Ezekiel 8:16
New International Version
He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.

New Living Translation
Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the LORD’s Temple. At the entrance to the sanctuary, between the entry room and the bronze altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the sanctuary of the LORD. They were facing east, bowing low to the ground, worshiping the sun!

English Standard Version
And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.

Berean Standard Bible
So 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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.

New American Standard Bible
Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD while their faces were toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

NASB 1995
Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch 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 prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

NASB 1977
Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch 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 prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then He brought me into the inner court of the house of Yahweh. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.

Amplified Bible
So He brought me to the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch (vestibule, portico) and the [bronze] 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 down toward the east and worshiping the sun.

Christian Standard Bible
So he brought me to the inner court of the LORD’s house, and there were about twenty-five men at the entrance of the LORD’s temple, between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the LORD’s temple and their faces turned to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So He brought me to the inner court of the LORD’s house, and there were about 25 men at the entrance of the LORD’s temple, between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the LORD’s temple and their faces turned to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

American Standard Version
And 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he brought me into the courtyard of the inner house of LORD JEHOVAH, and I saw in the door of the temple of LORD JEHOVAH, between the porch and the altar, about twenty and five men stood and their backs were against the temple of LORD JEHOVAH and their faces toward the East, and they arose early and they worshipped the sun

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty men, with their back parts toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces turned the opposite way; and these were worshipping the sun.

Contemporary English Version
I was then led into the temple's inner courtyard, where I saw about 25 men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD's temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men having their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east: and they adored towards the rising of the sun.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the LORD's temple. There at the entrance to the LORD's temple, between the entrance and the altar, were about 25 men who had their backs turned to the LORD's temple. They were facing east and worshiping the rising sun.

Good News Translation
So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.

International Standard Version
Then he brought me to the inner court of the LORD's Temple. There, at the entrance to the LORD's Temple, between the porch and the altar, were 25 men, with their backs toward the LORD's Temple and facing the east, prostrating themselves to the sun.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
And He brings me into the inner court of the house of YHWH, and behold, at the opening of the temple of YHWH, between the porch and the altar, about twenty-five men, their backs toward the temple of YHWH, and their faces eastward, and they are bowing themselves eastward to the sun.

Majority Standard Bible
So 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.

New American Bible
Then he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. There at the door of the LORD’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the LORD’s temple and their faces toward the east; they were bowing eastward to the sun.

NET Bible
Then he brought me to the inner court of the LORD's house. Right there at the entrance to the LORD's temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the LORD's temple, facing east--they were worshiping the sun toward the east!

New Revised Standard Version
And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD; there, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, prostrating themselves to the sun toward the east.

New Heart English Bible
He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and see, at the door of the LORD's temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs toward the LORD's temple, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 towards the temple of the LORD, and their faces towards the east; and they worshiped the sun towards the east.

World English Bible
He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh’s house; and I saw at the door of Yahweh’s temple, between the porch and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward Yahweh’s temple and their faces toward the east. They were worshiping the sun toward the east.

Young's Literal Translation
And 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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple
15“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Yet you will see even greater abominations than these.” 16So 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. 17“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and continually provoke Me to anger? Look, they are even putting the branch to their nose!…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars--all the host of heaven--do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

Deuteronomy 17:3
and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven--which I have forbidden--

2 Kings 23:11
And he removed from the entrance to the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the chamber of an official named Nathan-melech. And Josiah burned up the chariots of the sun.

2 Chronicles 29:6
For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.

Job 31:26
if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,

Jeremiah 2:27
say to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces, yet in the time of trouble they beg, 'Rise up and save us!'

Jeremiah 44:17
Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

the inner

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.

Ezekiel 40:28
And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

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.

at the door

2 Kings 16:14
And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.

2 Chronicles 7:7
Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.

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?

about

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.

with their

Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

1 Kings 8:29
That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

2 Chronicles 29:6
For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.

their faces

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;

2 Kings 23:5,11
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…

and they.

