Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ezekiel 46

Introduction

1  Ordinances for the prince in his worship;
9  and for the people.
16  An order for the prince's inheritance.
19  The courts for boiling and baking.

Verse 1

Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
Thus saith
Whether the rules for public worship here laid down were designed to be observed in those things wherein they differed from the law of Moses, in the ministrations of the second temple, is not certain. In the latter history of the Jewish church, the law of Moses only was followed, except in the corruption of following the traditions of the fathers.
The gate
The prophet had before observed that the east gate of the outer court was shut, and was told that it must only be opened for the prince; and now he is informed that the gate of the inner court on the east was also shut, and is to be opened only on the sabbath and new moons, till the evening.
shall be shut
44:1,2
six working
Genesis 3:19, Exodus 20:9, Luke 13:14
on the sabbath
45:17, Isaiah 66:23, Hebrews 4:9,10

Verse 2

And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that 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.
the porch
John 10:1-3
by the post
8, 44:3, 2 Chronicles 23:13, 34:31
the priests
Colossians 1:28
prepare
Or, "offer," as the word âsah frequently denotes. The whole of this seems to intimate the constant, reverential, and exemplary attendance of kings on the pure ordinances of religion, in the approaching flourishing days of the church.
he shall worship
1 Kings 8:22,23, 1 Chronicles 17:16, 29:10-12, 2 Chronicles 6:13, 29:29, Matthew 26:39, Hebrews 5:7,8
but the gate

Verse 3

Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Luke 1:10, John 10:9, Hebrews 10:19-22

Verse 4

And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
the burnt
The proportions of the burnt offerings, and also of the meat and drink offerings, are very different here form those prescribed in the Mosaic law. The meat offering, under the law, was only three tenths of an ephah to a bullock, two tenths for a ram, and one tenth for a lamb, with the fourth part of a hin of oil.
45:17, Numbers 28:9,10

Verse 5

And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
the meat
7,11,12, 45:24, Numbers 28:12
as he shall be able to give
Heb. the gift of his hand.
Leviticus 14:21, Numbers 6:21, Deuteronomy 16:17

Verse 8

And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
he shall go
2, 44:1-3, Colossians 1:18

Verse 9

But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out 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 over against it.
when the people
This may intimate, that every thing should be regulated, in divine worship, so as to prevent disorder and interruption, and also that men should go forward and make progress in religion, and not turn their backs upon God.
come before
Exodus 23:14-17, 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16, Psalms 84:7, Malachi 4:4
he that entereth in
1:12,17, Philippians 3:13,14, Hebrews 10:38, 2 Peter 2:20,21

Verse 10

And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.
2 Samuel 6:14-19, 1 Chronicles 29:20,22, 2 Chronicles 6:2-4, 7:4,5, 20:27,28, 29:28,29, 2 Chronicles 34:30,31, Nehemiah 8:8,9, Psalms 42:4, 122:1-4, Matthew 18:20, 28:20, Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 4:14-16, Revelation 2:1

Verse 11

And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
in the feasts
Leviticus 23:1-44, Numbers 15:1-41, 28:1-29, Deuteronomy 16:1-22
the meat
5,7

Verse 12

Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
a voluntary
Leviticus 1:3, 23:38, Numbers 29:39, 1 Kings 3:4, 1 Chronicles 29:21, 2 Chronicles 5:6, 7:5-7, 29:31, Ezra 1:4, 3:5, 6:17, Romans 12:1, Ephesians 5:2
open him
1,2,8, 44:3
as he did
45:17

Verse 13

Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.
Thou shalt daily
It is observable, that there is nothing said about the evening sacrifice, or the additional lamb, morning and evening, on the sabbath, which makes an important difference between this and the old laws; and is probably an intimation of that change in the external forms of religion which the coming of the Messiah should introduce.
Exodus 29:38-42, Numbers 28:3-8,10, Daniel 8:11-13, John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19,20, Revelation 13:8
of the first year
Heb. a son of his year.
Exodus 12:5, Leviticus 12:6
every morning
Heb. morning by morning.
Psalms 92:2, Isaiah 50:4

Verse 14

And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD.
the sixth
Numbers 28:5

Verse 15

Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering.
a continual
Hebrews 7:27, 9:26, 10:1-10

Verse 16

Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
If the prince
Genesis 25:5,6, 2 Chronicles 21:3, Psalms 37:18, Matthew 25:34, Luke 10:42, John 8:35,36, Romans 8:15-17,29-32, Galatians 4:7

Verse 17

But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
to the year
That is, the year of Jubilee, called the year of liberty, because there was then a general release: all servants had their liberty; and all alienated estates returned to their former owners.
Leviticus 25:10, Matthew 25:14-29, Luke 19:25,26, Galatians 4:30,31

Verse 18

Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
the prince
45:8, Psalms 72:2-4, 78:72, Isaiah 11:3,4, 32:1,2, Jeremiah 23:5,6
thrust
22:27, 1 Kings 21:19, Micah 1:1,2, 3:1-3
inheritance out
Psalms 68:18, John 10:28, Ephesians 4:8
my people
34:3-6,21

Verse 19

After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
the entry
This entry was at the west side of the north gate of the inner court.
40:44-46, 42:9, 44:4, 5
a place
This place was at the west corners of the inner court, or court of the priests; where they prepared the most holy things, the trespass and sin offering, which none but the priests might eat; that they might not "bear them out into the utter court, to sanctify the people," that is, by touching them incapacitate them from discharging their ordinary occupations.

Verse 20

Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
boil the trespass
44:29, 1 Samuel 2:13-15, 2 Chronicles 35:13
bake the meat
Leviticus 2:4-7, 7:1-38
to sanctify
44:19

Verse 21

Then he brought me forth into the utter 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.
in every corner of the court there was a court
Heb. a court in the corner of a court; and a court in a corner of a court.

Verse 22

In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.
courts
These courts in the corners of the outer court, or court of the people, appear to have been a kind of uncovered apartments, surrounded with little chambers for the cooks, and used for dressing the peace offerings of the people. On these their families and friends feasted; and portions were sent to the poor, the widow, and the orphan; and thus the spirit of devotion preserved the spirit of mercy, charity, and benevolence, in the land.
joined
or, made with chimneys. corners. Heb. cornered.

Verse 24

Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
20, Matthew 24:45, John 21:15-17, 1 Peter 5:2

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