Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 8:16
And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.
16. The sun-worshippers in the inner court
16. about five and twenty ] LXX., about twenty. These men were seen adoring the sun with their faces to the east, and their backs to the temple house. Their position between the temple and the altar seems to imply that they were priests (Joe 2:17), and it is not decisive against this view that they are called “elders” in ch. Eze 9:6, for Jer 19:1 refers to “the elders of the priests.” They may be supposed representatives of the priesthood.
worshipped the sun ] The worship of the sun, the queen of heaven, and the host of heaven, was adopted by Israel from their eastern conquerors: cf. 2Ki 23:5; 2Ki 23:11; Jer 44:17; Job 31:26; Deu 4:19. (The Heb. is to be read mishtaavim.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The inner court – The court of the priests.
About five and twenty men – Rather, as it were five etc. This was the number of the heads of the 24 courses (shifts) with the high priest presiding over them. These then were the representatives of the priests, as the seventy were of the people. In the temple the seat of the Divine Majesty was at the west, perhaps appointed for this very purpose, to guard against the idolatrous adoration of the rising sun. Therefore the idolatrous priests must in worshipping the false sun-god turn their backs upon the True. The worship of the heavenly bodies was one of the earliest forms of idolatry Job 31:26-27 and was expressly forbidden in the Law Deu 17:3. In its earliest form, it was conducted without the intervention of images, the adoration being addressed to the heavenly bodies themselves: this form, continued among the Persians, seems to have been introduced afresh into Jerusalem at the time of Ezekiel. Compare, also, 2Ki 23:11-12. The images (compare Eze 6:4, Eze 6:6) were probably columns set up in honor of the sun, not images in human form. This simpler mode of sunworship was soon changed. The sun, or the god supposed to preside over it, was represented as a person, whose image was set up and adored.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Five and twenty men] These most probably represented the twenty-four courses of the priests, with the high priest for the twenty-fifth. This was the Persian worship, as their turning their faces to the east plainly shows they were worshipping the rising sun.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The inner court; the inmost, that which was next to the temple, called here the Lords house.
At the door of the temple: before he saw abominations in the gates of the courts, now he is come to the very house itself.
The porch; that stately, large porch, beautified with the high, curious, and mighty brass pillars, Jachin and Boaz, of which see 1Ki 6:3; 7:15,21.
The altar; the brazen altar for burnt-offerings, which was placed in the court before the front of the temple, and is here represented in its proper place, 2Ki 16:14. This is not contradictory to Eze 8:5, which speaks of the place where Ahaz had wickedly placed the altar, but this, Eze 8:16, speaks of the same altar, as supposing it to be where it ought, as God commanded it should be, and Solomon placed it, 2Ch 8:12.
About five and twenty; an indefinite and undetermined number.
Five and twenty men; either some principal men, or else some priests. If these, the greater sin in them to turn idolaters; if the other, the idolatry committed by them in a place they should not have entered appears presumptuous and greatly wicked.
With their backs toward the temple; in contempt of God, with an open and designed abrenunciation of God and his worship.
Worshipped the sun: though God had prohibited this, Deu 17:3, with Deu 4:17-19; yet, in imitation of the Chaldees, Persians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and the Eastern idolaters, these Jews turn their back on God, who created the sun, and worship the creature in contempt of the Creator.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. worshippedIn the Hebrewa corrupt form is used to express Ezekiel’s sense of the foulcorruption of such worship.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house,…. The court of the priests, where they offered sacrifice, and into which none might come but themselves:
and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar; the porch that led into the temple, and the brasen altar, the altar of burnt offerings, which was a very sacred place, and reckoned more holy than the court of the priests g
[were] about five and twenty men; the number, more or less, not being exactly known; who they were, whether the priests or princes of the people, is not certain; probably some of both:
with their backs towards the temple of the Lord; that is, the most holy place, which they were obliged to, in order to do what is afterwards affirmed of them; for the sanctuary was built to the west, that in their worship the Jews might not look to the east, as the Gentiles did; wherefore these men, that they might imitate the Gentiles in their idolatry, turned their backs to the most holy place; which is an aggravation of their impiety; casting the utmost contempt on God, his worship, and the place of it:
and their faces towards the east: when the sun rises:
and they worshipped the sun towards the east; as many nations did, though forbidden the Jews by an express law of God, De 4:19; yet this they fell into, and had horses and chariots devoted to this idolatry; see 2Ki 21:3. The word rendered “worshipped” is compounded of two words; one signifying to “corrupt”, the other to “worship”: showing that, by worshipping the sun, they corrupted themselves, and the house of God; and so the Targum renders it,
“and, lo, they corrupted themselves, worshipping in the east the sun;”
and so it is explained in the Jerusalem Talmud,
“they corrupted the temple, and worshipped the sun;”
but Kimchi thinks the word h consists of the verb in the past tense, and of the participle; and that the sense is, when the prophet saw the men worshipping the sun to the east, as amazed at it, put this question to those that went in, “do ye worship also?” i so Ben Melech.
g Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 7. fol. 184. 4. h . i Vid. Hottinger. Smegma Orientale, l. 3. par. 1. c. 24. p. 154. who rather is of opinion that the word is compounded of the participle and the particle , or the pronoun .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Fourth Abomination: Worship of the Sun by the Priests
Eze 8:16. And He took me into the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and behold, at the entrance into the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, as it were five and twenty men,with their backs towards the temple of Jehovah and their faces towards the east; they were worshipping the sun towards the east. Eze 8:17. And He said to me, Seest thou this, son of Man? Is it too little for the house of Judah to perform the abominations which they are performing here, that they also fill the land with violence, and provoke me to anger again and again? For behold they stretch out the vine-branch to their nose. Eze 8:18. But I also will act in fury; my eye shall not look compassionately, and I will not spare; and if they cry with a loud voice in my ears, I will not hear them. – After Ezekiel has seen the idolatrous abominations in the outer court, or place for the people, he is taken back into the inner court, or court of the priests, to see still greater abominations there. Between the porch of the temple and the altar of burnt-offering, the most sacred spot therefore in the inner court, which the priests alone were permitted to tread (Joe 2:17), he sees as if twenty-five men, with their backs toward the temple, were worshipping the sun in the east. before is not a preposition, circa, about, but a particle of comparison (an appearance): as if twenty-five men; after the analogy of before an accusative (vid., Ewald, 282 d). For the number here is not an approximative one; but twenty-five is the exact number, namely, the twenty-four leaders of the classes of priests (1Ch 24:5.; 2Ch 36:14; Ezr 10:5), with the high priest at the head (see Lightfoot’s Chronol. of O.T., Opp. I. 124). As the whole nation was seen in the seventy elders, so is the entire priesthood represented here in the twenty-five leaders as deeply sunk in disgraceful idolatry. Their apostasy from the Lord is shown in the fact that they turn their back upon the temple, and therefore upon Jehovah, who was enthroned in the temple, and worship the sun, with their faces turned towards the east. The worship of the sun does not refer to the worship of Adonis, as Hvernick supposes, although Adonis was a sun-god; but generally to the worship of the heavenly bodies, against which Moses had warned the people (Deu 4:19; Deu 17:3), and which found its way in the time of Manasseh into the courts of the temple, whence it was afterwards expelled by Josiah (2Ki 23:5, 2Ki 23:11). The form must be a copyist’s error for ; as the supposition that it is an unusual form, with a play upon ,
(Note: “An extraordinary form, invented for the purpose of more effectually expressing their extraordinary abomination.” – Lightfoot.)
is precluded by the fact that it would in that case be a 2nd per. plur. perf., and such a construction is rendered impossible by the which immediately precedes it (cf. Ewald, 118 a).
