Ezekiel 8:12

KJV1611 – Modern English

Then he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the earth.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַי֮ הֲרָאִ֣יתָ בֶן־אָדָם֒ אֲשֶׁ֨ר זִקְנֵ֤י בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עֹשִׂ֣ים בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ אִ֖ישׁ בְּחַדְרֵ֣י מַשְׂכִּית֑וֹ כִּ֣י אֹמְרִ֗ים אֵ֤ין יְהוָה֙ רֹאֶ֣ה אֹתָ֔נוּ עָזַ֥ב יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Transliteration

And wayyōʾmer to me, hărāʾîtā ben-ʾādām, which ziqnê bêt-yiśrāʾēl ʿōśîm in the ḥōšek, ʾîš in ḥadrê maśkîtô; for ʾōmərîm, not YHWH rōʾeh us, ʿāzab YHWH ʾet-the ʾāreṣ.

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmer*: waw-consecutive with 3rd masculine singular qal imperfect - and he said
• *hărāʾîtā*: interrogative particle with 2nd masculine singular qal perfect - have you seen?
• *ben*: masculine singular construct noun - son of
• *ʾādām*: masculine singular noun - man/mankind
• *ziqnê*: masculine plural construct noun - elders of
• *bêt*: masculine singular construct noun - house of
• *yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun - Israel
• *ʿōśîm*: masculine plural qal participle - doing
• *ḥōšek*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the darkness
• *ʾîš*: masculine singular noun - each man
• *ḥadrê*: masculine plural construct noun - chambers of
• *maśkîtô*: feminine singular noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his carved image/imagination
• *ʾōmərîm*: masculine plural qal participle - saying
• *YHWH*: divine name - Yahweh/LORD
• *rōʾeh*: masculine singular qal participle - seeing
• *ʿāzab*: 3rd masculine singular qal perfect - has forsaken/abandoned
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *ʾāreṣ*: feminine singular noun with definite article - the land

Word Meanings

• *ben*-*ʾādām*: son of man/mortal human
• *ziqnê*: elders/old men
• *ḥōšek*: darkness/secrecy
• *ḥadrê*: chambers/rooms/inner rooms
• *maśkîtô*: his carved image/imagination/inner chamber
• *ʿāzab*: forsaken/abandoned/left

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Then He said to me, 'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each in the chamber of his carved images? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then said{H559} he unto me, Son{H1121} of man,{H120} hast thou seen{H7200} what the elders{H2205} of the house{H1004} of Israel{H3478} do{H6213} in the dark,{H2822} every man{H376} in his chambers{H2315} of imagery?{H4906} for they say,{H559} Jehovah{H3068} seeth{H7200} us not; Jehovah{H3068} hath forsaken{H5800} the land.{H776}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then said{H559}{(H8799)} he unto me, Son{H1121} of man{H120}, hast thou seen{H7200}{(H8804)} what the ancients{H2205} of the house{H1004} of Israel{H3478} do{H6213}{(H8802)} in the dark{H2822}, every man{H376} in the chambers{H2315} of his imagery{H4906}? for they say{H559}{(H8802)}, The LORD{H3068} seeth{H7200}{(H8802)} us not; the LORD{H3068} hath forsaken{H5800}{(H8804)} the earth{H776}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Then sayde he vnto me: Thou sonne off man, hast thou sene what the Senatours off the house off Israel do secretly, euery one in his chambre? For they saye: Tush, the LORDE seth vs not, the LORDE regardeth not the worlde.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then saide hee vnto mee, Sonne of man, hast thou seene what the Ancients of the house of Israel do in the darke, euery one in the chamber of his imagerie? for they say, The Lorde seeth vs not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Then sayde he vnto me, Thou sonne of man, hast thou seene what the auncientes of the house of Israel do secretly, euery one in the chaumber of his imagerie? for they say, The Lorde seeth vs not, the Lorde hath forsaken the earth.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Then said he to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Yahweh doesn't see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And He saith unto me, `Hast thou seen, son of man, that which elders of the house of Israel are doing in darkness, each in the inner chambers of his imagery, for they are saying, Jehovah is not seeing us, Jehovah hath forsaken the land?'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the responsible men of the children of Israel do in the dark, every man in his room of pictured images? for they say, The Lord does not see us; the Lord has gone away from the land.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Then he said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his rooms of imagery? for they say, Yahweh doesn't see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  He said to me,“Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they think,‘The LORD does not see us! The LORD has abandoned the land!’”

Referenced Verses

• Isa 29:15 : 15 Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us? and who knows us?
• Ezek 9:9 : 9 Then he said to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD has forsaken the earth, and the LORD does not see.
• Ps 10:11 : 11 He has said in his heart, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see it.
• Ps 73:11 : 11 And they say, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?
• Ps 94:7-9 : 7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. 8 Understand, you senseless among the people: and you fools, when will you be wise? 9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? 10 He that chastises the nations, shall he not correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall he not know?
• Job 22:12-13 : 12 Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! 13 And you say, 'How does God know? Can He judge through the dense cloud?
• Job 24:13-17 : 13 They are among those who rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor abide in its paths. 14 The murderer, rising with the light, kills the poor and needy, and in the night is like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer waits for twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and disguises his face. 16 In the dark they break into houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime; they do not know the light. 17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death; if one knows them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
• Ezek 8:6-8 : 6 He said furthermore to me, Son of man, do you see what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn yet again, and you shall see greater abominations. 7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 8 Then he said to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had dug in the wall, behold, a door.
• Ezek 8:11 : 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
• Ezek 8:15 : 15 Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? turn yet again, and you shall see greater abominations than these.
• Ezek 8:17 : 17 Then he said to me, Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
• Ezek 14:1 : 1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
• Ezek 20:1 : 1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
• John 3:19-20 : 19 This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
• Eph 5:12 : 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.