29 They shall eat H398 the meat offering, H4503 and the sin offering, H2403 and the trespass offering; H817 and every dedicated thing H2764 in Israel H3478 shall be theirs.
And this is the law H8451 of the meat offering: H4503 the sons H1121 of Aaron H175 shall offer H7126 it before H6440 the LORD, H3068 before H6440 the altar. H4196 And he shall take H7311 of it his handful, H7062 of the flour H5560 of the meat offering, H4503 and of the oil H8081 thereof, and all the frankincense H3828 which is upon the meat offering, H4503 and shall burn H6999 it upon the altar H4196 for a sweet H5207 savour, H7381 even the memorial H234 of it, unto the LORD. H3068 And the remainder H3498 thereof shall Aaron H175 and his sons H1121 eat: H398 with unleavened bread H4682 shall it be eaten H398 in the holy H6918 place; H4725 in the court H2691 of the tabernacle H168 of the congregation H4150 they shall eat H398 it. It shall not be baken H644 with leaven. H2557 I have given H5414 it unto them for their portion H2506 of my offerings made by fire; H801 it is most H6944 holy, H6944 as is the sin offering, H2403 and as the trespass offering. H817 All the males H2145 among the children H1121 of Aaron H175 shall eat H398 of it. It shall be a statute H2706 for ever H5769 in your generations H1755 concerning the offerings H801 of the LORD H3068 made by fire: H801 every one that toucheth H5060 them shall be holy. H6942
This shall be thine of the most H6944 holy things, H6944 reserved from the fire: H784 every oblation H7133 of theirs, every meat offering H4503 of theirs, and every sin offering H2403 of theirs, and every trespass offering H817 of theirs, which they shall render H7725 unto me, shall be most H6944 holy H6944 for thee and for thy sons. H1121 In the most H6944 holy H6944 place shalt thou eat H398 it; every male H2145 shall eat H398 it: it shall be holy H6944 unto thee. And this is thine; the heave offering H8641 of their gift, H4976 with all the wave offerings H8573 of the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 I have given H5414 them unto thee, and to thy sons H1121 and to thy daughters H1323 with thee, by a statute H2706 for ever: H5769 every one that is clean H2889 in thy house H1004 shall eat H398 of it.
Do ye G1492 not G3756 know G1492 that G3754 they which minister G2038 about holy things G2413 live G2068 of the things of G1537 the temple? G2411 and they which wait G4332 at the altar G2379 are partakers G4829 with the altar? G2379 Even G2532 so G3779 hath G1299 the Lord G2962 ordained G1299 that they which preach G2605 the gospel G2098 should live G2198 of G1537 the gospel. G2098
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 44
Commentary on Ezekiel 44 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 44
Eze 44:1-31. Ordinances for the Prince and the Priests.
2. shut … not be opened—(Job 12:14; Isa 22:22; Re 3:7). "Shut" to the people (Ex 19:21, 22), but open to "the prince" (Eze 44:3), he holding the place of God in political concerns, as the priests do in spiritual. As a mark of respect to an Eastern monarch, the gate by which he enters is thenceforth shut to all other persons (compare Ex 19:24).
3. the prince—not King Messiah, as He never would offer a burnt offering for Himself, as the prince is to do (Eze 46:4). The prince must mean the civil ruler under Messiah. His connection with the east gate (by which the Lord had returned to His temple) implies, that, as ruling under God, he is to stand in a place of peculiar nearness to God. He represents Messiah, who entered heaven, the true sanctuary, by a way that none other could, namely, by His own holiness; all others must enter as sinners by faith in His blood, through grace.
eat bread before the Lord—a custom connected with sacrifices (Ge 31:54; Ex 18:12; 24:11; 1Co 10:18).
4-6. Directions as to the priests. Their acts of desecration are attributed to "the house of Israel" (Eze 44:6, 7), as the sins of the priesthood and of the people acted and reacted on one another; "like people, like priest" (Jer 5:31; Ho 4:9).
7. uncircumcised in heart—Israelites circumcised outwardly, but wanting the true circumcision of the heart (De 10:16; Ac 7:51).
uncircumcised in flesh—not having even the outward badge of the covenant-people.
8. keepers … for yourselves—such as you yourselves thought fit, not such as I approve of. Or else, "Ye have not yourselves kept the charge of My holy things, but have set others as keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves" [Maurer].
10, 11. Levites … shall … bear—namely, the punishment of
their iniquity … Yet they shall be ministers—So Mark, a Levite, nephew of Barnabas (Ac 4:36), was punished by Paul for losing an opportunity of bearing the cross of Christ, and yet was afterwards admitted into his friendship again, and showed his zeal (Ac 13:13; 15:37; Col 4:10; 2Ti 4:11). One may be a believer, and that too in a distinguished place, and yet lose some special honor—be acknowledged as pious, yet be excluded from some dignity [Bengel].
charge at the gates—Better to be "a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps 84:10). Though standing as a mere doorkeeper, it is in the house of God, which hath foundations: whereas he who dwells with the wicked, dwells in but shifting tents.
15. Zadok—The priests of the line of Ithamar were to be discharged from ministrations in the temple, because of their corruptions, following in the steps of Eli's sons, against whom the same denunciation was uttered (1Sa 2:32, 35). Zadok, according to his name (which means "righteous") and his line, were to succeed (1Ki 2:35; 1Ch 24:3), as they did not take part in the general apostasy to the same degree, and perhaps [Fairbairn] the prophet, referring to their original state, speaks of them as they appeared when first chosen to the office.
17. linen—symbolical of purity. Wool soon induces perspiration in the sultry East and so becomes uncleanly.
18. bonnets—turbans.
19. not sanctify the people with their garments—namely, those peculiarly priestly vestments in which they ministered in the sanctuary.
20. Neither … shave … heads—as mourners do (Le 21:1-5). The worshippers of the Egyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their heads; another reason why Jehovah's priests are not to do so.
nor suffer … locks to grow long—as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiers in warfare did [Jerome].
21. Neither … wine—lest the holy enthusiasm of their devotion should be mistaken for inebriation, as in Peter's case (Ac 2:13, 15, 18).
28. I am their inheritance—(Nu 18:20; De 10:9; 18:1; Jos 13:14, 32).
30. give … priest the first … that he may cause the blessing to rest—(Pr 3:9, 10; Mal 3:10).