Ezekiel 8:10 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 8:10
So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular
saw
וָֽאֶרְאֶה֒va.'er.'Eh
H7200
to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular
form
תַּבְנִ֜יתtav.Nit
H8403
structure · noun, common feminine singular construct
things
רֶ֤מֶשׂRe.mes
H7431
a reptile or any other rapidly moving animal · noun, common masculine singular absolute
abominable
שֶׁ֔קֶץShe.ketz
H8263
filth · noun, common masculine singular absolute
beasts
וּבְהֵמָה֙u.ve.he.Mah
H929
properly · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
idols
גִּלּוּלֵ֖יgi.lu.Lei
H1544
properly · noun, common masculine plural construct
house
בֵּ֣יתbeit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
pourtrayed
מְחֻקֶּ֥הme.chu.Keh
H2707
to carve · verb, pual passive participle, masculine singular absolute
wall
הַקִּ֖ירha.Kir
H7023
a wall (as built in a trench) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
about
סָבִ֥יבsa.Viv
H5439
(as noun) a circle · noun, common both genders singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or th…
Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping…
Jeremiah 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with t…
Leviticus 11:29-31 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after…
Leviticus 11:42-44 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon…
Deuteronomy 4:18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deuteronomy 14:7-8 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the c…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 8:7-12
We have here a further discovery of the abominations that were committed at Jerusalem, and within the confines of the temple, too. Now observe,
I. How this discovery is made. God, in vision, brought Ezekiel to the door of the court, the outer court, along the sides of which the priests' lodgings were. God could have introduced him at first into the chambers of imagery, but he brings him to them by degrees, partly to employ his own industry in searching out these mysteries of iniquity, and partly to make him sensible with what care and caution those idolaters concealed their idolatries. Before the priests' apartments they had run up a wall, to make them the more private, that they might not l…
creeping things . . . beasts--worshipped in Egypt; still found portrayed on their chamber walls; so among the TroglodytÃ&brvbr.
round about--On every side they surrounded themselves with incentives to superstition.
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 8:10
And saw - every form of creeping things - It is very likely that these images pourtrayed on the wall were the objects of Egyptian adoration: the ox, the ape, the dog, the crocodile, the ibis, the scarabaeus or beetle, and various other things. It appears that these were privately worshipped by the sanhedrin or great Jewish council, consisting of seventy or seventy-two persons, six chosen out of every tribe, as representatives of the people. The images were pourtrayed upon the wall, as we find those ancient idols are on the walls of the tombs of the kings and nobles of Egypt. See the plates to Belzoni's Travels, the Isaic Tomb in the Bodleian Library, and the Egyptian hieroglyphics in general…
So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things,.... As beetles and others, worshipped for gods:
and abominable beasts; unclean ones; not only oxen, but dogs and cats, and other impure creatures; for such were the gods of the Egyptians, from whom the Jews took their deities:
and all the idols of the house of Israel; which were many, even as numerous as their cities:
portrayed upon the wall round about; the pictures of them were drawn and placed around the wall of the room or chamber; and where they were worshipped by the priests and Levites, and members of the sanhedrim; and this was not in one chamber only, but in many, as appears from Ezekiel 8:12.
The Church Fathers
(Verse 10) And I entered and saw: and behold, every likeness of creeping things and abomination of animals: and all the idols of the house of Israel were depicted on the wall all around. Not only did the idol of Zele stand at the entrance of the northern gate, but also all the walls of the Temple were painted with various images of idols: so that there was no animal that the painting on the wall did not show. This we see so far in the temples of idols and the shrines of the Gentiles, because foolish religion worships all kinds of beasts. And Virgil says: Omnigenumque deum monstra, et latrator Anubis, Quasi non et illa sint monstra quae laudat Against Neptune and Venus, and against Minerva. We are able to show idols depicted on the walls of our temples, when we are subject to all vices, and we depict in our hearts the conscience of sins, and various images. Concerning which it is said in the Psalm: Lord, in your city you will scatter their image (Psalm 72:20). And in another place: Nevertheless, in image man walks around (Psalm 38:7). That is to say, there is no man who does not have some image, either of sanctity or of sin. Therefore, it is said to the furious and the irascible: Fury is to them according to the likeness of a serpent: as of the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears, which will not hear the voice of the charmers (Psalm 57:5). And concerning wicked men: Generation of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7)? And concerning the sly and deceitful: Go and say to that fox (Luke 13:32). And concerning lovers of women: The horses went insane for the women: each one neighed at his neighbor's wife (Jer. 5:8). Even about beasts and the foolish: Do not be like horses and mules, which have no understanding. And again: Put a bit and bridle on their mouths, those who do not come near you (Ps. 32:9). And many such things. However, what we have set down: And behold, every likeness of creeping things and animals is not found in the Septuagint.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Creeping Things · Uses of, in idolatrous worship — Uses of, in idolatrous worship
Idolatry · Great prevalence of, in Israel — Great prevalence of, in Israel
Jerusalem · Idolatry of — Idolatry of
Reptiles · Jews condemned for worshipping — Jews condemned for worshipping
Visions · Mentioned in scripture: To Ezekiel (See chapters 10, 40-48 of Ezekiel) — Mentioned in scripture: To Ezekiel (See chapters 10, 40-48 of Ezekiel)
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Ezekiel 8:7-11
Ezekiel 8:7-11
7. And he brought me to the door of the court; and, when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
7. Et induxit me in portam Atrii et aspexi, et ecce foramen unum in pariete.
8. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and, when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
8. Et dixit ad me, Fill hominis, fode agedum parietem: et fodi in pariete, et ecce porta una.
9. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
9. Et dixit ad me, Ingredere, et vide abominationes malas quas ipsi faciunt.
10. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed…
Second Abomination: Worship of Beasts
Eze 8:7. And He brought me to the entrance of the court, and I saw, and behold there was a hole in the wall. Eze 8:8. And He said to me, Son of man, break through the wall: and I broke through the wall, and behold there was a door. Eze 8:9. And He said to me, Come and see the wicked abominations which they are doing here. Eze 8:10. And I came and saw, and behold there were all kinds of figures of reptiles, and beasts, abominations, and all kinds of idols of the house of Israel, drawn on the wall round about. Eze 8:11. And seventy men of the leaders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, stood in front, every man wi…
