King James Version
Ezekiel 8
18 verses with commentary
Idolatry in the Temple
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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong> This opening verse establishes both chronological and situational context for Ezekiel most shocking vision—the temple abominations. The hand of the Lord falling upon him indicates ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The elders of Judah sat before me.**—It is plain from this that Ezekiel, as a priest, and now already known as a prophet, was held in consideration among the captives. It also appears that he lived in his own house. Judah is not used in contradistinction to Israel; but as the captives were chiefly of the tribe of Judah, so their elders were known as “the elders of Judah.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. Isaac--**(Psa 105:9; Am 7:9, 16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.</strong> This verse describes the theophany—visible manifestation of divine glory—that introduces Ezekiel vision of temple abominations. The fire and amber imagery establishes this as divin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **A likeness as the appearance of fire.**—This is not, as often supposed, a reappearance of the vision of Ezekiel 1. That vision bursts again on the prophet after he has been carried in the spirit to the Temple at Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:4). This is not expressly described as a human form, but from the mention of the loins, and of “the form of an hand,” in Ezekiel 8:3 it is implied that it was so...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit transports Ezekiel in vision to Jerusalem's temple, where he sees 'the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy' (semel haqinah hamaqneh, סֵמֶל הַקִּנְאָה הַמַּקְנֶה). This idol, likely representing Asherah (the Canaanite fertility goddess), was placed at the northern entrance to the inner court—directly facing the temple's holy place. The term 'jealousy' (qinah, קִנְאָה) reflects...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Took me by a lock of mine head.**—Not, of course, literally, in the body, but in vision. Ezekiel did not actually leave Chaldæa at all, as is shown by Ezekiel 11:24.
**The door of the inner gate.**—This is one of the gates which led from the court of the people to the court of the priests which was on a higher level. In the account of the building of the temple there is no mention of gates l...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 34 Jr 34:1-22. Captivity of Zedekiah and the People Foretold for Their Disobedience and Perfidy.
The prophecy (Jr 34:1-7) as to Zedekiah is an amplification of that in Jr 32:1-5, in consequence of which Jeremiah was then shut up in the court of the prison. The prophecy (Jr 34:8-22) refers to the Jews, who, afraid of the capture of the city, had, in obedience to the law, granted freedom t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.</strong> This verse confirms that Ezekiel sees in vision the same divine glory he encountered in chapter 1, validating what follows as authentic divine revelation. The glory of God presence in the temple vision provides both authority and tragic irony—God is present to expose temple corr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **The glory of the God of Israel was there.—**Not the glory of the Lord filling the temple as in the days of old, but the glory “according to the vision that I saw in the plain”—*i.e., *the same vision which had before appeared to the prophet now in his vision—a vision within a vision—appeared to him again in the temple. The identity of the vision is again particularly mentioned in Ezekiel 10:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.</strong> God commands Ezekiel to observe specific idolatrous object in the temple, beginning the systematic exposure of abominations. The image of jealousy rep...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **The way toward the north.**—This shows that Ezekiel in his vision was within the court of the priests, as otherwise he could not have looked *toward *the north to see the idol in the north gate. He had already seen this; but now his attention is directed to it particularly. It was not enough that he should see it; it was to be especially pointed out as a part of the reason for the Divine jud...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. (Jr 32:4).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
"He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?" God reveals temple corruption forcing His departure. The rhetorical question emphasizes that Israel's sin, not divine caprice, drives God away. Persistent idolatry in the very place dedicated to God's worship represent...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **That I should go far off from my sanctuary.**—In the original this is simply an infinitive, without any subject expressed, “for the removing far off,” and may therefore be understood either of the removing of the people or of the Divine abandonment of the sanctuary. The latter sense, however, which is that given in the Authorised Version, is more probable and more in accordance with the whol...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-5. Mitigation of Zedekiah's punishment.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
The idolatries committed by the Jewish rulers. (Ezek 8:1-6) The superstitions to which the Jews were then devoted, the Egyptian. (Ezek 8:7-12) The Phoenician. (Ezek 8:13,14) The Persian. (Ezek 8:15,16) The heinousness of their sin. (Ezek 8:17,18)
**Verses 1-6** The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision, seemed to take hold upon him, and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.</strong> God continues guiding Ezekiel through vision of temple abominations, now revealing hidden idolatry concealed behind walls. The hole in the wall indicates secret, deliberate concealment of idolatrous practices from public view, showing premeditated corruption.<br><br>He brought me to the door ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **To the door of the court.**—This is clearly a different place from that in which the prophet had hitherto been in his vision, and yet is not so described that its locality can be certainly fixed. He had been inside the inner court near its north gate; in Ezekiel 8:14 he is taken to the north gate of the outer enclosure of the temple precincts. It is probable, therefore, that this was between...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-5. Mitigation of Zedekiah's punishment.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.</strong> God commands active investigation, requiring Ezekiel to uncover the hidden entrance to the secret idolatrous chamber. The digging symbolizes the effort required to expose concealed evil and demonstrates prophetic participation in divine revelation.<br><br>Dig now in the wall is...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.</strong> God commands Ezekiel to enter the secret chamber and witness firsthand the idolatrous practices. This direct observation provides undeniable evidence for prophetic testimony and demonstrates the severity of temple corruption requiring divine judgment.<br><br>Go in requires prophetic engagement with u...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. these ... retained--**alone (compare 2Ch 11:5, 9).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong> Ezekiel enters and witnesses the shocking reality: pagan imagery covering the chamber walls, representing comprehensive abandonment of covenant monotheism for polytheistic idolatry reminiscent of Egyptian and Mesopot...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts.**—The description of the idolatrous rites here practised clearly indicates their Egyptian origin. Creature worship was indeed practised among other nations, and the painting of idolatrous objects upon walls is expressly mentioned in Ezekiel 23:14-16, as introduced by the Jews from Chaldæa; yet the combination is so thoroughly Egyptian, a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. By the law a Hebrew, after having been a bond-servant for six years, on the seventh was to be let go free (Ex 21:22; De 15:12).
