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.

EZEKIEL 8:5KJV
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Ezekiel 8:5 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 8:5 mean?

Ezekiel 8:5 describes how God tells Ezekiel to look toward the north, where Ezekiel sees an "image of jealousy" at the entrance near the altar. This verse shows Ezekiel being shown something deeply offensive to God, set up in a place meant for worship.

In this scene, God is speaking directly to Ezekiel, calling him "son of man" and guiding his attention to a specific spot in the temple area. The "image of jealousy" refers to an idol or object of worship that provokes God's anger, placed at the very entrance by the altar, which was supposed to be a sacred space. This sets the stage for the rest of the vision, where Ezekiel is shown the reasons for God's judgment on Jerusalem.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 8:5

  • "image" (סֶמֶל, semel): This word means a carved or cast idol, not just any image. Its use here highlights that what Ezekiel saw was a physical idol, not just a symbol.
  • "jealousy" (קִנְאָה, qin'ah): This word means zeal or jealousy, especially in the sense of something that provokes strong emotion. Here, it emphasizes that the idol stirs up God's jealousy, as it competes with the worship due to Him alone.
  • "gate" (שַׁעַר, sha'ar) and "altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach): The mention of the gate by the altar shows the idol was placed right at the entrance to the temple's sacred area, making the offense even more direct and public.

Why Ezekiel 8:5 matters

  • Ezekiel 8:5 makes clear that the problem was not hidden sin but open idolatry in the very heart of the temple, which helps explain the seriousness of God's coming judgment.
  • The verse connects to the wider vision in Ezekiel 8, where God shows Ezekiel several abominations happening in the temple, each one revealing the depth of Israel's unfaithfulness.
  • Understanding the "image of jealousy" as a specific idol helps modern readers see how the people had replaced true worship with something that directly challenged God's rightful place.

Where else these words appear

“image” Hebrew H5566 · used in 5 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
  • 2 Chronicles 33:7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
  • 2 Chronicles 33:15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

“jealousy” Hebrew H7068 · used in 41 verses

  • Numbers 5:14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
  • Psalms 119:139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
  • Isaiah 63:15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

“north” Hebrew H6828 · used in 141 verses

  • Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
  • 1 Chronicles 26:14 And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
  • Ezekiel 21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: