The Meaning of Ezekiel 8:5 Explained

Ezekiel 8:5

KJV: 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.

YLT: And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes the way of the north.' And I lift up mine eyes the way of the north, and lo, on the north of the gate of the altar this figure of jealousy, at the entrance.

Darby: And he said unto me, Son of man, lift up now thine eyes toward the north. And I lifted up mine eyes toward the north, and behold, northward of the gate of the altar, this image of jealousy in the entry.

ASV: 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 of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 8:5 Mean?

Study Notes

Son of man
The combined purport of the four visions of profanation in Ezekiel 8, is idolatry set up in the entire temple, even in the holy of holies Ezekiel 8:10 ; Ezekiel 8:11 women given over to phallic cults Ezekiel 8:14 and nature-worship Exodus 8:16 .

Verse Meaning

At the Lord"s command, Ezekiel looked north from where he was in his vision and saw the idol that provoked the Lord to jealousy north of the north entrance into the inner court of the temple near the bronze altar of burnt offerings. Many expositors believe that this may have been an image of Asherah because King Manasseh had erected such an idol and then destroyed it ( 2 Kings 21:3; 2 Kings 21:7; 2 Chronicles 33:15), and King Josiah had destroyed a later rebuilt version of it ( 2 Kings 23:6). The people could have raised it up again after Josiah"s death. Any idol provoked the Lord to jealousy because He is the only true God (cf. Exodus 20:1-4; Deuteronomy 4:23-24). God is jealous in the sense that He does not want people to pursue idols because idols divert people from the true God and destroy them eventually (cf. Deuteronomy 4:16; Deuteronomy 32:16; 1 Kings 14:22; Psalm 78:58).

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 8

1  Ezekiel, in a vision of God at Jerusalem
5  is shown the image of jealousy
7  the chambers of imagery
13  the mourners for Tammuz
16  the worshippers toward the sun
17  God's wrath for their idolatry

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 8:5 mean?

And He said to me Son of man lift now your eyes the way toward the north So I lifted my eyes toward the north and there was north of gate the altar image of jealousy this in the entrance
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י בֶּן־ אָדָ֕ם שָׂא־ נָ֥א עֵינֶ֖יךָ דֶּ֣רֶךְ צָפ֑וֹנָה וָאֶשָּׂ֤א עֵינַי֙ צָפ֔וֹנָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה מִצָּפוֹן֙ לְשַׁ֣עַר הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ סֵ֛מֶל הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הַזֶּ֖ה בַּבִּאָֽה

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  He  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלַ֔י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֶּן־  Son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֕ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
שָׂא־  lift 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
נָ֥א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
עֵינֶ֖יךָ  your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
דֶּ֣רֶךְ  the  way 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
צָפ֑וֹנָה  toward  the  north 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
וָאֶשָּׂ֤א  So  I  lifted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
עֵינַי֙  my  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, first person common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
צָפ֔וֹנָה  toward  the  north 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
וְהִנֵּ֤ה  and  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מִצָּפוֹן֙  north 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
לְשַׁ֣עַר  of  gate 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
סֵ֛מֶל  image  of 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סֶמֶל  
Sense: image, statue, idol.
הַקִּנְאָ֥ה  jealousy 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: קִנְאָה  
Sense: ardour, zeal, jealousy.
הַזֶּ֖ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
בַּבִּאָֽה  in  the  entrance 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בִּאָה  
Sense: entrance, a coming in, entering, entry (of the temple).