The Meaning of Ezekiel 8:3 Explained

Ezekiel 8:3

KJV: And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

YLT: And He putteth forth a form of a hand, and taketh me by a lock of my head, and lift me up doth a spirit between the earth and the heavens, and it bringeth me in to Jerusalem in visions of God, unto the opening of the inner gate that is facing the north, where is the seat of the figure of jealousy that is making jealous,

Darby: And he stretched forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entry of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

ASV: And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he put forth  the form  of an hand,  and took  me by a lock  of mine head;  and the spirit  lifted me up  between the earth  and the heaven,  and brought  me in the visions  of God  to Jerusalem,  to the door  of the inner  gate  that looketh  toward the north;  where [was] the seat  of the image  of jealousy,  which provoketh to jealousy. 

What does Ezekiel 8:3 Mean?

Study Notes

visions
Visions, that is, of former profanations of the temple, and of the wickedness because of which Israel was then in Babylon, show the prophet that he might justify to the new generation born in Assyria and Babylonia during the captivity, the righteousness of God in the present national chastening. The visions are retrospective; Israel had done these things, hence the captivities. This strain continues to Ezekiel 33:20 . It is the divine view of the national sinfulness and apostasy, revealed to Ezekiel in a series of visions so vivid that though the prophet was by the river Chebar,; Ezekiel 1:1 ; Ezekiel 1:3 ; Ezekiel 3:23 ; Ezekiel 10:15 ; Ezekiel 10:20 ; Ezekiel 10:22 ; Ezekiel 43:3 It was as if he were transported back to Jerusalem, and to the time when these things were occurring. These visions of the sinfulness of Israel are interspersed with promises of restoration and blessing which are yet to be fulfilled. See "Israel"; Genesis 12:2 ; Genesis 12:3 ; Romans 11:26 . Also "Kingdom, (O.T.)"; Genesis 1:26-28 ; Zechariah 12:8 .

Verse Meaning

In his vision Ezekiel saw God reach out and pick him up by his hair and transport him to Jerusalem by the Spirit. The Lord placed him down at the north gate of the inner court of the temple where there was an image of an idol (cf. Deuteronomy 4:16). King Jotham (750-732 B.C.) had built this gate, which apparently did not exist when Solomon first constructed the temple ( 2 Kings 15:35). Other names for it were the upper Benjamin gate ( Jeremiah 20:2), the new gate ( Jeremiah 26:10; Jeremiah 36:10), the altar gate ( Ezekiel 8:5), and the upper gate ( 2 Kings 15:35; Ezekiel 9:2). This idol provoked the Lord to jealousy.

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 8:3 mean?

And He stretched out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my hair and lifted up me the Spirit between earth and heaven and brought to Jerusalem in visions of God to the door of the gate of the inner [court] that looks north where [was] - the seat of the image of jealousy which provokes to jealousy
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ תַּבְנִ֣ית יָ֔ד וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי בְּצִיצִ֣ת רֹאשִׁ֑י וַתִּשָּׂ֣א אֹתִ֣י ר֣וּחַ ׀ בֵּֽין־ הָאָ֣רֶץ וּבֵ֣ין הַשָּׁמַ֡יִם וַתָּבֵא֩ יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָה בְּמַרְא֣וֹת אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֶל־ פֶּ֜תַח שַׁ֤עַר הַפְּנִימִית֙ הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה צָפ֔וֹנָה אֲשֶׁר־ שָׁ֣ם מוֹשַׁ֔ב סֵ֖מֶל הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הַמַּקְנֶֽה

וַיִּשְׁלַח֙  And  He  stretched  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
תַּבְנִ֣ית  the  form 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תַּבְנִית  
Sense: pattern, plan, form, construction, figure.
יָ֔ד  of  a  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי  and  took  me 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
בְּצִיצִ֣ת  by  a  lock 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: צִיצִת  
Sense: fringe, tassel, lock.
רֹאשִׁ֑י  of  my  hair 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וַתִּשָּׂ֣א  and  lifted  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אֹתִ֣י  me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
ר֣וּחַ ׀  the  Spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
בֵּֽין־  between 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
הָאָ֣רֶץ  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַשָּׁמַ֡יִם  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וַתָּבֵא֩  and  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָה  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
בְּמַרְא֣וֹת  in  visions 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַרְאָה 
Sense: vision.
אֱלֹהִ֗ים  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
פֶּ֜תַח  the  door 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּתַח  
Sense: opening, doorway, entrance.
שַׁ֤עַר  of  the  gate 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הַפְּנִימִית֙  of  the  inner  [court] 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: פְּנִימִי  
Sense: inner.
הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה  that  looks 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: פֹּונֶה 
Sense: to turn.
צָפ֔וֹנָה  north 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
אֲשֶׁר־  where  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁ֣ם  - 
Parse: Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
מוֹשַׁ֔ב  the  seat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֹושָׁב  
Sense: seat, assembly, dwelling-place, dwelling, dwellers.
סֵ֖מֶל  of  the  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.
הַמַּקְנֶֽה  which  provokes  to  jealousy 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קָנָה 
Sense: to get, acquire, create, buy, possess.