Question 1

What is happening in Ezekiel’s vision in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel is sitting in his house with the elders of Judah when God’s hand comes on him and the Spirit lifts him up in a vision. He is carried to Jerusalem and shown what is going on inside the temple. Step by step, God leads him through the courts to see different kinds of idol worship: a large idol at the gate, secret images on the walls, elders offering incense, women mourning for Tammuz, and men turning their backs on God’s temple to worship the sun. The vision explains why God’s judgment is coming.

Question 2

What is the “image of jealousy” that provokes God in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The “image of jealousy” is an idol set up near the inner gate of the temple, by the altar area. It is called the image of jealousy because it stirs God’s jealous anger, like a faithful husband seeing his spouse give love to someone else. The exact idol is not named, but it represents the people openly replacing the worship of the true God with the worship of a false god, right at the entrance of His house. This shows how bold and stubborn their unfaithfulness has become.

Question 3

Who are the seventy elders and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in this vision?

Accepted Answer

The seventy elders and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan are leaders of Israel whom Ezekiel sees in a hidden room inside the temple area. The walls are covered with images of creeping things, beasts, and idols, and each elder holds a censer, burning incense to these images. These are the very people who should have led the nation in true worship, yet they are deep in secret idolatry. Their example shows how far the leadership has fallen and how their private sins influence the whole nation away from God.

Question 4

Why does the passage mention women weeping for Tammuz?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel is shown women sitting at the gate of the Lord’s house, weeping for Tammuz. Tammuz was linked to a pagan story and was mourned in yearly rituals. These women are bringing that mourning into God’s temple area, treating a false god with devotion and grief. God points this out as another “greater abomination,” showing that idolatry is not only in secret rooms but also in public acts. It reveals that both men and women, leaders and common people, have turned their hearts from the Lord.

Question 5

Why are the men in the inner court worshiping the sun with their backs to the temple?

Accepted Answer

In the inner court, between the porch and the altar, Ezekiel sees about twenty-five men standing with their backs toward the temple and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun. Turning their backs to the temple is a picture of turning their backs on God Himself. Instead of bowing toward His presence, they bow to the created sun. This is the climax of the vision, showing open rejection of God in the very place meant for His worship, and it explains why God says He will act in fury.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about God’s jealousy and holiness?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God’s jealousy comes from His covenant love. He is not cold or indifferent when His people give their hearts to idols, especially in His own house. The repeated question, “Have you seen this?” presses home how serious these “abominations” are. God’s holiness cannot live side by side with such worship, so He speaks of going far from His sanctuary and of dealing in fury. It teaches that God sees both public and hidden sin and that His holiness demands a real break with idolatry.

Question 7

Why did the people think, “The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the earth”?

Accepted Answer

The elders in the secret chambers say, “The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the earth.” They use their hard times and the exile as an excuse to think God is gone and does not notice what they do. This twisted view lets them feel free to worship idols in the dark. The vision itself proves the opposite: God does see, He knows every hidden room, and He brings their actions into the light. Their words show how sin can blind people to God’s presence and lead them deeper into rebellion.

Question 8

How does this passage speak to hidden sin and private worship today?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that what happens “in the dark” still lies open before God. The leaders think their chambers of imagery are secret, but God brings Ezekiel right inside. The problem is not only public idols but what they dream about, picture, and honor in private. For readers today, it warns that private worship of anything other than God, even if no one else sees, matters deeply to Him. It invites honest self-examination of what fills the heart and home, and a turn back to honest worship.

Ezekiel 8:1

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

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Ezekiel 8:1

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

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The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

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