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 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 8:14 | "Behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz." | Ezekiel 8:14 |
| Psalm 106:36 | "They served their idols, which became a snare to them." | Psalm 106:36 (Idolatry's trap) |
| Jeremiah 7:30 | "For the people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set their abominations in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it." | Jeremiah 7:30 (Defiling God's house) |
| 1 Corinthians 10:7 | "Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to revel.'" | 1 Corinthians 10:7 (Warning against idolatry) |
| Romans 1:25 | "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is eternally praised. Amen." | Romans 1:25 (Worshiping created things) |
| 2 Kings 21:4-7 | "He built altars in the Temple of the Lord... and he set up an idol in the house of the Lord... he erected altars to all the host of heaven in the two courts of the Temple of the Lord." | 2 Kings 21:6 (Manasseh's idolatry in the Temple) |
| Isaiah 5:11-12 | "Woe to those who rise early in the morning and pursue strong drink... Their parties will not be remembered by the Lord." | Isaiah 5:11 (Societal corruption and revelry) |
| Revelation 17:1-6 | "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute... With her the kings of the earth have committed adultery..." | Revelation 17:2 (Whore symbolizing apostasy) |
| Jeremiah 52:13 | "And he burned up the House of the Lord and the king's house..." | Jeremiah 52:13 (Consequence of sin) |
| Isaiah 64:11 | "Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been consumed by fire..." | Isaiah 64:11 (Temple destroyed) |
| 2 Chronicles 36:14 | "Furthermore, all the leading priests and the people became increasingly unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations..." | 2 Chronicles 36:14 (Following nations' practices) |
| Lamentations 1:4 | "The roads to Zion mourn because no one comes to the appointed feasts..." | Lamentations 1:4 (Sorrow over Jerusalem's state) |
| Psalm 74:8 | "They said in their hearts, 'Let us stamp them out completely.' They burned all the meeting places of God in the land." | Psalm 74:8 (Desecration of holy places) |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | "The acts of the flesh are obvious: ... idolatry... and similar things. I warned you, as I also warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." | Galatians 5:20 (Idolatry as a sin) |
| Hosea 4:12-14 | "My people consult a wooden idol, and are answered by a diviner’s rod. They have strayed like wandering sheep and are lost..." | Hosea 4:12 (Reliance on false means) |
| Judges 3:7 | "The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs." | Judges 3:7 (Idolatry after deliverance) |
| Amos 5:26 | "But you will have to carry your portable shrine—your Molek* idol and your images—the star of your god you made for yourselves," | Amos 5:26 (Carrying idols) |
| Micah 6:16 | "The statutes of Omri are observed, and all the works of Ahab’s house; you walk in their counsels. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and those who inhabit it a hissing..." | Micah 6:16 (Following wicked kings' ways) |
| Zephaniah 1:4-5 | "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous priests and the priests who offer sacrifices to the heavenly host..." | Zephaniah 1:4 (God's judgment on idolatry) |
| Ezekiel 5:11 | "Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations..." | Ezekiel 5:11 (Defilement of sanctuary) |
Ezekiel 8 verses
Ezekiel 8 14 Meaning
This verse describes a group of women weeping for Tammuz, a pagan deity. This act signifies a deep level of apostasy and idolatry within Jerusalem, occurring within the very temple complex dedicated to Yahweh. It is a visualization of the spiritual adultery of Israel, turning away from God to embrace foreign gods and their practices.
Ezekiel 8 14 Context
This verse is found in Ezekiel chapter 8, a pivotal chapter where the prophet is given a vision of the abominations occurring in Jerusalem and the Temple. Ezekiel is transported to Jerusalem by the Spirit of God and shown various scenes of idolatry and impurity. He sees the "detestable thing" of jealousy at the entrance, then moves to a vision of idolatrous worship on the walls. Following that, he sees sixty-five men involved in incense worship, and then he is led to the north gate of the inner court to witness women weeping for Tammuz at the Temple's very door. This verse, in particular, highlights the pervasiveness of pagan worship penetrating the holiest of places, a profound betrayal of Yahweh's covenant. The weeping for Tammuz symbolizes a mourning for a fertility god's death and subsequent rebirth, deeply tied to pagan agricultural and sexual rites, starkly contrasting with Israel's true worship. This vision precedes God's judgment upon the city.