To these idolatrous abominations Judah has added other sins, as if these abominations were not bad enough in themselves. This is the meaning of the question in Eze 8:17, ‘ : is it too little for the house of Judah, etc.? with , as in Isa 49:6. To indicate the fulness of the measure of guilt, reference is again briefly made to the moral corruption of Judah. embraces all the injuries inflicted upon men; , impiety towards God, i.e., idolatry. By violent deeds they provoke God repeatedly to anger ( , followed by an infinitive, expresses the repetition of an action). The last clause of Eze 8:17 (‘ ) is very obscure. The usual explanation, which has been adopted by J. D. Michaelis and Gesenius: “they hold the twig to their nose,” namely, the sacred twig Barsom, which the Parsees held in their hands when praying (vid., Hyde, de relig. vet. Pars. p. 350, ed. 2; and Kleuker, Zend-Avesta, III. p. 204), suits neither the context nor the words. According to the position of the clause in the context, we do not expect an allusion to a new idolatrous rite, but an explanation of the way in which Judah had excited the wrath of God by its violent deeds. Moreover, is not a suitable word to apply to the Barsom – Z e morah is a shoot or tendril of the vine (cf. Eze 15:2; Isa 17:10; Num 13:23). The Barsom, on the other hand, consisted of bunches of twigs of the tree Gez or Hom, or of branches of the pomegranate, the tamarisk, or the date (cf. Kleuker l.c., and Strabo, XV. 733), and was not held to the nose, but kept in front of the mouth as a magical mode of driving demons away (vid., Hyde, l.c.). Lastly, does not mean to hold anything, but to stretch out towards, to prepare to strike, to use violence. Of the other explanations given, only two deserve any consideration – namely, first, the supposition that it is a proverbial expression, “to apply the twig to anger,” in the sense of adding fuel to the fire, which Doederlein ( ad Grotii adnott.) applies in this way, “by these things they supply food, as it were, to my wrath, which burns against themselves,” i.e., they bring fuel to the fire of my wrath. Lightfoot gives a similar explanation in his Hor. hebr. ad Joh 15:6. The second is that of Hitzig: “they apply the sickle to their nose,” i.e., by seeking to injure me, they injure themselves. In this case must be taken in the sense of , a sickle or pruning-knife, and pointed . The saying does appear to be a proverbial one, but the origin and meaning of the proverb have not yet been satisfactorily explained. – Eze 8:18. Therefore will the Lord punish unsparingly (cf. Eze 7:4, Eze 7:9; Eze 5:11). This judgment he shows to the prophet in the two following chapters.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(16) Between the porch and the altar.Ezekiel now returns to the court of the priests, and there seesnot about, but as it were (referring to the nature of the vision)twenty-five men. These are probably the high priest and the heads of the twenty-four courses, representing the whole body of the priests, as the elders represented the whole body of the people. They were standing between the altar and the Temple, therefore in the most sacred part of the court, and there, turning their backs upon the Temple of the Lord, worshipped the sun. The adoration of the sun, probably the earliest form of false religion, was the especial worship of Persia, but had been long since practised by the kings and people of Judah (2Ki. 23:5; 2Ki. 23:11). Thus all classes of the nation are seen to be involved in common sin; and the priests particularly, the especial guardians of true religion, are found practising this sin under circumstances of peculiar insult to God. That the chief priests did pollute the sanctuary at this time is expressly asserted in the history at 2Ch. 36:14.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. With their backs toward the temple “The very act was symbolical of their apostasy (2Ch 29:6; Isa 1:4; Jer 7:24). And they did this in order that they might look to the east and worship the rising sun. That, and not the temple (Dan 6:10), was the Kiblah of their adoration.” Plumptre.
They worshiped the sun No worship was so widespread as this in the ancient world. Almost every god of Egypt, Babylon, and Canaan can be traced back to some primitive sun deity. The five and twenty men mentioned here were engaged in the worship of the sun at its rising, which was at this time perhaps the most popular form of heathen worship with the educated classes, and which continued in Palestine far down in the Christian era. Since Manasseh the temple of Jehovah had been a place of worship for the constellations of heaven, which were adored by their political lord at Nineveh. It would seem at this time to have become part of the state worship at Jerusalem. The “queen of heaven” (Jer 7:18; Jer 44:17) was the popular name for Astarte, the morning and evening star ( Zeits. fur die alt. Wiss., 1890, p. 130). This worship took place in the court of the priests, and there need be no doubt that these twenty-four men, led by some foreign hierophant or the Jewish high priest, are intended to symbolize the entire priesthood, or at least a representative from each priestly course (1Ch 24:4-18; 2Ch 36:14; Ezr 10:15). The mention that these priests “put the branch to their nose” while they adored the sun, perhaps shows one particular in which their worship was more abominable than the last. The flower or branch in many ancient rituals is the symbol of life and fructification, and suggests all the orgies of the spring festivals. (See notes Eze 8:14-15.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh, and behold at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs towards the temple of Yahweh, and their faces towards the east, and they worshipped the sun towards the east.’
Entering further into the temple precincts Ezekiel is shown ‘about five and twenty’ men in the very courtyard where the sacrifices were offered. Indeed they stood between the altar, where the sacrifices were offered, and the gate of the temple through which at times the blood would be taken to be sprinkled on the mercy seat, and through which the priests would pass into the outer chamber. It was the place where the priests and the servants of Yahweh should have wept as they prayed to Yahweh to spare them for their iniquities (Joe 2:17). It was the place where they could have found mercy.
‘About five and twenty.’ This may be a hint that we are to see here representatives of the twenty four courses of priest plus the high priest. The inner court was mainly restricted to the priesthood. Furthermore five is the number of covenant. Thus five squared may depict them as representatives of the whole covenant community, which makes their crime even greater.
But in this sacred place they had ‘their backs to towards the temple of Yahweh’. Their posture reflected their attitude, and addition of ‘of Yahweh’ stresses the dreadfulness of what was happening. This was in His own house! But they were ignoring His worship and their posture revealed what they thought of Him. They had their backs to Him. They had not thought or time for Him. Their thoughts were on sun worship. They had turned their backs on the covenant.
‘Their faces towards the east’, towards the rising sun (forbidden in Deu 4:19). They were sun worshippers welcoming the Sun god. The worship of the sun was widespread in most religions. It had been prominent among the Canaanites. Bethshemesh meant ‘the house of the sun’. Mount Heres meant ‘the mountain of the sun’. (Compare here 2Ki 23:11). Here such worship was now being practised in the most sacred precincts of the temple. And all thoughts were on the Sun god with their backs to Yahweh. It depicted their true state. No wonder He was angry.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 8:16. And they worshipped the sun toward the east This is a description of the Persian superstition. It is to be observed, that when the prophet is bid to turn from the Egyptian to the Phoenician rites, he is then said to look towards the north, the situation of Phoenicia with regard to Jerusalem; consequently he before stood southward, the situation of Egypt with regard to the same place. And when he is bid thence to turn to the inner court of the Lord’s house, to see the Persian rites,this was east, the situation of Persia: with so much exactness of representation is the whole vision conducted. Again; as the mysterious rites of Egypt are said, agreeably to this usage, to be holden in secret by their elders and rulers only, so the Phoenician rites, for the same reason, are shewn as they were celebrated by the people in open day. And the Persian worship of the sun, which was performed by the Magi, is here said to be observed by the priests alone; five-and-twenty men, with their faces toward the east.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Ver. 16. Were about five and twenty men. ] These, say some, were the king and his council See Eze 11:1 .
With their backs toward the temple.
And they worshipped the sun.
a Tertul. Apol.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 8:16-18
16Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to 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; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. 17He said to me, Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose. 18Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.
Eze 8:16 twenty-five men There may be some purposeful symbolism related to the identity of these different groups.
1. The 70 elders and the son of Shapan seem to represent the civil leadership.
2. The women seem to represent the general public.
3. The twenty-five men may represent priests (i.e., the High Priest and the priests from David’s day).
If so, then all segments of Israeli society were actively involved in idolatry at the temple (the place YHWH symbolically dwelt).
with their backs to the Temple of the LORD and their faces to the east. . .toward the sun The last mentioned Canaanite idolatry was the worship of the sun (i.e., Deu 4:19; Deu 17:3; 2Ki 23:5; 2Ki 23:11; Jer 8:2). The worship of the sun is also illustrated by the names of cities:
1. Beth Shemesh [House of the sun, cf. Jos 15:10; Jos 21:16; Jdg 1:33]
2. En-shemesh [fountain of the sun, cf. Jos 15:7; Jos 18:17]
3. Mount Heres [mount of the sun, cf. Jdg 1:35])
It is ironic symbolism that as they faced the sun they turned their back on the Lord. This sun worship was rampant all over the Ancient Near East, but particularly in Egypt, Canaan, Babylon, and later in Persia (cf. 2Ki 23:11, also the later winged sun disk of Zoroastrianism).
Eze 8:17 provoked Me repeatedly The VERB (BDB 494, KB 491, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is regularly used of provoking YHWH to anger by committing idolatry (cf. Deu 4:25; Deu 9:18; Deu 31:29; Deu 32:16; 1Ki 14:9; 1Ki 14:15; 1Ki 16:7; 1Ki 16:33; 1 Kings 22:54; 2Ki 17:11; 2Ki 17:17; 2Ki 21:6; 2Ki 23:19; Jer 25:6-7; Jer 32:30; Jer 44:8; Eze 16:25).
for behold they are putting the twig to their nose There have been several theories concerning this phrase: (1) we have found this (i.e., a flowered stem held to the nose) as an act of sun worship in Assyrian bas reliefs (which fits this context best); (2) the early rabbis and later Kimchi and Rashi say it relates to God’s nose and thus the stench of idolatry that rose to Him; or (3) it is a sign of contempt and mockery of God (i.e., LXX, Strabo [historian], cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 1118).
