1 `Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The gate of the inner court that is looking eastward is shut the six days of work, and on the day of rest it is opened, and in the day of the new moon it is opened;
2 and come in hath the prince the way of the porch of the gate at the outside, and he hath stood by the post of the gate, and the priests have made his burnt-offering, and his peace-offerings, and he hath bowed himself by the opening of the gate, and hath gone forth, and the gate is not shut till the evening.
3 And bowed themselves have the people of the land at the opening of that gate, on sabbaths, and on new moons, before Jehovah.
4 `And the burnt-offering that the prince bringeth near to Jehovah on the day of rest `is' six lambs, perfect ones, and a ram, a perfect one.
5 And the present `is' an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs a present, the gift of his hand, and of oil a hin for an ephah.
6 And on the day of the new moon a bullock, a son of the herd, a perfect one, and six lambs and a ram, they are perfect.
7 And with an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, he prepareth a present, and for the lambs as his hand attaineth, and of oil a hin for an ephah.
8 `And in the coming in of the prince, the way of the porch of the gate he cometh in, and by its way he goeth out.
9 And in the coming in of the people of the land before Jehovah at appointed times, he who hath come in the way of the north gate to bow himself, goeth out the way of the south gate, and he who hath come in the way of the south gate, goeth out by the way of the north gate: he doth not turn back the way of the gate by which he came in, but over-against it he goeth out.
10 And the prince in their midst in their coming in cometh in, and in their going out he goeth out.
11 `And in feasts, and in appointed times, the present is an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for lambs the gift of his hand, and of oil a hin for an ephah.
12 And when the prince maketh a free-will burnt-offering, or free-will peace-offerings, to Jehovah, then he hath opened for himself the gate that is looking eastward, and he hath made his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings as he doth in the day of rest, and he hath gone out, and he hath shut the gate after his going out.
13 `And a lamb, son of a year, a perfect one, thou dost make a burnt-offering daily to Jehovah; morning by morning thou dost make it.
14 And a present thou dost make for it morning by morning, a sixth part of the ephah, and of oil a third part of the hin, to temper with the fine flour, a present to Jehovah, by a statute age-during -- continually;
15 and prepare ye the lamb, and the present, and the oil, morning by morning, a continual burnt-offering.
16 `Thus said the Lord Jehovah: When the prince giveth a gift to any of his sons, his inheritance it `is', to his sons it `is'; their possession it `is' by inheritance.
17 And when he giveth a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it hath been to him till the year of freedom, and it hath turned back to the prince, only the inheritance of his sons is theirs.
18 And the prince doth not take of the inheritance of the people to oppress them, out of their possession, out of his own possession he doth cause his sons to inherit, so that My people are not scattered each from his possession.'
19 And he bringeth me in through the entrance that `is' by the side of the gate, unto the holy chambers, unto the priests, that are looking northward, and lo, there `is' a place in their two sides westward.
20 And he saith unto me, `This `is' the place where the priests do boil the guilt-offering and the sin-offering, where they bake the present, so as not to bring `it' out unto the outer court, to sanctify the people.'
21 And he bringeth me out unto the outer court, and causeth me to pass over unto the four corners of the court, and lo, a court in a corner of the court, a court in a corner of the corner.
22 In the four corners of the court `are' perfume courts, forty long, and thirty broad, one measure `is' to the four corners.
23 And a row `is' round about in them, round about to them four, and made with boilers under the rows round about.
24 And he saith unto me, `These `are' the houses of those boiling where the ministrants of the house boil the sacrifice of the people.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 46
Commentary on Ezekiel 46 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 46
Eze 46:1-24. Continuation of the Ordinances for the Prince and for the People in Their Worship.
2. The prince is to go through the east gate without (open on the Sabbath only, to mark its peculiar sanctity) to the entrance of the gate of the inner court; he is to go no further, but "stand by the post" (compare 1Ki 8:14, 22, Solomon standing before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the congregation; also 2Ki 11:14; 23:3, "by a pillar": the customary place), the court within belonging exclusively to the priests. There, as representative of the people, in a peculiarly near relation to God, he is to present his offerings to Jehovah, while at a greater distance, the people are to stand worshipping at the outer gate of the same entrance. The offerings on Sabbaths are larger than those of the Mosaic law, to imply that the worship of God is to be conducted by the prince and people in a more munificent spirit of self-sacrificing liberality than formerly.
9. The worshippers were on the great feasts to pass from one side to the other, through the temple courts, in order that, in such a throng as should attend the festivals, the ingress and egress should be the more unimpeded, those going out not being in the way of those coming in.
10. prince in the midst—not isolated as at other times, but joining the great throng of worshippers, at their head, after the example of David (Ps 42:4, "I had gone with the multitude … to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day"); the highest in rank animating the devotions of the rest by his presence and example.
12-15. Not only is he to perform official acts of worship on holy days and feasts, but in "voluntary" offerings daily he is to show his individual zeal, surpassing all his people in liberality, and so setting them a princely example.
16-18. The prince's possession is to be inalienable, and any portion given to a servant is to revert to his sons at the year of jubilee, that he may have no temptation to spoil his people of their inheritance, as formerly (compare Ahab and Naboth, 1Ki 21:1-29). The mention of the year of jubilee implies that there is something literal meant, besides the spiritual sense. The jubilee year was restored after the captivity [Josephus, Antiquities, 14.10,6; 1 Maccabees 6:49]. Perhaps it will be restored under Messiah's coming reign. Compare Isa 61:2, 3, where "the acceptable year of the Lord" is closely connected with the comforting of the mourners in Zion, and "the day of vengeance" on Zion's foes. The mention of the prince's sons is another argument against Messiah being meant by "the prince."
19-24. Due regard is to be had for the sanctity of the officiating priests' food, by cooking courts being provided close to their chambers. One set of apartments for cooking was to be at the corners of the inner court, reserved for the flesh of the sin offerings, to be eaten only by the priests whose perquisite it was (Le 6:25; 7:7), before coming forth to mingle again with the people; another set at the corners of the outer court, for cooking the flesh of the peace offerings, of which the people partook along with the priests. All this implies that no longer are the common and unclean to be confounded with the sacred and divine, but that in even the least things, as eating and drinking, the glory of God is to be the aim (1Co 10:31).
22. courts joined—Fairbairn translates, "roofed" or "vaulted." But these cooking apartments seem to have been uncovered, to let the smoke and smell of the meat the more easily pass away. They were "joined" or "attached" to the walls of the courts at the corners of the latter [Menochius].
23. boiling places—boilers.
under the rows—At the foot of the rows, that is, in the lowest part of the walls, were the places for boiling made.