Albert Barnes Commentary Ezekiel 8:3

"And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner [court] that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy." — Ezekiel 8:3 (ASV)

In the visions of God - Ezekiel was not transported “in the body,” but rapt “in spirit,” while he still sat among the elders of Judah.

The inner gate - Or, the gate of the inner court. This gate, leading from the outer to the inner court (the court of the priests), is called (Ezekiel 8:5) “the gate of the altar,” because it was from this side that the priests approached the brass altar. The prophet is on the “outside” of this gate, so that the “image of jealousy” was set up in the outer or people’s court opposite the northern entrance to the priest’s court.

This image was the image of a false god provoking Yahweh to “jealousy” (Deuteronomy 32:16, 21; 1 Kings 14:22). It may be doubted whether the scenes described in this chapter are intended to represent what actually occurred. They may be ideal pictures to indicate the idolatrous corruption of priests and people.

And this is in accordance with the symbolic character of the number “four.” The four idolatries represent the idolatries in all the four quarters of the world. The false gods of the pagan world are brought into the temple so that they might be detected and exposed by being brought face to face with the God of revelation. Still, history proves that the ideal picture was supported by actual facts which had occurred and were occurring.