THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And the Spirit lifted me up, transporting me to Chaldea, among the exiles, in a vision granted by the Spirit of God. The revelation I beheld was concealed from me. I conveyed to the exiles all the words of the Lord that had been disclosed to me. Rather than translating it through the original Hebrew as “the vision which I saw was hid from me,” the LXX interprets it as “and I departed from the vision which I saw.” Both convey that the prophet, carried not in the flesh but in the spirit, was taken from Babylon to Jerusalem.
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When the vision that had spiritually brought him to Jerusalem and unveiled all that is discussed in the previous passages was hidden, he returned to his previous state, recounting all he had been shown to the settlers, clearly those mentioned previously: “I sat in my house, and the elders of the Jews sat before me, and the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there, and I saw” (Ezek. 8:1-2).
In a remarkable way, the prophet experienced profound visions while the visitors sat with him, being simultaneously present in body yet absent in spirit. This occurs so that those in captivity may find solace, knowing they will return to the land of Israel, adhere to the commandments of the Lord, and be His people, with Him as their God. However, those who refuse to repent and continue in their wickedness shall face the consequences of their actions. As we have frequently noted, the Scriptures often use words interchangeably with deeds.