Ezekiel 44:26

26 Even then, he can return to his Temple duties only after being ceremonially cleansed and then waiting for seven days.

Ezekiel 44:26 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:26

And after he is cleansed
From any sin or iniquity, failing and imperfection, that he has been guilty of at such seasons, in mourning for the dead, by a fresh application of the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin; typified by the water of separation, made of the ashes of the red heifer, by which those who were in this way ceremoniously unclean were cleansed, ( Hebrews 9:13 Hebrews 9:14 ) : they shall reckon unto him seven days;
that is, seven days shall be reckoned from the time of his cleansing, before he enters on public service again: according to the old law, seven days were reckoned from the defilement to the purification; here seven more are numbered after the purification is made; and therefore, as Kimchi truly notes, this is a new law or rule, to be observed in after times.

Ezekiel 44:26 In-Context

24 “They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.

25 “A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted.

26 Even then, he can return to his Temple duties only after being ceremonially cleansed and then waiting for seven days.

27 The first day he returns to work and enters the inner courtyard and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Sovereign LORD .

28 “The priests will not have any property or possession of land, for I alone am their special possession.