Ezekiel 8:2-6

8:2 As I watched, I noticed ¹  a form that appeared to be a man. ²  From his waist downward was something like fire, ³  and from his waist upward something like a brightness, ⁴  like an amber glow. ⁵  8:3 He stretched out the form ⁶  of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my head. Then a wind ⁷  lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem ⁸  by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces north where the statue ⁹  which provokes to jealousy was located. 8:4 Then I perceived that the glory of the God of Israel was there, as in the vision I had seen earlier in the valley.

8:5 He said to me, “Son of man, look up toward ¹⁰  the north.” So I looked up toward the north, and I noticed to the north of the altar gate was this statue of jealousy at the entrance.

8:6 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing – the great abominations that the people ¹¹  of Israel are practicing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see greater abominations than these!”

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¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb (so also throughout the chapter).

² tc The MT reads “fire” rather than “man,” the reading of the LXX. The nouns are very similar in Hebrew.

³ tc The MT reads “what appeared to be his waist and downwards was fire.” The LXX omits “what appeared to be,” reading “from his waist to below was fire.” Suggesting that “like what appeared to be” belongs before “fire,” D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:277) points out the resulting poetic symmetry of form with the next line as followed in the translation here.

⁴ tc The LXX omits “like a brightness.”

⁵ tn See Ezek 1:4.

⁶ tn The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8; 1 Chr 28:11).

⁷ tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.

⁸ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Or “image.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “lift your eyes (to) the way of.”

¹¹ tn Heb “house.”