“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.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 8:5 Mean?
"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." God tells Ezekiel to LOOK — to lift his eyes and see something specific. At the north gate of the altar (the inner courtyard of the Temple), an 'image of jealousy' stands in the entrance. An idol has been installed at the very gate through which sacrifices enter. The abomination occupies the doorway of worship.
The phrase "image of jealousy" (semel haqin'ah — the statue of jealousy/provocation) is an idol named for its EFFECT on God: it provokes divine jealousy. The idol isn't named by what it represents. It's named by what it does to God. The semel — the idol image — is defined by the qin'ah — the jealousy it provokes in the God whose Temple it desecrates.
The location — "at the gate of the altar... in the entry" — is maximally offensive: the idol stands in the ENTRANCE to the inner courtyard, at the GATE of the altar. Every worshiper entering to sacrifice must pass the idol. Every offering brought to God passes through the doorway occupied by the abomination. The idol has been placed at the choke point of worship.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What stands at the entrance of your worship — contaminating your approach to God?
- 2.What does the idol being named for its EFFECT on God (jealousy) teach about how sin impacts the divine relationship?
- 3.How does the idol being at the GATE (the choke point) describe the positioning of spiritual obstacles?
- 4.What has God asked you to LOOK at — something painful but necessary to see?
Devotional
Lift up your eyes. Look north. There — at the gate of the altar, in the very entrance to the worship space — an idol. The 'image of jealousy' stands exactly where every worshiper must pass. The abomination occupies the doorway of sacrifice. You can't get to God's altar without passing through the idol's shadow.
The 'image of jealousy' is named for what it does to GOD: the idol doesn't matter for what it represents. It matters for the JEALOUSY it provokes. The God whose Temple this is — whose name is on the building, whose altar is inside — sees a rival standing in His doorway. The jealousy is the response of a husband who finds another man in his bedroom. The idol provokes the most intimate divine emotion.
The location is the maximum offense: the idol isn't hidden in a back room or installed on a distant hill. It's at the GATE of the altar, in the ENTRY. The most prominent position. The most visible location. The choke point where every worshiper must pass. You can't enter God's presence without walking past the idol. The abomination is positioned to contaminate every act of worship that passes through.
God tells Ezekiel to LOOK — to see what the people have done to His Temple. The looking is painful but necessary. God doesn't hide the desecration from the prophet. He commands the prophet to SEE it. The seeing is part of the prophetic burden. You must look at what has been done before you can speak about what must change.
What 'image of jealousy' stands at the entrance of your worship — contaminating every approach to God?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then said he unto me, son of man,.... That is, the glorious Person described above in this vision, the glorious God of…
Ezekiel was now in Babylon; but the messages of wrath he had delivered in the foregoing chapters related to Jerusalem,…
gate of the altar Is probably the northern inner gate. The northern entrance was the most frequented, partly because the…
Cross References
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