Eze 8:18 See note at Eze 7:4.
between the porch and the altar. The place appointed for the priests.
five and twenty. The number of the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priests.
their backs toward the temple. Because their faces were toward the sun-rising.
worshipped the sun. This form of idolatry seen as early as Job 31:26, Job 31:27; and foreseen in Deu 4:19; adopted as early as Asa (2Ch 14:5); abolished by Josiah (2Ki 23:5, 2Ki 23:11).
Eze 8:16-18
Eze 8:16-18
“And he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah’s house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O Son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abomination which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.”
WORSHIP OF THE SUN BY THE PRIESTS
Here is the climax of the abominations witnessed by Ezekiel in the vision. The heads of the twenty-four courses of the sacred priesthood, led by the High priest, making up the “twenty five men” mentioned here, were not only worshipping the sun, but they were doing so in the very temple of God, with their backs turned upon the sacred temple of Jehovah! Keil pointed out that this was not the worship of Adonis, or any other sun-god, but, “The worship of the heavenly bodies, against which Moses had warned the people (Deu 4:19; Deu 17:3).
“They put the branch to the nose …” (Eze 8:17). “Assyrian reliefs identify this gesture as an act of reverence and worship. “Sun worshippers held branches or bundles of twigs from certain trees to their mouth, that they might not contaminate the sun with their breath. From this, it appears that the fallen Israelites had adopted sun-worship with all of its variations and embellishments. Cook understood Ezekiel’s use of “nose” instead of “mouth” here as designed to represent the practice, “In contemptuous and derogatory terms. “Many scholars favor the translation of this place as, `They send a stench to my nostrils.’
Idolatry in the Temple – Eze 8:1-18
Open It
1. The last time you had reason, or thought you had reason, to feel jealousy over a close relationship, how did it feel?
2. What feelings would rise up in you if you were to see a pagan rite being observed in your church building?
Explore It
3. Where was Ezekiel when the vision from God came to him? (Eze 8:1)
4. How did Ezekiel describe the figure who appeared before him? (Eze 8:2)
5. Where was Ezekiel transported in his vision? (Eze 8:3)
6. What was the first thing that the man called to Ezekiels attention? (Eze 8:5)
7. What would soon be the effect of the detestable things that were being done in the temple? (Eze 8:6)
8. 99What did Ezekiel observe in an inner room after digging through a wall? (Eze 8:7-10)
9. 0What were the elders of Israel doing in the inner room with the pictures on the walls? (Eze 8:11)
10. Why werent the elders afraid of introducing idol worship into the temple? (Eze 8:12)
11. What was going on at the entrance to the north gate? (Eze 8:14)
12. What did the man repeat after each situation he showed to Ezekiel? (Eze 8:15)
13. What were twenty-five men doing in the inner court of the temple? (Eze 8:16)
14. Besides the practices in the temple, what sin did God hold against Jerusalem? (Eze 8:17)
15. What did God promise to do to Jerusalem because of its great sin? (Eze 8:18)
Get It
16. Why would Ezekiel and the elders of Judah with him not have been aware of everything that was going on in the temple?
17. Why do we associate brightness and fire with the holiness of God?
18. Why would Ezekiel call the pagan gods “idols of jealousy”?
19. What was the effect of showing Ezekiel one abomination at a time, each worse than the previous one?
20. Why does God refuse to share His house with other gods?
21. Why is it impossible for us to do anything that the Lord does not see?
22. What important aspects of the character of God were either unknown to or ignored by the people of Jerusalem in Ezekiels time?
