“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.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 8:16 Mean?
Ezekiel 8:16 is the climax of a guided tour of abominations. God has taken Ezekiel in a vision to the Jerusalem temple and shown him, layer by layer, what His own people are doing in His own house. Each scene is worse than the last: elders worshipping images in secret chambers (v. 10-12), women weeping for the Mesopotamian fertility god Tammuz at the north gate (v. 14), and now this — the worst of all.
"At the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar" — this is the holiest public space in Israel. The area between the porch (the temple entrance) and the altar of burnt offering was where the priests stood to intercede for the nation (Joel 2:17). This is the exact spot designated for mediating between God and His people.
"Were about five and twenty men" — likely the twenty-four heads of the priestly divisions plus the high priest. These aren't random worshippers. They're the religious leadership — the men specifically appointed to stand before God on Israel's behalf.
"With their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east" — the temple faced east, so these men have turned around 180 degrees. They are literally turning their backs on God's presence (the Holy of Holies behind them) to face the rising sun. The gesture is devastating in its symbolism: they've reversed their orientation entirely. They face the creation instead of the Creator.
"And they worshipped the sun toward the east" — sun worship was common in the ancient Near East (Egyptian Ra, Mesopotamian Shamash) and was explicitly forbidden (Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3). The priests have imported the surrounding culture's worship into the sacred space and aimed it in the opposite direction from God. They haven't left the temple. They've simply turned around inside it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.The priests didn't leave the temple — they turned around inside it. Where in your life might you be technically present in the right place but oriented in the wrong direction?
- 2.They worshipped the sun — the creation — in the house built for the Creator. What 'created things' compete for your worship, even inside your spiritual spaces?
- 3.These were religious leaders, the ones responsible for standing before God. How does the failure of spiritual leadership affect the broader community? Have you witnessed this?
- 4.God showed Ezekiel progressively worse abominations, saving this for last. What makes turning your back on God while standing in His house worse than the other sins described?
Devotional
They didn't leave the temple. They just turned around.
That's what makes this verse so devastating. These twenty-five men — priests, the religious leadership, the ones whose entire job was to face God — are standing in the holiest public space in Israel with their backs to the Holy of Holies. They haven't abandoned the temple. They're still there. They just flipped their orientation. They face the sun now. They worship the creation in the house built for the Creator.
This is the final abomination in Ezekiel's tour, and God saved it for last because it's the worst. Not the idol worship in the secret chambers (that's bad). Not the weeping for Tammuz (that's worse). This. The priests themselves, in the most sacred spot, turned 180 degrees from God. That's the bottom.
The image lingers because it's so transferable. You don't have to leave the faith to turn your back on God. You can stay in all the right places — the church, the practice, the community — and simply reverse your orientation. Face something else. Worship something else. All while standing in the temple. All while technically present.
What are you facing? Not where are you standing — that might look fine from the outside. But which direction are you oriented? Is your attention toward God or toward something that caught the light and looks like it deserves worship? The sun is beautiful. The sunrise is impressive. But the priests' job was to face the Presence behind them, not the spectacle in front of them.
The scariest part of this verse isn't that the priests worshipped the sun. It's that they did it between the porch and the altar — in the exact spot they were supposed to intercede. They didn't leave their post. They just turned around on it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house,.... The court of the priests, where they offered sacrifice,…
The inner court - The court of the priests. About five and twenty men - Rather, as it were five etc. This was the number…
Five and twenty men - These most probably represented the twenty-four courses of the priests, with the high priest for…
Here we have,
I. More and greater abominations discovered to the prophet. He thought that what he had seen was bad…
The sun-worshippers in the inner court
16. about five and twenty LXX., about twenty. These men were seen adoring the sun…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture