THE SIXTH YEAR.. the sixth _month_] August-September, 591 b.c. Mine house] to which Ezekiel's prophetic activity was confined (Ezekiel 3:24). THE ELDERS OF JUDAH] the leading men of the exiled community at Tel-abib. THE HAND OF THE LORD GOD FELL] as in Ezekiel 1:3. The vision, with all its meaning,... [ Continue Reading ]
§ 3. A VISION OF JERUSALEM'S SIN AND DOOM (EZEKIEL 8-11) Date, August-September, 591 b.c. A year and two months after his call to be a prophet, Ezekiel was visited in his house by the elders of the Jewish colony at Tel-abib, and in their presence he fell into a trance, during which he was transport... [ Continue Reading ]
The same appearance as the enthroned Figure in Ezekiel 1. The living chariot is not mentioned here, but, as it appears afterwards without any special explanation, it was probably present in the vision from the first.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FORM OF AN HAND] the same reverent reserve as in Ezekiel 2:9. IN THE VISIONS OF GOD] Though Ezekiel's transference is described in physical terms he was not taken to Jerusalem in body, but only in spirit. INNER GATE] RV 'gate of the inner court.' Solomon's Temple had two courts: the great or out... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GLORY.. _was_ THERE] perhaps over the main Temple building, S. of the gate where Ezekiel was. In the next v. he turns and looks N. All the idolatries were thus enacted in God's very presence.... [ Continue Reading ]
NORTHWARD AT] RV 'northward of.' GATE OF THE ALTAR] apparently still the northern inner gate. It is uncertain why it was so called. THIS IMAGE OF JEALOUSY] Ezekiel saw the image, which had not been there when he left Jerusalem, now restored to its old place. It was in the outer court, and Ezekiel,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DOOR OF THE COURT] the opening of the gateway next the outer court.... [ Continue Reading ]
A DOOR] leading into one of the chambers of the gateway.... [ Continue Reading ]
This animal-worship may have been borrowed from Egypt, where beetles, crocodiles, snakes, cats, jackals, and other animais were worshipped; or it may have been a survival and revival of ancient superstitions native to Palestine. Some think that Babylon is as likely as Egypt to have been the source o... [ Continue Reading ]
JAAZANIAH THE SON OF SHAPHAN] Shaphan was a famous scribe who took part in Josiah's reformation (2 Kings 22:8). Two of his sons, Ahikam (Jeremiah 26:24) and Gemariah (Jeremiah 36:10; Jeremiah 36:25, were friendly to Jeremiah. If Jaazaniah was the son of this Shaphan he was of a different character f... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE DARK] Secrecy was a marked feature of this animal-worship. THE LORD SEETH US NOT, etc.] This was the excuse and perhaps the belief of these idolaters, though God's glorious presence was even then manifest to Ezekiel's eyes.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DOOR.. TOWARD THE NORTH] probably the outer doorway of the outer northern gate. The women would thus be outside the Temple precincts altogether. TAMMUZ] a deity worshipped both in Babylonia and in Phœnicia—the same as the Greek Adonis. He appears to have been a god of the spring, and the myth re... [ Continue Reading ]
BETWEEN THE PORCH AND THE ALTAR] The altar of burnt offering was probably in the centre of the inner court, and the main Temple building faced it on the vv. The sun-worship now described was just in front of the sacred building: cp. Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51. WITH THEIR BACKS, etc] This followed fro... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BRANCH TO THEIR NOSE] usually explained as a ceremony connected with sun-worship. Persian sunworshippers held bunches of the twigs of certain trees before their mouths, that they might not contaminate the sun with their breath. Many scholars think we should read, 'they send a stench to my nostri... [ Continue Reading ]