Bible Commentaries

Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

Everything was now ready for His reception. As the Shechinah-glory was the special distinction of the old temple, so it was to be in the new, in a degree as much more transcendent as the proportions of the new exceeded those of the old. The fact that the Shechinah-glory was not in the second temple proves that cannot be that temple which is meant in the prophecy.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

The way of the east - the way whereby the glory had departed (Ezekiel 11:22-23), and rested on mount Olivet (cf. Zechariah 14:4).

His voice was like a noise of many waters - so the English version rightly, as Ezekiel 1:24 - "like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty" - Revelation 1:15; Revelation 14:2 prove. Not as Fairbairn translates, 'its noise.'

And the earth shined with his glory - (Revelation 18:1, "The earth was lightened with His glory").

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

Even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city - i:e, to pronounce God's word for its destruction: so completely did the prophets identify themselves with Him in whose name they spake.

And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.

And the man stood by me - "the man" who had been measuring the buildings (Ezekiel 40:3 ).

And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

The place of my throne - i:e, behold the place of my throne, etc-the place on which your thoughts have so much dwelt (Isaiah 2:1-3; Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 14:16-20; Malachi 3:1 , "The Lord whom ye seek (the Messiah whom the Jews have been so long looking for) shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in"). God from the first claimed to be their King politically, as well as religiously; and had resisted their wish to have a human king, as implying a rejection of Him as the proper Head of the state. Even when He yielded to their wish, it was with a protest against their king ruling except as His vicegereut. When Messiah shall reign at Jerusalem, He shall realize then first the original idea of the theocracy, with its at one divine and human king reigning in righteousness over a people all righteous (Ezekiel 43:12; Isaiah 52:1; Isaiah 54:13; Isaiah 60:21 ).

In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.

Now let them put away ... the carcasses of their kings. It is supposed that some of their idolatrous kings were buried within the bounds of Solomon's temple (Henderson). Rather, 'the carcasses of their idols,' here called "kings," as having had lordship over them in past times (Isaiah 26:13); but henceforth Yahweh, alone their rightful lord, shall be their King, and the idols that had been their "kings" would appear but as "carcasses." Hence, these defunct kings are associated with the "high places" in Ezekiel 43:7 (Fairbairn): Leviticus 26:30; Jeremiah 16:18 , confirm this. Manasses had built altars in the courts of the temple to the host of heaven (2 Kings 21:5; 2 Kings 23:6).

I will dwell in the midst of them forever - (Revelation 21:3).

Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

Show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. When the spirituality of the Christian scheme is shown to men by the Holy Spirit, it makes them "ashamed of their iniquities." Ezekiel 43:11

And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

The whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. This superlative, "most holy," which had been used exclusively of the holy of holies (Exodus 26:34 ), was now to characterize the entire building.

Behold, this is the law of the house. This all-pervading sanctity was to be "the law of the (whole) house," as distinguished from the Levitical law, which confined the special sanctity to a single apartment of it.

And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.

These are the measures of the altar - as to the altar of burnt offering, which was the appointed means of access to God.

Verse 15. The altar - [Hebrew, har'eel ( H741)] i:e., mount of God; denoting the high security to be imparted by it to the restored Israel. It was a high place, but a high place of God (as the Hebrew for "altar" means), not of idols.

From the altar - the Hebrew for "altar" is literally, 'the lion of God' [ '***