Ezekiel 8 14 Word Analysis
- And: (Hebrew: וְ, wə) A common conjunctive particle, linking this verse to the preceding descriptions of abominations. It emphasizes the continuation and amplification of spiritual corruption.
- behold: (Hebrew: הִנֵּה, hinneh) An interjection used to draw attention forcefully, indicating something significant or remarkable is about to be presented. It prepares the reader for a disturbing revelation.
- and: (Hebrew: וְ, wə) Again, serving to connect the preceding action with what follows.
- women: (Hebrew: נָשִׁים, nāšîm) The plural of "woman" (Hebrew: אִשָּׁה, iṣṣāh). This highlights that the spiritual pollution involves women participating in pagan rituals.
- sat: (Hebrew: יֹשְׁבֹת, yōšəḇōt) The feminine plural participle of the verb "to sit" (Hebrew: יָשַׁב, yāšab). It denotes their posture, implying settled and ongoing engagement in the act of weeping.
- there: (Hebrew: שָׁם, šām) A locative adverb, indicating the specific place where this scene is unfolding – the inner court of the Lord's house.
- and: (Hebrew: וְ, wə) Connecting their sitting to the action of weeping.
- weeping: (Hebrew: בּוֹכוֹת, bōḵōt) The feminine plural participle of the verb "to weep" (Hebrew: בָּכָה, bāḵâ). This participle signifies continuous action. The weeping is not for repentance but for a pagan deity.
- for: (Hebrew: אֶל־, ’el-) Preposition indicating direction or purpose. Here it signifies the object of their grief and worship.
- Tammuz: (Hebrew: תַּמּוּז, Tammûz) The name of a Mesopotamian fertility god, associated with the seasons, vegetation, and often linked to the myth of his death and resurrection. His cult involved lamentation rituals, typically during the summer months when agricultural cycles were faltering, reflecting a pagan attempt to influence nature.
Group Analysis:The phrase "women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz" depicts a deliberate and active participation in forbidden worship within the sacred space of the Temple. The use of the feminine plural participle for "sitting" and "weeping" emphasizes a community of women engaged in this practice. The preposition "for" (Hebrew: אֶל־, ’el-) points to Tammuz as the object of their devotion and grief, underscoring the depth of their spiritual defection from Yahweh.
Ezekiel 8 14 Bonus Section
The weeping for Tammuz was an annual ritual observed in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Tammuz was believed to have died and descended to the underworld, and his consort, Ishtar (or Inanna), mourned his absence. This mourning typically occurred in the summer months, reflecting a cyclical despair over the dry, fading vegetation, followed by hopes for his return and the land's renewal. In Jerusalem, this foreign practice infiltrated God's holy Temple, symbolizing the people's spiritual death and their turning to pagan means for their perceived needs, instead of trusting the living God. The prophet Hosea also decried similar practices, noting that Israel strayed like sheep, following false shepherds and diviners (Hosea 4:12), highlighting the pervasive nature of such syncretism in the northern kingdom as well.
Ezekiel 8 14 Commentary
This vision presents a chilling spectacle of syncretism and apostasy within Jerusalem. The women weeping for Tammuz within the Temple courts signify the complete corruption of Israel's worship. Tammuz was a Babylonian fertility god whose cult involved mourning rituals associated with his mythical descent into the underworld and eventual resurrection. This practice was considered an abomination by Yahweh and directly violated His command against idolatry (Exodus 20:3-5).
The location—the Temple, the dwelling place of God's presence— amplifies the severity of this sin. It signifies a direct affront to God's holiness and exclusivity. The women’s act represents not merely personal deviation but a communal embrace of foreign gods and their sensate, ritualistic worship. This mirrors the broader spiritual unfaithfulness of the nation, leading to God's pronouncement of judgment as seen in the subsequent verses and the prophecy of the Temple's destruction. This weeping is for a false god, a profound misunderstanding of life and divine power, starkly contrasting with true Israelite hope rooted in the covenant God.