Ezekiel46
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
3And the people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Jehovah on the sabbaths and on the new moons.
4And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto Jehovah shall be on the sabbath day six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish;
5and the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
6And on the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish:
7and he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
8And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
9But when the people of the land shall come before Jehovah in the appointed feasts, he that entereth by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth straight before him.
10And the prince, when they go in, shall go in in the midst of them; and when they go forth, they shall go forth together.
11And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meal-offering shall be an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
12And when the prince shall prepare a freewill-offering, a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a freewill-offering unto Jehovah, one shall open for him the gate that looketh toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he doth on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
13And thou shalt prepare a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah daily: morning by morning shalt thou prepare it.
14And thou shalt prepare a meal-offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal-offering unto Jehovah continually by a perpetual ordinance.
15Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt-offering.
16Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.
17But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.
18Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
19Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward.
20And he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, and where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they bring them not forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people.
21Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
22In the four corners of the court there were courts inclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four in the corners were of one measure.
23And there was a wall round about in them, round about the four, and boiling-places were made under the walls round about.
24Then said he unto me, These are the boiling-houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 46.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Vision of the Temple. (1-24).
vv1-24
The ordinances of worship for the prince and for the people, are here described, and the gifts the prince may bestow on his sons and servants. Our Lord has directed us to do many duties, but he has also left many things to our choice, that those who delight in his commandments may abound therein to his glory, without entangling their own consciences, or prescribing rules unfit for others; but we must never omit our daily worship, nor neglect to apply the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to our souls, for pardon, peace, and salvation.
Key Words
כֹּה: properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
אֲדֹנָי: the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)
שַׁעַר: an opening, i.e. door or gate
פְּנִימִי: interior
חָצֵר: a yard (as inclosed by a fence); also a hamlet (as similarly surrounded with walls)
פָּנָה: to turn; by implication, to face, i.e. appear, look, etc.
קָדִים: the fore or front part; hence (by orientation) the East (often adverbially, eastward, for brevity the east wind)
סָגַר: to shut up; figuratively, to surrender
שֵׁשׁ: six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth
Cross References
Ezekiel 46The year of liberty refers to the Jubilee, when alienated inheritance returns to the original owner.
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The prince worships in the midst of the congregation, leading them to God's house.
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Contrasts the ideal prince who does not oppress with Ahab's violent theft of Naboth's inheritance.
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The posture of the prince and people bowing and worshipping while the sacrifices are offered.
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Ezekiel's Sabbath offerings are larger and more munificent than those prescribed in the Mosaic law.
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Preserves the sanctity of the sin offering, which the priests must cook and eat in holy places.
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Explains the shutting of the east gate, which remains closed on regular working days.
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Clarifies the unique privilege of the prince to enter and eat bread by the east gate porch.
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Parallels Solomon standing before the altar of the Lord as representative of the worshipping nation.
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Establishes the Mosaic baseline for the daily morning and evening continual burnt offering.
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Contrasts the permanent inheritance of sons with the temporary status of servants.
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New Testament fulfillment of the symbolic shadows of Sabbaths and new moons.
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The requirement for the people of the land to appear before the Lord during major feasts.
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The Mosaic regulation for voluntary or free-will offerings presented before the Lord.
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Illustrates Naboth's religious duty to preserve his ancestral inheritance from royal seizure.
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Connects the year of liberty / jubilee to the messianic proclamation of the acceptable year.
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