; such a supposition is decidedly precluded by the fact, that the cells and recesses at the gates cannot have been large enough to allow of seventy-one men taking part in a festive idolatrous service. The supposition that the seventy-one men were distributed in different chambers is at variance with the distinct words of the text. The prophet not only sees the seventy elders standing along with Jaazaniah, but he could not look through one door into a number of chambers at once, and see the pictures draw all round upon their walls. The assembling of the seventy elders in a secret cell by the northern gate of the outer temple to worship the idolatrous images engraved on the walls of the cell, is one feature in the visionary form given to the revelation of what the elders of the people were doing secretly throughout the whole land. To bring out more strikingly the secrecy of this idolatrous worship, the cell is so completely hidden in the wall, that the prophet is obliged to enlarge the hole by breaking through the wall before he can see the door which leads to the cell and gain a view of them and of the things it contains, and the things that are done therein.

(Note: "Because the whole is exhibited pictorially and figuratively, he says that he saw one hole in a wall, and was directed to dig through and make it larger, that he might enter as if through an open door, and see the things which he could not possibly have seen while stationed outside." - Jerome.)

And the number of the persons assembled there suggests the idea of a symbolical representation, as well as the secrecy of the cell. The seventy elders represent the whole nation; and the number is taken from Exo 24:1. and Num 11:16; Num 24:25, where Moses, by the command of God, chooses seventy of the elders to represent the whole congregation at the making of the covenant, and afterwards to support his authority. This representation of the congregation was not a permanent institution, as we may see from the fact that in Num 11 seventy other men are said to have been chosen for the purpose named. The high council, consisting of seventy members, the so-called Sanhedrim, was formed after the captivity on the basis of these Mosaic types. In the midst of the seventy was Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, a different man therefore from the Jaazaniah mentioned in Eze 11:1. Shaphan is probably the person mentioned as a man of distinction in Kg2 22:3.; Jer 29:3; Jer 36:10; Jer 39:14. It is impossible to decide on what ground Jaazaniah is specially mentioned by name; but it can hardly be on account of the meaning of the name he bore, "Jehovah heard," as Hvernick supposes. It is probable that he held a prominent position among the elders of the nation, so that he is mentioned here by name as the leader of this national representation.

On the wall of the chamber round about there were drawn all kinds of figures of רמשׂ וּבהמה, reptiles and quadrupeds (see Gen 1:24). שׁקץ is in apposition not only to בּהמה, but also to רמשׂ, and therefore, as belonging to both, is not to be connected with בּהמה in the construct state. The drawing of reptiles and quadrupeds became a sheqetz, or abomination, from the fact that the pictures had been drawn for the purpose of religious worship. The following clause, "and all the idols of the house of Israel," is co-ordinate with 'כּל־תּבנית וגו. Besides the animals drawn on the walls, there were idols of other kinds in the chamber. The drawing of reptiles and quadrupeds naturally suggests the thought of the animal-worship of Egypt. We must not limit the words to this, however, since the worship of animals is met with in the nature-worship of other heathen nations, and the expression כּל־תּבנית, "all kinds of figures," as well as the clause, "all kinds of idols of the house of Israel," points to every possible form of idol-worship as spread abroad in Israel. עתר, according to the Aramaean usage, signifies suffimentum, perfume, בּחשׁך, in the dark, i.e., in secret, like בּסּתר in Sa2 12:12; not in the sacred darkness of the cloud of incense (Hvernick). חדרי משׂכּית, image-chambers, is the term applied to the rooms or closets in the dwelling-houses of the people in which idolatrous images were set up and secretly worshipped. משׂכּית signifies idolatrous figures, as in Lev 26:1 and Num 33:52. This idolatry was justified by the elders, under the delusion that "Jehovah seeth us not;" that is to say, not: "He does not trouble Himself about us," but He does not see what we do, because He is not omniscient (cf. Isa 29:15); and He has forsaken the land, withdrawn His presence and His help. Thus they deny both the omniscience and omnipresence of God (cf. Eze 9:9).