Jump to Previous
Altar Backs Court Door East Entrance Faces Five House Inner LORD's Porch Sun Temple Towards Twenty Twenty-Five Worshiped Worshipped Worshipping
Jump to Next
Altar Backs Court Door East Entrance Faces Five House Inner LORD's Porch Sun Temple Towards Twenty Twenty-Five Worshiped Worshipped Worshipping
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














(16) Between the porch and the altar.--Ezekiel now returns to the court of the priests, and there sees--not about, but as it were (referring to the nature of the vision)--"twenty-five men." These are probably the high priest and the heads of the twenty-four courses, representing the whole body of the priests, as the elders represented the whole body of the people. They were standing between the altar and the Temple, therefore in the most sacred part of the court, and there, turning their backs upon the Temple of the Lord, worshipped the sun. The adoration of the sun, probably the earliest form of false religion, was the especial worship of Persia, but had been long since practised by the kings and people of Judah (2Kings 23:5; 2Kings 23:11). Thus all classes of the nation are seen to be involved in common sin; and the priests particularly, the especial guardians of true religion, are found practising this sin under circumstances of peculiar insult to God. That the "chief priests" did pollute the sanctuary at this time is expressly asserted in the history at 2Chronicles 36:14.

Verse 16. - He brought me into the inner court. The last and the worst form of desecration follows. It was the "inner court" (Joel 2:17) which, after the exile, was entered only by the priests. During the monarchy, however, it seems to have been accessible to kings and other persons of importance, as in the case of Solomon (1 Kings 8:22, 64; 1 Kings 9:25) in the revolution against Athaliah (2 Kings 11:4-15), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:14), and Josiah (2 Kings 23:2). Ezekiel does not say that the men whom he saw were priests, though the number twenty-five suggests that they were taking the place of the high priest and the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood (1 Chronicles 24:4-19), and so symbolized the whole order of the priesthood as the seventy elders represented the laity. In 2 Chronicles 36:14 the chief of the priests is spoken of as having been prominent in "polluting the house of the Lord." They were seen turning their backs to the temple of Jehovah, i.e. the sanctuary. The very act was symbolical of their apostasy (2 Chronicles 29:6; Isaiah 1:4; Jeremiah 7:24). And they did this in order that they might look to the east and worship the rising sun. That, and not the temple (Daniel 6:10), was the Kiblah of their adoration. The sun worship here appears to have had a Persian character, as being offered to the sun itself, and not to Baal, as a solar god. Of such a worship we have traces in Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 17:3; Job 31:26; 2 Kings 23:5, 11.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So He brought
וַיָּבֵ֣א (way·yā·ḇê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

me to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the inner
הַפְּנִימִית֒ (hap·pə·nî·mîṯ)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 6442: Interior

court
חֲצַ֣ר (ḥă·ṣar)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 2691: A yard, a hamlet

of the house
בֵּית־ (bêṯ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD,
יְהוָה֮ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and there
וְהִנֵּה־ (wə·hin·nêh-)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

at the entrance
פֶ֜תַח (p̄e·ṯaḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6607: An opening, door, entrance way

to the temple
הֵיכַ֣ל (hê·ḵal)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1964: A large public building, palace, temple

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

between
בֵּ֤ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

the portico
הָֽאוּלָם֙ (hā·’ū·lām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 197: A vestibule

and the altar,
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

were about twenty-five
כְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים (kə·‘eś·rîm)
Preposition-k | Number - common plural
Strong's 6242: Twenty, twentieth

men
אִ֑ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

with their backs
אֲחֹ֨רֵיהֶ֜ם (’ă·ḥō·rê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 268: The hinder part, behind, backward, the West

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the temple
הֵיכַ֤ל (hê·ḵal)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1964: A large public building, palace, temple

of the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and their faces
וּפְנֵיהֶ֣ם (ū·p̄ə·nê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

toward the east;
קֵ֔דְמָה (qê·ḏə·māh)
Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6924: The front, of place, time

and they
וְהֵ֛מָּה (wə·hêm·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

were bowing to the east
קֵ֖דְמָה (qê·ḏə·māh)
Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6924: The front, of place, time

in worship
מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֥ם (miš·ta·ḥă·wî·ṯem)
Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

of the sun.
לַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (laš·šā·meš)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement


Links
Ezekiel 8:16 NIV
Ezekiel 8:16 NLT
Ezekiel 8:16 ESV
Ezekiel 8:16 NASB
Ezekiel 8:16 KJV

Ezekiel 8:16 BibleApps.com
Ezekiel 8:16 Biblia Paralela
Ezekiel 8:16 Chinese Bible
Ezekiel 8:16 French Bible
Ezekiel 8:16 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Ezekiel 8:16 He brought me into the inner court (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 8:15
Top of Page
Top of Page