Ezekiel 8:11

“And there stood before them, &c.] 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 Israel; the whole sanhedrim, or great court of judicature among the Jews, as Kimchi; or at least there is an allusion to that number, which were appointed in Moses’ time to be officers over the people, and govern and direct them, (<041116>Numbers 11:16); which shows how sadly depraved and corrupted the state was, that not the common people only, but the civil magistrates, the chief rulers and governors, were given to idolatry; and those that should have taught the people the right way led them…”

“seventy men--the seventy members composing the Sanhedrim, or great council of the nation, the origination of which we find in the seventy elders, representatives of the congregation, who went up with Moses to the mount to behold the glory of Jehovah, and to witness the secret transactions relating to the establishment of the covenant; also, in the seventy elders appointed to share the burden of the people with Moses. How awfully it aggravates the national sin, that the seventy, once admitted to the Lord's secret council (Psa 25:14), should now, "in the dark," enter "the secret" of the wicked (Gen 49:6), those judicially bound to suppress idolatry being the ringleaders of it!…”

“Seventy men - Compare Exodus 24:9-10. The vision may have pointed to the contrast between the times. The number “seven” is symbolic of the covenant between Yahweh and His people, and so the “seventy” men exhibit forcibly the breach of the covenant. It is a figure of the covert idolatry of the whole people. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Seventy - Heads of the tribes or families, who should have been examples of true religion, not ringleaders in idolatry. Shaphan - Mentioned Kg2 22:9. Shaphan was forward in reforming under Josiah and his son is as forward in corrupting the worship of God. Ezekiel 8:12”

“8:11 These seventy leaders are a shocking contrast to the seventy leaders of Moses’ day who were given the unique privilege of seeing God (Exod 24:1-11) and were given the same Spirit as Moses (Num 11:16-30). Jaazaniah, the leader of this group, was, ironically, the son of Shaphan, a godly leader who was prominently involved in Josiah’s reforms (2 Kgs 22:3-14). • The incense, intended to ward off dangers from demonic spirits, helped instead to bring God’s judgment upon the land.”

“seventy: Exo 24:1, Exo 24:9; Num 11:16, Num 11:25; Jer 5:5, Jer 19:1; Dan 9:8 Shaphan: Kg2 22:3, Kg2 22:8, Kg2 22:12, Kg2 22:14, Kg2 25:22; Ch2 34:20; Jer 26:24, Jer 29:3, Jer 36:10 every: Num 16:17, Num 16:35; Ch2 26:16, Ch2 26:19; Jer 7:9 Ezekiel 8:12”