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
The door - The second door, for there were two in the north side.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
A hole in the wall - This we find was not large enough to see what was doing within; and the prophet is directed to dig, and make it larger, Eze 8:8; and when he had done so and entered, he says: -

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³ And he put forth [07971] the form [08403] of an hand [03027], and took [03947] me by a lock [06734] of mine head [07218]; and the spirit [07307] lifted me up [05375] between the earth [0776] and the heaven [08064], and brought [0935] me in the visions [04759] of God [0430] to Jerusalem [03389], to the door [06607] of the inner [06442] gate [08179] that looketh [06437] toward the north [06828]; where was the seat [04186] of the image [05566] of jealousy [07068], which provoketh to jealousy [07069].

⁹ Then said [0559] he unto me, The iniquity [05771] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478] and Judah [03063] is exceeding [03966] [03966] great [01419], and the land [0776] is full [04390] of blood [01818], and the city [05892] full [04390] of perverseness [04297]: for they say [0559], The LORD [03068] hath forsaken [05800] the earth [0776], and the LORD [03068] seeth [07200] not.

¹⁵ Woe [01945] unto them that seek deep [06009] to hide [05641] their counsel [06098] from the LORD [03068], and their works [04639] are in the dark [04285], and they say [0559], Who seeth [07200] us? and who knoweth [03045] us?

⁵² Then ye shall drive out [03423] all the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776] from before [06440] you, and destroy [06] all their pictures [04906], and destroy [06] all their molten [04541] images [06754], and quite pluck down [08045] all their high places [01116]:

¹ Ye shall make [06213] you no idols [0457] nor graven image [06459], neither rear you up [06965] a standing image [04676], neither shall ye set up [05414] any image [04906] of stone [068] in your land [0776], to bow down [07812] unto it: for I am the LORD [03068] your God [0430].

¹² For thou didst [06213] it secretly [05643]: but I will do [06213] this thing [01697] before all Israel [03478], and before the sun [08121].

²⁴ And God [0430] said [0559], Let the earth [0776] bring forth [03318] the living [02416] creature [05315] after his kind [04327], cattle [0929], and creeping thing [07431], and beast [02416] of the earth [0776] after his kind [04327]: and it was so.

¹⁴ Even they sent [07971], and took [03947] Jeremiah [03414] out of the court [02691] of the prison [04307], and committed [05414] him unto Gedaliah [01436] the son [01121] of Ahikam [0296] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227], that he should carry [03318] him home [01004]: so he dwelt [03427] among [08432] the people [05971].

¹⁰ Then read [07121] Baruch [01263] in the book [05612] the words [01697] of Jeremiah [03414] in the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], in the chamber [03957] of Gemariah [01587] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227] the scribe [05608], in the higher [05945] court [02691], at the entry [06607] of the new [02319] gate [08179] of the LORD'S [03068] house [01004], in the ears [0241] of all the people [05971].

³ By the hand [03027] of Elasah [0501] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227], and Gemariah [01587] the son [01121] of Hilkiah [02518], (whom Zedekiah [06667] king [04428] of Judah [03063] sent [07971] unto Babylon [0894] to Nebuchadnezzar [05019] king [04428] of Babylon [0894]) saying [0559],

³ And it came to pass in the eighteenth [08083] [06240] year [08141] of king [04428] Josiah [02977], that the king [04428] sent [07971] Shaphan [08227] the son [01121] of Azaliah [0683], the son [01121] of Meshullam [04918], the scribe [05608], to the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], saying [0559],

¹ Moreover the spirit [07307] lifted me up [05375], and brought [0935] me unto the east [06931] gate [08179] of the LORD'S [03068] house [01004], which looketh [06437] eastward [06921]: and behold at the door [06607] of the gate [08179] five [02568] and twenty [06242] men [0376]; among [08432] whom I saw [07200] Jaazaniah [02970] the son [01121] of Azur [05809], and Pelatiah [06410] the son [01121] of Benaiah [01141], princes [08269] of the people [05971].

