Eze 8:16 | NET2full | STEP | Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord ’s house . Right there at the entrance to the Lord ’s temple , between the porch and the altar , were about 25 men with their backs to the Lord ’s temple , facing east — they were worshiping the sun toward the east !

Ezekiel 8:16

16 Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. Right there ^{▼▼tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something.} at the entrance to the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, ^{▼▼sn The priests prayed to God between the porch and the altar on fast days (Joel 2:17). This is the location where Zechariah was murdered (Matt 23:35).} were about 25 ^{▼▼tc The LXX reads “twenty” instead of “twenty-five,” perhaps because of the association of the number twenty with the Mesopotamian sun god Shamash.} ^{▼▼tn Or “exactly twenty-five.”} men with their backs to the Lord’s temple, ^{▼▼sn The temple faced east.} facing east—they were worshiping the sun ^{▼▼tn Or “the sun god.”} ^{▼▼sn The worship of astral entities may have begun during the reign of Manasseh (2 Kgs 21:5).} toward the east!