Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 8:11

"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, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up." — Ezekiel 8:11 (ASV)

Seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel. —There may have been no enclosed chamber around the courts of the temple capable of actually containing so large a number; but again, we should remember that since this is a 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; however, the number probably refers to the seventy chosen to enjoy with Moses the Theophany of Exodus 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 special 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 as “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). A little later, in the general captivity in the ninth year of Zedekiah, another grandson, Gedaliah, had Jeremiah given into his charge (Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:5) and was made governor over the remnant of the people (Jeremiah 40:11).

Given these family connections of Jaazaniah, the corruption that 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 16:0; 2 Chronicles 26:16–18); and it was both the necessity and the choice of the idolaters of Israel to devolve this office upon those who were not of the Aaronic family. (Compare to 1 Kings 12:31.) When the seventy elders offered incense to their idols, they thereby claimed to be the priests of those idols.