Ezekiel 8:11

And there stood before them,.... Before the pictures, as the Vulgate Latin version expresses it, praying, sacrificing, and offering incense unto them: seventy men of the ancients of the house of

And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients 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.

There stood, offering incense before the idols. Seventy men; either the sanhedrim, or council of seventy, who should have preserved religion pure and untainted, to which their office bound them; or else seventy of the more aged heads of the tribes or families, who should have been examples by their pure and constant affection to true religion; but these are ringleaders in this idolatry. Ancients, by age or office, or both. In the midst of them; either accompanying them in their idolatry, or rather as chief of the council or sanhedrim; in the chair, the seat of the chief, prefect, or principal next to the high priest. Shaphan, mentioned , as most likely; a person that seems forward in reforming under Josiah, and his son as forward now in corrupting the worship of God. Every man; all were actors in this idolatry, and either priests to these idols, or very bigots in the service. A thick cloud; or abundance of a cloud, or rich (as the word among rabbinical senses) cloud; or, since the word whence this comes signifies to pray or supplicate, a cloud of incense offered with the prayers of these deluded idolaters, who were used to put both together. Incense; whether simple and uncompounded, or compound, it was always of sweets, and very costly too; indeed idolatry, as adultery, will be lavish.

Ezekiel 8:11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients 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.Ver. 11. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients.] The whole Sanhedrim, or great council, haply. Councils may err, and have done often. The ill example of these ancients was very attractive. Magnates magnetes. Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan.] A chieftain among them, and haply president of the council, whom they called Nasi, or prince. His father Shaphan was scribe in Josiah’ s days, as some think. And a thick cloud of incense went up.] Abundantia nubis. Papists to this day cense their images; Semel singulis thuributum ducat sacerdos, saith the Roman mass book. The primitive Christians were pressed by their persecutors to throw at least a little frankincense into the fire; which, when Origen and Marcellinus did, through infirmity of the flesh, they were cast out of the hearts of good people, and branded with the name of Thurificati i.e., Incensed persons.

(11) Seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel.—There may have been no enclosed chamber about the courts of the temple capable of actually containing so large a number; but again we are to remember that as this is in vision and for purposes of instruction, it is not necessary that all the details should be actually possible. The seventy elders were not the sanhedrin, which was not constituted until after the return from Babylon; but the number has probable reference to the seventy chosen to enjoy with Moses the Theophany of Exo 24:9-10, and the other seventy selected to share with him in the gifts of the Spirit (Numbers 11:16). In contrast with those selected for especial nearness to God, these seventy are engaged in abominations most abhorrent to Him. Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan.—Son is perhaps used here, as often in Scripture, in the sense of grandson. In this case he may have been the same with “Jaazaniah, the son of Azur,” mentioned in Ezekiel 11:1 as one of the wicked princes of the people, against whom Ezekiel was directed to prophesy. It is hardly probable that two persons of the same character and the same (not very common) name should have been among the leaders of the people at the same time. The mention of his grandfather here would be appropriate, as bringing out the contrast in their characters, and showing the change for the worse that had been going on among the people. Shaphan was an officer of the court of King Josiah, and active in the reformation instituted by him (2 Kings 22:3; 2 Kings 22:14); while his son (Elasah) was one of the messengers by whom Jeremiah sent his prophecies to the Captivity (Jeremiah 29:3); and another son, Gemariah, was a scribe, having a chamber “in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the Lord’s house,” in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:10). At the same time his grandson, Michaiah, was sufficiently prominent at court to join in the intercession of the princes against the destruction of Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jeremiah 36:11; Jeremiah 36:25); and a little later, in the general captivity of the ninth year of Zedekiah, another grandson, Gedaliah, had the person of Jeremiah given into his charge (Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:5), and was made governor over the remnant of the people (Jeremiah 40:11). Such being the family connections of Jaazaniah, the corruption which could make him a leader of idolatry is strongly shown. With every man his censer in his hand.—The burning of incense was the exclusive function of the priesthood (Numbers 16; 2 Chronicles 26:16-18); and it was alike the necessity and the choice of the idolaters of Israel to devolve this office upon those who were not of the Aaronic family. (Comp. 1 Kings 12:31.) When the seventy elders offered incense to their idols they claimed thereby to be the priests of those idols.

Verse 11. Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan] Shaphan was a scribe, or what some call comptroller of the temple, in the days of Josiah; and Jaazaniah his son probably succeeded him in this office. He was at the head of this band of idolaters.

11. seventy men of the ancients] i.e. of the elders. The seventy were not any court such as the later Sanhedrim, but merely seventy men representing the elders of Israel (Exodus 24:1; Numbers 11:16; Numbers 11:24-25). The elders were the leaders of the people, and probably here represent them. Prominent among these elders was Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. There is no reason to suppose the name fictitious. Shaphan the scribe was the person who read the Book of the Law found in the temple to king Josiah (2 Kings 22:10). A son of his son Ahikam acted along with him and was a protector of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:14), and another son is mentioned (Jeremiah 36:10) as having a chamber in the upper court where Baruch read Jeremiah’s roll in the ears of the people. If Jaazaniah was a son of this Shaphan he pursued a different course from his father and brothers.

Seventy men - Compare Exodus 24:9-10. The vision may have pointed to the contrast between the times.

11. Seventy men of the ancients [elders]… and… Jaazaniah — Here we see those who represent the whole nation of Israel apostate from the national worship (Exodus 24:1; Numbers 11:16; Numbers 11:24-25).