Ezekiel 8:13 kjv
He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
Ezekiel 8:13 nkjv
And He said to me, "Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing."
Ezekiel 8:13 niv
Again, he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable."
Ezekiel 8:13 esv
He said also to me, "You will see still greater abominations that they commit."
Ezekiel 8:13 nlt
Then the LORD added, "Come, and I will show you even more detestable sins than these!"
Ezekiel 8 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezek 8:14 | Then he brought me to the gate of the north of the house of the LORD; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. | Vision of women weeping for Tammuz |
| Isa 17:10-11 | Because you forgot the God of your salvation and have not remembered the rock of your refuge; therefore you plant delightful plants and sow the last İran; and though you plant them on that day, and your sowing of the morning make it sprout, yet the harvest will flee away in the day of grief and incurable pain. | Warning against neglecting God for false worship |
| Jer 7:18 | The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. | Idolatrous practices, including worship of a "queen of heaven" |
| Hos 2:11 | And I will put an end to all her clamor and her feasts, her New Moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts. | God's judgment on idolatrous worship and its festivals |
| 1 Cor 10:20 | No, I will not, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be sharing with demons. | Association of pagan sacrifices with demonic influence |
| Rom 1:25 | They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. | Human tendency to worship created things instead of the Creator |
| 2 Kings 23:11-13 | And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, by the court of the eunuch; and Hezekiah turned the chariots of the sun away from the house of the LORD, by the section of the king. And he pulled down the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he ground them to powder and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. | Josiah's reforms to remove idolatrous practices, including sun worship |
| Lev 26:30 | And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the remains of your idols. And my soul will abhor you. | God's abhorrence of idol worship and its consequences |
| Ps 106:37-38 | They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. | Ritualistic child sacrifice associated with Canaanite idol worship |
| Jer 44:17-19 | but we will certainly do every word that has gone out of our mouths, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked all things and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. | Israelites persisting in worship of the queen of heaven despite God's judgment |
| Acts 17:29 | Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, or any sort of graven image or design produced by man's skill. | Warning against equating God with material images |
| 1 Cor 8:4-6 | Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that no idol in the world is anything, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many gods and many lords—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist. | Distinguishing between idols and the one true God |
| Isa 44:13-20 | The woodworker shapes it, marking it out with a marker; he shapes it with chisels and marks it out with a compass. He makes it in the shape of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or selects a cypress tree or an oak. He lets it grow among the trees of the forest, or he plants a pine tree, and the rain makes it grow. Then it is used for fuel. Some of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol; and falls down to it and worships it. He burns half of it in the fire. Over half he roasts meat, and he eats the meat, and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm! I have seen the fire." And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol; and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god." They do not know, nor do they understand, for he has shut their eyes from seeing and their hearts from understanding. No one considers, no one has the knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire. I also baked bread on its embers and roasted meat and have eaten it. And shall I make something abominable from the rest of it? Shall I fall down to a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray. He cannot deliver himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a falsehood?" | Poetic depiction of the creation and futility of idols |
| Zech 12:10-11 | And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and wail over him, as one wails over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. | Prophecy of future mourning in Jerusalem, potentially echoing earlier lamentations |
| Ezek 8:3 | And he put forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my hair, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem in visions of God, to the entrance of the gate of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. | The vision begins with the prophet being transported to Jerusalem and shown abominations |
| Ezek 8:16 | And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. | Another form of idolatry in the temple – sun worship |
| Rev 17:1-6 | Then one of the seven angels who were holding the seven bowls came and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed immorality, and with the wine of whose immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of the earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. | Vision of a great prostitute in Revelation, symbolizing corrupt spiritual or political systems |
| Jer 10:1-5 | Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: "Do not learn the way of the nations, nor be dismayed by the signs of the heavens, because the nations are dismayed by them, for the customs of the peoples are vain. He cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman, with his axe. He adorns it with silver and gold; he fastens it with hammer and nails so that it cannot budge. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they do not speak; they have to be carried, because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they do no evil, nor is it in them to do good." | Denouncement of pagan idolatry and reliance on earthly signs |
Ezekiel 8 verses
Ezekiel 8 13 Meaning
This verse describes a vision shown to Ezekiel where a woman is depicted mourning for Tammuz. This act was a prominent feature of ancient Mesopotamian fertility cults, symbolizing the death and subsequent resurrection of the god Tammuz, often associated with agriculture and the changing seasons.
