Ezekiel 8:11 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

There stood, offering incense before the idols. Seventy men; either the sanhedrim, or council of seventy, who should have preserved religion pure and untainted, to which their office bound them; or else seventy of the more aged heads of the tribes or families, who should have been examples by their pure and constant affection to true religion; but these are ringleaders in this idolatry. Ancients, by age or office, or both. In the midst of them; either accompanying them in their idolatry, or rather as chief of the council or sanhedrim; in the chair, the seat of the chief, prefect, or principal next to the high priest. Shaphan, mentioned 2 Kings 22:9, as most likely; a person that seems forward in reforming under Josiah, and his son as forward now in corrupting the worship of God. Every man; all were actors in this idolatry, and either priests to these idols, or very bigots in the service. A thick cloud; or abundance of a cloud, or rich (as the word among rabbinical senses) cloud; or, since the word whence this comes signifies to pray or supplicate, a cloud of incense offered with the prayers of these deluded idolaters, who were used to put both together. Incense; whether simple and uncompounded, or compound, it was always of sweets, and very costly too; indeed idolatry, as adultery, will be lavish.