‘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 the earth and the heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court which looks towards the north, where there was the seat of the image of jealousy which provokes to jealousy.
It is in vain to question whether this was bodily or only in vision. We are not told and do not know exactly what happened. The main point, however, is clear, that God by His Spirit transported him in some way to Jerusalem ‘in the visions of God'.
‘The form of a hand.' As always when speaking of God Ezekiel's description is indefinite. It appeared like a hand but was more than a hand. It was the ‘hand' of God.
‘And took me by a lock of my head.' This indicated that his hair had grown again after being cut (Ezekiel 5:1 - although he may have left some locks in place). Possibly there is the idea that having borne the punishment of Israel and Judah he was now restored, and again usable by God (compare Samson - Judges 16:22).
‘And the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven.' This was probably to indicate not just the atmosphere but a kind of earth-heaven state of experience. Compare Jacob's ladder joining earth and heaven (Genesis 28:12).
‘And brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem.' We must stand in awe and not enquire too closely, for we do not know exactly what happened, nor what he experienced. It was unique.
‘To the door of the gate of the inner court which looks towards the north, where there was the seat of the image of jealousy which provokes to jealousy.' The inner court of the Temple was entered from the outer court by one of three gates, the northern, the eastern and the western. The northern was called the altar gate because sacrifices were offered at the northern side of the altar (Leviticus 1:11), and it would have been the entrance mainly used by the royal house. There is significance in that Yahweh in vision had come from the north (Ezekiel 1:4). Thus between the inner court and the heavenly dwellingplace of Yahweh was the image of jealousy. Also the means of judgment would come from the north.
‘The image of jealousy.' This was some prominent religious artefact with idolatrous connections which stood outside the northern gate, which provoked Yahweh to ‘jealousy', that is to a righteous concern in respect of His covenant relationship with Israel. It not only dishonoured Him but destroyed His relationship with His people, for its earthy worship was in direct contrast with the spiritual relationship He wanted with them. It may have been a wooden asherah-image representing the Canaanite goddess (see 2 Kings 21:7, compare 2 Kings 23:6, but it may have been subsequently replaced), or it may have been a figured slab engraved with mythological and cultic scenes, as witnessed at excavations at Gozan and Carchemish.