Ezekiel 8 13 Context
Ezekiel chapter 8 is part of a larger narrative where the prophet Ezekiel, exiled in Babylon, receives a series of visions from God. These visions are designed to reveal the depth of the people of Israel's sin and the reasons for God's impending judgment. The setting is Jerusalem, where Ezekiel is spiritually transported to witness the idolatrous practices occurring within the city and even within the very Temple of the LORD. Specifically, this verse describes one of the "seventy elders" leading Ezekiel through various acts of spiritual defilement, including this sorrowful practice by women. This vision highlights the pervasive nature of pagan worship infiltrating even the most sacred spaces of Israel.
Ezekiel 8 13 Word Analysis
- və·šām (וְשָׁם): "And there." A common conjunctive particle indicating continuation or introduction to a new element in the narrative.
- hinnəh (הִנֵּה): "Behold." An interjection used to draw attention to something significant or noteworthy in the vision. It signifies that what follows is of importance.
- nāšîm (נָשִׁים): "Women." Plural of 'ishshah', meaning woman or wife. It emphasizes that this was a group activity among women.
- yōšə·ḇōṯ (יֹשְׁבוֹת): "Sitting." Feminine plural participle of 'yashav', meaning to sit or dwell. Their posture signifies a prolonged engagement in the act.
- mĕ·qō·nō·nōṯ (מְקֹנְנוֹת): "Weeping," "moaning," or "chanting sadly." The participle of 'qānan', which can mean to chirp or twitter like a bird, but in this context implies mournful cries or laments, often associated with dirges.
- lǝ·Ā·mūz (לְתַמּוּז): "For Tammuz." A preposition 'l' (for/to) followed by the name of the deity Tammuz. Tammuz was a major Mesopotamian fertility god, whose cycle of death and rebirth was central to various cultic rituals. This signifies the object of their lamentation and devotion.
Group of words analysis:
- "And there, behold, women were sitting": This phrase sets a scene of quiet, settled observation. The use of "behold" underscores the unsettling nature of their presence and activity. They are not merely passing by but are intentionally seated, dedicating time to this ritual.
- "weeping for Tammuz": This action directly points to the infiltration of foreign religious practices into Israel. Tammuz cults were deeply connected to agricultural cycles and were characterized by the symbolic mourning for the god's descent into the underworld, implying a longing for his return and the renewal of life. This stood in direct opposition to Israel's covenantal relationship with the LORD, their God.
Ezekiel 8 13 Bonus Section
The worship of Tammuz, known as Dumuzi in Sumerian mythology, was widespread throughout the ancient Near East. His myth centers on his love for the goddess Inanna/Ishtar, and his annual descent into the underworld. The associated rituals often involved priests and worshippers lamenting his absence and appealing for his return, linking the fertility of the land to his cycle. The Prophet Jeremiah also condemns the "Queen of Heaven" cult (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19), which shares thematic similarities with Tammuz worship in its focus on celestial deities and popular, syncretistic religious practices. This verse, therefore, points to a specific, recognized pagan practice that had permeated Israelite religious life, a symptom of the broader covenantal betrayal the nation was committing.
Ezekiel 8 13 Commentary
The verse depicts women engaging in ritualistic mourning for Tammuz, a clear indication of apostasy. This act was not a spontaneous grief but a formalized cultic practice common in neighboring pagan societies, specifically linked to fertility rites. Israel had been repeatedly warned against adopting such customs (Deut 18:9-12), which were seen as abhorrent to the LORD. Ezekiel's vision in chapter 8 serves to visually confront the remnant in exile with the reality of the sins that led to their downfall. The weeping for Tammuz symbolizes a turning away from the LORD, the source of true life and sustenance, towards false gods and their hollow rituals. This illustrates a deep spiritual unfaithfulness and an adoption of practices that God considers detestable.