Ezekiel 8:3
in Ezekiel 8He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
KJV
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
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This verse in Ezekiel 8
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Verse 3) And a reaching out likeness of a hand seized me by the lock of my head. LXX: And the likeness of a hand extended and took hold of me by the fringe of my crown. And this likeness of a hand, the hand itself does not extend, for there is nothing corporeal in God. And the hand appears as a member of the human body and familiar, it does not frighten the one who is being assumed and grasped.
This site's exposition
the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven
on Ezekiel 8:3-4
A hand takes the prophet “by the hair of my head,” while he sits in Babylon. At the north gate of the inner court sits “the idol that provokes jealousy,” and there too is “the glory of the God of Israel.” The idol and the glory face each other.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And - This, and all the passages to the end of the 16th verse, was done in vision only. Inner gate - To the door of the gate of the inner court. The north - The temple courts had four gates towards the four quarters, and this was the north gate, which opened into the great court where Ahaz had set up his Damascen altar, and where the idols were set up.
And he put forth the form of an hand,....
(1.) The very setting up of this image in the house of the Lord was enough to provoke him to jealousy; for it is in the matters of his worship that we are particularly told, I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
In the visions of God - Ezekiel was not transported “in the body,” but rapt “in spirit,” while he still sat amidst the elders of Judah. The inner gate - Or, the gate of the inner court. This gate, leading from the outer to the inner court (the court of the priests), is called Eze 8:5 “the gate of the altar,” because it was from this side that the priests approached the brass altar.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
23:4, 7), set up by Manasseh as a rival to Jehovah in His temple, and arresting the attention of all worshippers as they entered; it was the Syrian Venus, worshipped with licentious rites; the "queen of heaven," wife of Phœnician Baal.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+unbalanced-curly-quotes
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The image of jealousy - סמל הקנאה semel hakkinah. We do not know certainly of what form this image was, nor what god it represented. Some say it was the image of Baal, which was placed in the temple by Manasses; others, that it was the image of Mars; and others, that it was the image of Tammuz or Adonis. Calmet supports this opinion by the following reasons: - 1. The name agrees perfectly with him. He was represented as a beautiful youth, beloved by Venus; at which Mars, her paramour, being incensed and filled with jealousy, sent a large boar against Adonis, which killed him with his tusks. Hence it was the image of him who fell a victim to jealousy. 2. The prophet being returned towards the northern gate, where he had seen the image of jealousy, Eze 8:14, there saw the women lamenting for Tammuz. Now Tammuz, all agree, signifies Adonis; it was that therefore which was called the image of jealousy. 3. The Scripture often gives to the heathen idols names of degradation; as Baal-zebub, god of flies; Baal-zebul; god of dung. It is likely that it was Adonis who is called The dead, Lev 19:27, Lev 19:28; Deu 14:9, because he was worshipped as one dead. And the women represented as worshipping him were probably adulteresses, and had suffered through the jealousy of their husbands. And this worship of the image of jealousy provoked God to jealousy, to destroy this bad people.
The words behind it
30 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ | vaiyishlach | and he stretched out | H7971 → | 845 times |
| תַּבְנִ֣ית | tavnit | [the] form of | H8403 → | 20 times |
| יָ֔ד | yad | a hand | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי | vaiyikacheni | and he took me | H3947 → | 966 times |
| בְּצִיצִ֣ת | betzitzit | by [the] hair of | H6734 → | |
| רֹאשִׁ֑י | roshi | head my | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וַתִּשָּׂ֣א | vatisa' | and it carried | H5375 → | 656 times |
| אֹתִ֣י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| ר֣וּחַ׀ | ruach | a spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| בֵּֽין־ | bein- | between | H996 → | 407 times |
| הָאָ֣רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וּבֵ֣ין | uvein | and between | H996 → | 407 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֡יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַתָּבֵא֩ | vatave' | and it brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹתִ֨י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָה | yerushalemah | Jerusalem towards | H3389 → | 643 times |
| בְּמַרְא֣וֹת | bemarot | in visions of | H4759 → | 12 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֗ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פֶּ֜תַח | petach | [the] opening of | H6607 → | 164 times |
| שַׁ֤עַר | shaar | [the] gate | H8179 → | 374 times |
| הַפְּנִימִית֙ | hapenimit | the inner [court] | H6442 → | 32 times |
| הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה | haponeh | which faces | H6437 → | 135 times |
| צָפ֔וֹנָה | tzafonah | north -ward | H6828 → | 153 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁ֣ם | sham | [was] there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| מוֹשַׁ֔ב | moshav | [the] location of | H4186 → | 44 times |
| סֵ֖מֶל | semel | [the] idol of | H5566 → | |
| הַקִּנְאָ֥ה | hakinah | <the> jealousy | H7068 → | 43 times |
| הַמַּקְנֶֽה׃ | hamakneh | which provokes to jealousy | H7065 → | 34 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙and he stretched out
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
תַּבְנִ֣ית[the] form of
tavnitH8403 →20 times
יָ֔דa hand
yadH3027 →1618 times
וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִיand he took me
vaiyikacheniH3947 →966 times
בְּצִיצִ֣תby [the] hair of
betzitzitH6734 →
רֹאשִׁ֑יhead my
roshiH7218 →599 times
וַתִּשָּׂ֣אand it carried
vatisa'H5375 →656 times
אֹתִ֣י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
ר֣וּחַ׀a spirit
ruachH7307 →378 times
בֵּֽין־between
bein-H996 →407 times
הָאָ֣רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
וּבֵ֣יןand between
uveinH996 →407 times
הַשָּׁמַ֡יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וַתָּבֵא֩and it brought
vatave'H935 →2568 times
אֹתִ֨י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָהJerusalem towards
yerushalemahH3389 →643 times
בְּמַרְא֣וֹתin visions of
bemarotH4759 →12 times
אֱלֹהִ֗יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פֶּ֜תַח[the] opening of
petachH6607 →164 times
שַׁ֤עַר[the] gate
shaarH8179 →374 times
הַפְּנִימִית֙the inner [court]
hapenimitH6442 →32 times
הַפּוֹנֶ֣הwhich faces
haponehH6437 →135 times
צָפ֔וֹנָהnorth -ward
tzafonahH6828 →153 times
אֲשֶׁר־where
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
שָׁ֣ם[was] there
shamH8033 →834 times
מוֹשַׁ֔ב[the] location of
moshavH4186 →44 times
סֵ֖מֶל[the] idol of
semelH5566 →
הַקִּנְאָ֥ה<the> jealousy
hakinahH7068 →43 times
הַמַּקְנֶֽה׃which provokes to jealousy
hamaknehH7065 →34 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 5:9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth…
it leads to
- Exodus 20:4–6
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
- Exodus 34:7
maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and…
- Daniel 9:4–9
And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,
- Numbers 14:18
‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon…
- Exodus 34:14
For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
- Exodus 20:4–6
Through
Ezekiel 5:11Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and abominations, I Myself will withdraw My favor; I will not look upon…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 7:20
His beautiful ornaments they transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something unclean for them.
- Jeremiah 7:9–11
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,
- Ezekiel 11:18
When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.
- Ezekiel 7:20
Where this verse is studied
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About Ezekiel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.