Ezekiel 8 14

Ezekiel 8:14 kjv

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 Tammuz.

Ezekiel 8:14 nkjv

So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

Ezekiel 8:14 niv

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.

Ezekiel 8:14 esv

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Ezekiel 8:14 nlt

He brought me to the north gate of the LORD's Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz.

Ezekiel 8 verses

Ezekiel 8 14 Meaning

The verse describes a pivotal scene in Ezekiel's prophetic vision, where he is taken by the hand of the LORD to the entrance of the northern gate of the Temple in Jerusalem. There, he witnesses a group of women engaged in ritual lamentation for Tammuz, a pagan deity, deeply polluting the sanctity of God's house. This act represented profound spiritual adultery and a direct affront to the LORD.

Ezekiel 8 14 Context

Ezekiel 8 is part of a series of visions the prophet experienced in the fifth year of his exile, six years before the final destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. In this particular vision, God's spirit transports Ezekiel from Babylonia to Jerusalem, specifically to the Temple. The purpose is to reveal to him the profound abominations being committed within the sacred precinct, justifying the impending divine judgment and the Temple's subsequent destruction and the people's further exile. This verse is the third of four escalating revelations of idolatry shown to Ezekiel, beginning with the "image of jealousy," then the elders worshipping creatures in secret, followed by these women, and finally, men worshipping the sun. The setting is critical; the worship is not just occurring, but within the "house of the LORD," making it a direct profanation.

Ezekiel 8 14 Word analysis

• Then he brought me: Indicates divine agency and guidance. God is actively revealing these sins to Ezekiel, not merely observing them. It's a purposeful journey, signifying divine intent to expose wickedness.

• to the entrance: Hebrew: פֶּתַח (petaḥ). Signifies a gateway, a point of access, not necessarily deep within, but prominently positioned, indicating open, observable defilement.

• of the north gate: Hebrew: שַׁעַר צָפוֹן (sha'ar tzafon). The "north gate" was a prominent entry point to the temple courts. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the North could sometimes be associated with evil or the seat of false deities (e.g., "Mount Zaphon" in Ugaritic mythology). Its defilement suggests not only spiritual corruption but potentially vulnerability to external pagan influences that had penetrated from that direction, or simply that no area of the Temple was spared from apostasy.

• of the house of the LORD: Hebrew: בֵּית יְהוָה (beit YHVH). Explicitly names the holy Temple, God's dwelling place. This phrase underscores the heinousness of the sin – these abominations were committed not in a pagan shrine, but where God’s presence was meant to reside. This is the very definition of profanation and spiritual sacrilege.

• and behold: Hebrew: וְהִנֵּה־שָׁם (vəhinneh-sham - "and there, behold"). This interjection draws attention to a shocking sight, emphasizing the suddenness and impact of the discovery for Ezekiel.

• there sat women weeping: Hebrew: נָשִׁים יֹשְׁבוֹת מְבַכּוֹת (nashim yoshvoth mevakkoth). The act of sitting often indicates a ritualistic or ceremonial posture. The "weeping" is not personal grief but ritual lamentation, part of a cultic practice. Women often played significant roles in ancient fertility cults and lamentation rites.

• for Tammuz: Hebrew: אֶת־הַתַּמּוּז (eth-hatTammūz). This is the key identification of the pagan worship. Tammuz (Sumerian Dumu-zid "the true son") was a Mesopotamian fertility god whose yearly death (descent to the underworld) and return was linked to the agricultural cycles of vegetation. His worship involved annual rites of lamentation and mourning, typically around the summer solstice, intended to ensure the earth's fertility. The act of Israelites, specifically women, engaging in such a foreign fertility cult within YHWH's Temple represented a profound rejection of their covenant God and an embrace of syncretism at its worst. This directly challenged YHWH's sovereignty over creation and fertility.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD": This sequence establishes the sacred location of the sin. The divine hand of God is precisely placing Ezekiel to observe the desecration of God's holy dwelling at a prominent, visible entry point.
  • "and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz": This phrase succinctly describes the nature of the abomination. The contrast between "the house of the LORD" and "women weeping for Tammuz" highlights the complete incompatibility and severe syncretism occurring. It's a visual shock, demonstrating not mere hidden idol worship but public, organized pagan ritual within the temple precincts.

Ezekiel 8 14 Bonus section

The progression of abominations in Ezekiel chapter 8 escalates in severity:

1. Verse 5: The image of jealousy, perhaps a pillar dedicated to a pagan deity, positioned offensively in the north gate area.
2. Verses 9-12: Seventy elders, leaders of Israel, secretly worshipping idols, likely Egyptian animal cults, in dark chambers, claiming "The LORD does not see us."
3. Verse 14: Women openly weeping for Tammuz at the Temple's north gate, a more public and direct form of pagan devotion.
4. Verses 15-16: Twenty-five men, perhaps priests or rulers, turning their backs to the Temple to bow down eastward towards the sun, a brazen act of cosmic idolatry, directly rejecting YHWH as the sun rises over His Holy Place.

Each successive abomination is described as "greater" than the last, culminating in this final insult. This intentional staging in the vision highlights the pervasive and escalating nature of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness, justifying the impending severe judgment that follows in subsequent chapters. It underscores that the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple was not an arbitrary act but a direct consequence of Judah's unrepented and blatant idolatry.

Ezekiel 8 14 Commentary

Ezekiel 8:14 reveals a particularly egregious abomination: the ritualistic worship of Tammuz by Israelite women within the very confines of the Jerusalem Temple. This act represents spiritual adultery against YHWH, demonstrating a profound internal corruption that mirrored the surrounding pagan cultures. The Tammuz cult, involving lamentation for a dying-rising god, fundamentally denied YHWH as the sole source of life and fertility. Its practice in the Temple precincts showed that Judah's apostasy had reached a horrifying depth, warranting God's righteous judgment and the withdrawal of His glory, leading to the Temple's inevitable destruction.