²⁵ And Balaam [01109] rose up [06965], and went [03212] and returned [07725] to his place [04725]: and Balak [01111] also went [01980] his way [01870].

¹⁶ And the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto Moses [04872], Gather [0622] unto me seventy [07657] men [0376] of the elders [02205] of Israel [03478], whom thou knowest [03045] to be the elders [02205] of the people [05971], and officers [07860] over them; and bring [03947] them unto the tabernacle [0168] of the congregation [04150], that they may stand [03320] there with thee.

¹ And he said [0559] unto Moses [04872], Come up [05927] unto the LORD [03068], thou, and Aaron [0175], Nadab [05070], and Abihu [030], and seventy [07657] of the elders [02205] of Israel [03478]; and worship [07812] ye afar off [07350].

¹² And the pattern [08403] of all that he had by the spirit [07307], of the courts [02691] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], and of all the chambers [03957] round about [05439], of the treasuries [0214] of the house [01004] of God [0430], and of the treasuries [0214] of the dedicated things [06944]:

¹¹ And he took away [07673] the horses [05483] that the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had given [05414] to the sun [08121], at the entering in [0935] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], by the chamber [03957] of Nathanmelech [05419] the chamberlain [05631], which was in the suburbs [06503], and burned [08313] the chariots [04818] of the sun [08121] with fire [0784].

⁴ And I brought [0935] them into the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], into the chamber [03957] of the sons [01121] of Hanan [02605], the son [01121] of Igdaliah [03012], a man [0376] of God [0430], which was by [0681] the chamber [03957] of the princes [08269], which was above [04605] the chamber [03957] of Maaseiah [04641] the son [01121] of Shallum [07967], the keeper [08104] of the door [05592]:

¹² Then said [0559] he unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], hast thou seen [07200] what the ancients [02205] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478] do [06213] in the dark [02822], every man [0376] in the chambers [02315] of his imagery [04906]? for they say [0559], The LORD [03068] seeth [07200] us not; the LORD [03068] hath forsaken [05800] the earth [0776].

¹⁴ Then he brought [0935] me to the door [06607] of the gate [08179] of the LORD'S [03068] house [01004] which was toward the north [06828]; and, behold, there sat [03427] women [0802] weeping [01058] for Tammuz [08542].

⁵ Then said [0559] he unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], lift up [05375] thine eyes [05869] now the way [01870] toward the north [06828]. So I lifted up [05375] mine eyes [05869] the way [01870] toward the north [06828], and behold northward [06828] at the gate [08179] of the altar [04196] this image [05566] of jealousy [07068] in the entry [0872].

¹¹ And there stood [05975] before [06440] them seventy [07657] men [0376] of the ancients [02205] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], and in the midst [08432] of them stood [05975] Jaazaniah [02970] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227], with every man [0376] his censer [04730] in his hand [03027]; and a thick [06282] cloud [06051] of incense [07004] went up [05927].

¹⁰ So I went in [0935] and saw [07200]; and behold every form [08403] of creeping things [07431], and abominable [08263] beasts [0929], and all the idols [01544] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], pourtrayed [02707] upon the wall [07023] round about [05439].

⁹ And he said [0559] unto me, Go in [0935], and behold [07200] the wicked [07451] abominations [08441] that they do [06213] here.

⁸ Then said [0559] he unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], dig [02864] now in the wall [07023]: and when I had digged [02864] in the wall [07023], behold a [0259] door [06607].

⁷ And he brought [0935] me to the door [06607] of the court [02691]; and when I looked [07200], behold a [0259] hole [02356] in the wall [07023].

⁸ Then said [0559] he unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], dig [02864] now in the wall [07023]: and when I had digged [02864] in the wall [07023], behold a [0259] door [06607].