Verse Lens · Context pointer
Ezekiel 8:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing…” at Ezekiel 8:17 as part of “Sun Worship in the Inner Court Brings the Vision to Wrath.”
Read It With
- Ezekiel 8:16–18
Read Ezekiel 8:17 with 8:16–18. By itself, “Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Twenty-five men turn from the temple toward the east and worship the sun; violence and provocation are joined to the cultic scene, and judgment is announced.
Why It Needs Context
Keep the line with Ezekiel 8:16–18. The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing…” at Ezekiel 8:17 as part of “Sun Worship in the Inner Court Brings the Vision to Wrath.” The literary form and this limit govern it: The oracle does not authorize violence against other religions or blame all worshipers for a society's violence.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Ezekiel 8:16–18 — Sun Worship in the Inner Court Brings the Vision to WrathSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Ezekiel 8:16–18, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 8:16–18
Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