**Zedekiah made a covenant--**with solemn ceremonial in the temple (Jr 34:15, 18, 19).
**them--**bond-servants (Jr 34:9).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.</strong> The vision reveals not ordinary Israelites but the seventy elders—the highest leadership—engaging in idolatrous worship. This comprehensive leadership corruption mak...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel.**—There may have been no enclosed chamber about the courts of the temple capable of actually containing so large a number; but again we are to remember that as this is in vision and for purposes of instruction, it is not necessary that all the details should be actually possible. The seventy elders were not the sanhedrin, which was not con...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. none ... serve himself of a Jew--**(Le 25:39-46).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Ezekiel witnesses Israel's elders secretly worshiping idols in darkened temple chambers, each person serving 'his idols' (gillulim, גִּלּוּלִים—a contemptuous term meaning 'dung pellets' or 'filthy things'). Their rationalization reveals shocking theological apostasy: 'The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the land.' This represents practical atheism—they claim Yahweh is either unable (doe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Do in the dark,** *i.e., *in secret. Hence the difficulty of access to the place of their worship. The ordinary idolatries of Israel, as of most heathen, consisted in the worship of the true, or of a supposed spiritual Deity, by means of sensible images (comp. Exodus 32:8). This was open and public enough at Jerusalem at this time; but the peculiar sin here portrayed was the actual worship ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12** A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following...
Read full commentary →He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.</strong> After revealing the seventy elders idolatry, God warns Ezekiel that even worse practices await his observation. This progression from bad to worse demonstrates the comprehensive degradation of temple worship and justifies the severe judgment to follow.<br><br>Turn thee yet again indicate...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. During the interruption of the siege by Pharaoh-hophra (compare Jr 34:21, 22, with Jr 37:5-10), the Jews reduced their servants to bondage again.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.</strong> God reveals another layer of temple abomination: women engaged in mourning ritual for the pagan deity Tammuz, a Mesopotamian fertility god. This represents comprehensive syncretism where foreign religious practices penetrated the temple itself.<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Women weeping for Tammuz.**—The prophet is now taken to the north gate of the outer enclosure of the Temple courts, and there sees a new and exceedingly corrupt form of idolatry. Tammuz is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture, but is identified by ancient tradition (incorporated into the Vulg.) with the Greek Adonis, the beloved of Venus. The name *Adonis *could not well have been used, beca...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.</strong> For the second time God announces even greater abominations await, emphasizing the shocking depth of temple corruption. The repetition demonstrates systematic, comprehensive documentation of covenant violation justifying severe judgment.<br><br>Hast tho...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. The last year of Zedekiah was the sabbatical year. How just the retribution, that they who, against God's law and their own covenant, enslaved their brethren, should be doomed to bondage themselves: and that the bond-servants should enjoy the sabbatical freedom at the hands of the foe (Jr 52:16) which their own countrymen denied them!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The climax of temple abominations: twenty-five men (likely priests) stand between the temple porch and altar—the most sacred space where only priests could enter—with 'their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.' This sun worship represents total apostasy. These men literally turn their backs on God's dwelling to worship ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Between the porch** **and the altar.**—Ezekiel now returns to the court of the priests, and there sees—not *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 betwe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. At the end of seven years--**that is, not on the eighth year, but within the limit of the seventh year, not later than the end of the seventh year (Ex 21:2; 23:10; De 15:12). So "at the end of three years" (De 14:28; 2Ki 18:10), and "after three days, I will rise again" (Mt 27:63), that is, on the third day (compare Mt 27:64).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →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 abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Is it: or, Is there any thing lighter than to commit
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
"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 abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger." God's rhetorical questions emphasize sin's gravity. The phrase "is it a light thing" rebukes casual attitude toward covenant violation. Idolatry combined ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **For they have filled the land with violence.**—Corruption in religion here, as always, bore its proper fruit in moral deterioration. A people who go astray from their duty to God are always found to neglect also their duty to man. Israel had before fallen into great and grievous sins. Within the memory of those still living, the good king Josiah, supported by the prophet Jeremiah and many o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. in the house ... called by my name--**the usual place of making such covenants (2Ki 23:3; compare 1Ki 8:31; Ne 10:29).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →Therefore will I also deal in fury: 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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore will I also deal in fury: 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.</strong> After systematically revealing comprehensive temple abominations, God announces His response: unsparing judgment executed in righteous fury. This verse declares that the time for repentance has passed; judgment is now...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Will I not hear them.**—The time for prayer was past. They had rejected God. and when His wrath came upon them it was too late to turn to Him. (See Proverbs 1:24-28; Matthew 7:22-23.) The possibility of sinning beyond the term of the day of grace is one of the most important lessons of this chapter.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permis...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. polluted my name--**by violating your oath (Ex 20:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18** The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices; and the worshippers of the sun here described, are supposed to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; "and lo, they put the branch to their nose," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served. The more we examine human nature and o...
Read full commentary →