Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 8:14

"Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Jehovah`s house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz." — Ezekiel 8:14 (ASV)

Women weeping for Tammuz. The prophet is now taken to the north gate of the outer enclosure of the Temple courts, where he sees a new and exceedingly corrupt form of idolatry. Tammuz is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture but is identified by ancient tradition (incorporated into the Vulgate) with the Greek Adonis, the beloved of Venus.

The name Adonis could not properly have been used, because in its Hebrew form it means Lord, and is frequently used of God. His worship is first heard of in Phoenicia and was widespread throughout Syria and the adjacent countries.

The previously mentioned creature worship was undoubtedly connected with political reasons, as aid was being sought from Egypt. Similarly, the worship of Adonis may have been affected by the league Zedekiah attempted to form (Jeremiah 27:1–11) with the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Philistines against Nebuchadnezzar.

The annual feast of Adonis consisted of a mourning by the women for his death, followed by a rejoicing over his return to life, and was accompanied by great abominations and licentiousness. The myth of Adonis was also closely associated with the worship of nature.

This festival did not fall in the “sixth month.” However, the description does not necessarily portray what was actually occurring at that moment. Instead, a representation of the wickedness practiced at various times in Jerusalem is brought before the prophet’s vision. Women engaged in the service of idolatry near the Temple are mentioned in 2 Kings 23:7. (Compare to Jeremiah 7:18.)

Thus far, the prophet has seen in the different courts of the Temple the general image worship of the people, then the creature worship of their elders, and now the corrupt and debasing rites of their women.