23. Why is it unwise to presume upon the pity of the Lord for sinners?
Apply It
24. In what area of your life can you ask God to show you how you may have divided loyalties?
25. If you are in any kind of leadership as a Christian, how can you prevent yourself from leading others into unrighteousness?
the inner: Eze 10:3, Eze 40:28, Eze 43:5, Eze 45:19
at the door: 2Ki 16:14, 2Ch 7:7, Joe 2:17
about: Eze 11:1
with their: Eze 23:35, 1Ki 8:29, 2Ch 29:6, Jer 2:27, Jer 32:33
their faces: Deu 4:19, Deu 17:3, 2Ki 23:5, 2Ki 23:11, Job 31:26-28, Jer 44:17, Act 7:42, Act 7:43
and they: It seems that the Jews had incorporated every species of idolatry into their worship, Egyptian, Phoenician, and Persian; for this evidently was the Magian worship of the sun.
Reciprocal: 2Ki 11:11 – by the altar 2Ch 8:12 – on the altar Jer 8:2 – and all Jer 23:11 – in Eze 5:11 – thou hast Eze 7:20 – but Eze 8:6 – greater Eze 9:6 – at the Eze 10:19 – of the east Eze 11:12 – but Eze 14:6 – turn Eze 40:6 – unto Eze 43:17 – look toward
Eze 8:16. This verse includes an item on sun worship, which is one of the three forms of idolatry mentioned in the comments on verse 5. The sun is an object of creation and is in the same class as the planets and other things of nature that were worshiped as gods first by the heathen, then by the Jews. Backs toward the temple was an insult to the Lord, for it was an attitude in which these men turned from the true God and gave their homage toward the east where they would see the sun.
Eze 8:16 f. Sun Worship.The next scene is a group of sun-worshippers with their backs significantly turned towards the Temple. This also points to Babylonian influence. Sun worship, abolished by Josiah (2Ki 23:11) had apparently been reintroduced. What the more abominable thing, alluded to in Eze 8:17, may have been, we do not know, as the phrase they put the branch to their nose is obscure: some imagine it conceals a reference to a definitely immoral worship. [But see J. H. Moultons Early Zoroastrianism, pp. x, 189191. He says, referring to the Magi. The earliest evidence of their activity as a sacred tribe is in Ezekiel (Eze 8:17), where they are found at Jerusalem, in or before 591 B.C., worshipping the sun, and holding to their face a branch, which is the predecessor of the later barsom (p. x). Of the barsom he says that Parsi priests still hold it to the face as they minister before the sacred fire (p. 190). J. G. Frazer, with reference to Strabos account of Zoroastrianism in Cappadocia, says: The perpetual fire burnt on an altar, surrounded by a heap of ashes, in the middle of the temple; and the priests daily chanted their liturgy before it, holding in their hands a bundle of myrtle rods and wearing on their heads tall felt caps with cheek-pieces which covered their lips, lest they should defile the sacred flame with their breath.Adonis, Attis, Osiris,3 i. 191.A.S. P.] At any rate, after so many references to ritual sin, it is refreshing to find Ezekiel ending the indictment which justified the doom with a definite charge of wrong-doing: they have filled the land with violence.
The idolatry of the priests 8:16-18
The Lord next took Ezekiel to the main entrance into the temple, to a place between the altar of burnt offerings and the temple porch. There Ezekiel saw about 25 men bowing down to the ground with their backs to the temple facing east worshipping the sun. The Mosaic Law forbade sun worship (Deu 4:19), but King Manasseh had promoted it in Judah (2Ki 21:5). [Note: See H. G. May, "Some Aspects of Solar Worship at Jerusalem," Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 55 (1937):269-81.] Many interpreters assume that these men were priests, perhaps the high priest and a representative of each of the 24 courses of priests (1 Chronicles 23), because of their number and where they were standing. Normally only priests went into the inner court of the temple (2Ch 4:9; Joe 2:17). This seems likely.
"Worship of the sun was widespread in the ancient Near East and was deeply rooted in Canaan. In Israelite thought the sun was a member of the ’host of heaven,’ which was viewed as the Lord’s heavenly assembly (compare Deu 4:19; Deu 17:3; 2Ki 23:5 with 1Ki 22:19). This may explain why these men could worship the sun in the Lord’s temple." [Note: Chisholm, p. 240. See also Helmer Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, pp. 64-66; Greenberg, p. 171; and Block, The Book . . ., pp. 294-96.]
"The sun would thus have to be considered part of the host of heaven, subordinate to Yahweh. As such one might argue that the worship of the sun in Yahweh’s temple would have been seen by those who participated in it as, so to speak, all ’part of the package’, just as Catholics would regard veneration (not worship) of Mary as not being incompatible with worship of Christ." [Note: John Day, Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan, p. 158.]
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)