Ezekiel 44:10-20

10 "But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who ¹went astray from Me after their idols, shall ²bear the punishment for their iniquity.

11 "Yet they shall be ³ministers in My sanctuary, having ⁴oversight at the gates of the house and ⁵ministering in the house; they shall ⁶slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall ⁷stand before them to minister to them.

12 "Because * they ministered to them ⁸before their idols and became a ⁹stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore * I have ¹⁰sworn * against them," declares the Lord GOD, "that they shall ¹¹bear the punishment for their iniquity.

13 "And they shall ¹²not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will ¹³bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

14 "Yet I will appoint them to ¹⁴keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that shall be done in it.

Ordinances for the Levites

15 "But the ¹⁵Levitical priests, the sons of ¹⁶Zadok, who ¹⁷kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel ¹⁸went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall ¹⁹stand before Me to offer Me the ²⁰fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD.

16 "They shall ²¹enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My ²²table to minister to Me and keep My charge.

17 "It shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with ²³linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house.

18 "Linen ²⁴turbans shall be on their heads and ²⁵linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat.

19 "When they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall ²⁶put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so that they will ²⁷not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

20 "Also they shall ²⁸not shave their heads, yet they shall not ²⁹let their locks grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads.

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Ezekiel 44:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 44

This chapter treats of the eastern gate of the temple being appropriated to the use of the prince, Eze 44:1-3, of the sin of the Lord's people, in admitting strangers and unholy persons into the sanctuary, either to officiate or communicate there, Eze 44:4-9 of the degrading of the Levites, that went astray, assigning them inferior posts and service in the house of God, Eze 44:10-14 and of the establishment of the sons of Zadok in their ministry, who were faithful, Eze 44:15,16, then follow various laws relating to their garments; shaving of their heads; drinking wine; their marriage; performance of their ministerial work; their regard to the dead, and their food and maintenance, Eze 44:17-31.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 29

1. 2 Kings 23:8, 9; Ezekiel 22:26; Ezekiel 44:12
2. Numbers 18:23
3. Numbers 3:5-37; Numbers 4:1-33; Numbers 18:2-7
4. 1 Chronicles 26:1-19
5. Ezekiel 40:45; Ezekiel 44:14
6. 2 Chronicles 29:34; 2 Chronicles 30:17
7. Numbers 16:9
8. 2 Kings 16:10-16
9. Ezekiel 14:3, 4
10. Ezekiel 20:15, 23
11. Ezekiel 44:10
12. Numbers 18:3
13. Ezekiel 16:61, 63; Ezekiel 39:26
14. Numbers 18:4; 1 Chronicles 23:28-32; Ezekiel 44:11
15. Jeremiah 33:18-22
16. Ezekiel 40:46; Ezekiel 43:19; Ezekiel 48:11
17. Numbers 18:7; Ezekiel 40:45
18. Ezekiel 44:10; Ezekiel 48:11
19. Zechariah 3:1, 7
20. Leviticus 3:16, 17; Leviticus 17:5, 6; Ezekiel 44:7
21. Num 18:5, 7, 8
22. Ezekiel 41:22; Malachi 1:7, 12
23. Exodus 28:42, 43; Exodus 39:27-29; Revelation 19:8
24. Exodus 28:40; Isaiah 3:20; Ezekiel 24:17, 23
25. Exodus 28:42; Leviticus 16:4
26. Leviticus 6:10; Leviticus 16:4, 23, 24; Ezekiel 42:14
27. Leviticus 6:27; Ezekiel 46:20
28. Leviticus 21:5
29. Numbers 6:5

Footnotes 5

[a]. Lit "lifted up My hand"
[b]. Lit "give"
[c]. Lit "keepers of the charge"
[d]. Lit "come upon"
[e]. Or "hang loose"