Ezekiel 8 · Verse 16

Ezekiel 8:16

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.
Ezekiel 8:16, King James Version

Ezekiel 8:16 in other translations

BSBSo He brought me to the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.
WEBHe brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and I saw at the door of the LORD’s temple, between the porch and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the LORD’s temple and their faces toward the east. They were worshiping the sun toward the east.
ASVAnd he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah’s house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east.
YLTAnd He bringeth me in unto the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and lo, at the opening of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, about twenty-five men, their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces eastward, and they are bowing themselves eastward to the sun.
DARBYAnd he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah's house, and behold, at the entry of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
BBEAnd he took me into the inner square of the Lord's house, and at the door of the Temple of the Lord, between the covered way and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs turned to the Temple of the Lord and their faces turned to the east; and they were worshipping the sun, turning to the east.
WebsterAnd 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 towards the temple of the LORD, and their faces towards the east; and they worshiped the sun towards the east.

What does Ezekiel 8:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 8:15-16

15-16. The next are "greater abominations," not in respect to the idolatry, but in respect to the place and persons committing it. In "the inner court," immediately before the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, where the priests advanced only on extraordinary occasions (Joe 2:17), twenty-five men (the leaders of the twenty-four courses or orders of the priests, 1Ch 24:18, 19, with the…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 8:15-16 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 Five and twenty men - These most probably represented the twenty-four courses of the priests, with the high priest for the twenty-fifth. This was the Persian worship, as their turning their faces to the east plainly shows they were worshipping the rising sun.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 8:13-18

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 our own hearts, the more abominations…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 8:13-18 →

Ezekiel 8:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּבֵ֣אvai.ya.Ve'and he broughtH935
אֹתִ֗י'o.Ti<obj.> meH853
אֶל\־'el-toH413
חֲצַ֣רcha.Tzar[the] court ofH2691
בֵּית\־beit-[the] house ofH1004
יְהוָה֮Yah.wehYahwehH3068
הַפְּנִימִית֒ha.pe.ni.Mit<the> innerH6442
וְהִנֵּה\־ve.hi.neh-and there!H2009
פֶ֜תַחFe.tach[were at] [the] entrance ofH6607
הֵיכַ֣לhei.Khal[the] temple ofH1964
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
בֵּ֤יןbeinbetweenH996
הָֽאוּלָם֙ha.'u.Lamthe porchH197
וּבֵ֣יןu.Veinand betweenH996
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַha.miz.Be.achthe altarH4196
כְּעֶשְׂרִ֥יםke.'es.Rimabout twentyH6242
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖הva.cha.mi.Shahand fiveH2568
אִ֑ישׁ'Ishperson[s]H376
אֲחֹ֨רֵיהֶ֜ם'a.Cho.rei.Hembacks theirH268
אֶל\־'el-[were] toH413
הֵיכַ֤לhei.Khal[the] temple ofH1964
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
וּפְנֵיהֶ֣םu.fe.nei.Hemand faces theirH6440
קֵ֔דְמָהKe.de.mah[were] east -wardH6924
וְהֵ֛מָּהve.He.mahand theyH1992
מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֥םmish.ta.cha.vi.Tem[were] bowing downH7812
קֵ֖דְמָהKe.de.maheast -wardH6924
לַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ\׃la.Sha.meshto the sunH8121

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 8:16

  • Deuteronomy 4:19

    And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

  • Deuteronomy 17:3

    And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

  • Jeremiah 32:33

    And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

  • Ezekiel 11:1

    Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

  • Jeremiah 2:27

    Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

  • Job 31:26-28

    If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

  • Joel 2:17

    Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

  • Ezekiel 43:5

    So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.

  • Jeremiah 44:17

    But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

  • Acts 7:42-43

    Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

  • Ezekiel 10:3

    Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

  • 2 Kings 23:5

    And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the inner.
10:3; 40:28; 43:5; 45:19
at the door.
2Ki 16:14; 2Ch 7:7; Joe 2:17
about.
11:1
with their.
23:35; 1Ki 8:29; 2Ch 29:6; Jer 2:27; 32:33
their faces.
De 4:19; 17:3; 2Ki 23:5,11; Job 31:26-28; Jer 44:17; Ac 7:42,43
and they.It seems that the Jews had incorporated every species of idolatry into their worship, Egyptian, Phoenician, and Persian; for this evidently was the Magian worship of the sun.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 8:15

    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.

  • Ezekiel 8:16

    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.

  • Ezekiel 8:17

    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.

Read all of Ezekiel 8

Ezekiel 8:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y metióme en el atrio de adentro de la casa de Jehová: y he aquí junto á la entrada del templo de Jehová, entre la entrada y el altar, como veinticinco varones, sus espaldas vueltas al templo de Jehová y sus rostros al oriente, y encorvábanse al nacimiento del sol.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Puis il me fit entrer au parvis intérieur de la maison de l’ Éternel; et voici, à l’entrée du temple de l’ Éternel, entre le portique et l’autel, environ 25 hommes, le dos tourné vers le temple de l’ Éternel, et leurs faces vers l’orient; et ils se prosternaient vers l’orient devant le soleil.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er brachte mich in den inneren Vorhof des Hauses Jehovas; und siehe, am Eingang des Tempels Jehovas, zwischen der Halle und dem Altar, waren 25 Männer, ihre Rücken gegen den Tempel Jehovas und ihre Angesichter gegen Osten gerichtet; und sie bückten sich gegen Osten hin vor der Sonne.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et introduxit me in atrium domus Domini interius, et ecce in ostio templi Domini, inter vestibulum et altare, quasi viginti quinque viri dorsa habentes contra templum Domini, et facies ad orientem: et adorabant ad ortum solis.