Ezekiel 46NKJV
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Ezekiel46

New King James Version

1‘Thus says the Lord God: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.

2The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.

3Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons.

4The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish;

5and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah.

6On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish.

7He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

8When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

9“But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate.

10The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out.

11At the festivals and the appointed feast days the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

12“Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the Lord, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.

13“You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning.

14And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord.

15Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt offering every morning.”

16‘Thus says the Lord God: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.

17But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs.

18Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” ’ ”

19Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end.

20And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court to sanctify the people.”

21Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court.

22In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size.

23There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around.

24And he said to me, “These are the kitchens where the ministers of the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 46.

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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.

Cross References

Ezekiel 46
v17Leviticus 25:10thematic

The year of liberty refers to the Jubilee, when alienated inheritance returns to the original owner.

Supported by JFB

v10Psalms 42:4thematic

The prince worships in the midst of the congregation, leading them to God's house.

Supported by JFB

v181 Kings 21:19contrast

Contrasts the ideal prince who does not oppress with Ahab's violent theft of Naboth's inheritance.

Supported by JFB

The posture of the prince and people bowing and worshipping while the sacrifices are offered.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v4Numbers 28:9thematic

Ezekiel's Sabbath offerings are larger and more munificent than those prescribed in the Mosaic law.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v20Leviticus 6:26thematic

Preserves the sanctity of the sin offering, which the priests must cook and eat in holy places.

Supported by JFB

v1Ezekiel 44:2thematic

Explains the shutting of the east gate, which remains closed on regular working days.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v2Ezekiel 44:3thematic

Clarifies the unique privilege of the prince to enter and eat bread by the east gate porch.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v21 Kings 8:22thematic

Parallels Solomon standing before the altar of the Lord as representative of the worshipping nation.

Supported by JFB

v13Numbers 28:3-8thematic

Establishes the Mosaic baseline for the daily morning and evening continual burnt offering.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v16John 8:35thematic

Contrasts the permanent inheritance of sons with the temporary status of servants.

Supported by JFB

v1Colossians 2:16thematic

New Testament fulfillment of the symbolic shadows of Sabbaths and new moons.

Supported by Matthew Poole

The requirement for the people of the land to appear before the Lord during major feasts.

Supported by JFB

v12Leviticus 7:16thematic

The Mosaic regulation for voluntary or free-will offerings presented before the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v181 Kings 21:3thematic

Illustrates Naboth's religious duty to preserve his ancestral inheritance from royal seizure.

Supported by JFB

v17Isaiah 61:2allusion

Connects the year of liberty / jubilee to the messianic proclamation of the acceptable year.

Supported by JFB