Wesley Corpus

Chapter VIII God in vision brings Ezekiel to Jerusalem, ver. 1 - 4. There he sees the image of jealousy, ver. 5, 6. The elders of Israel worshipping all manner of images, ver. 7 - 12. The women weeping for Tammuz, ver. 13, 14. The men worshiping the sun, ver. 15, 16. Threatenings against them, ver. 17, 18. Sixth year - Of Jeconiah's captivity. Sixth month - Elul or our August. The elders - The chief of those that were now in captivity. They were come either to spend the sabbath in religious exercises, or to enquire what would become of their brethren in Jerusalem. The hand - The spirit of prophecy. A likeness - Of a man; the man whom he had seen upon the throne. Fire - This fire might denote the wrath of God against Jerusalem. 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. The image - Baal, which Manasseh had set up, Josiah had destroyed, but succeeding kings had again set it up. Jealousy - Because it was so notorious an affront to God, who had married Israel to himself. Northward - Ahaz had removed it from the middle of the court and set it near this north gate, to which it gave name. Entry - In the very passage to the temple, to affront the worship of God. They - The generality of the Jews. Great abominations - The notorious idolatries. Here - In this court, in view of my temple. Far off - Not that they designed this, but no other could be expected. The door - The second door, for there were two in the north side. A door - A private door, by which the priests entered into the chamber of their imagery, to perform idolatrous worship to their images. Are doing - Under the approach of judgments, in this very place, under the walls of my temple. Every form - Of such creatures as the Egyptians, or any others with whom the Jews had acquaintance, worshipped.