Matthew Henry Commentary Ezekiel 8:13-18

"He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do. 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. Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah`s house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then 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 turned again to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." — Ezekiel 8:13-18 (ASV)

The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was accompanied by infamous practices; and the sun worshippers described here are thought to have been priests. The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime; and lo, they put the branch to their nose, denoting some custom used by idolaters in honor of the idols they served.

The more we examine human nature and our own hearts, the more abominations we will discover; and the longer the believer searches himself, the more he will humble himself before God, and the more he will value the fountain open for sin, and seek to wash in it.