Ezekiel 43:17-27

17 "The ledge shall be fourteen * cubits long by fourteen * wide in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit and its base shall be a cubit round about; and its ¹steps shall ²face the east."

The Offerings

18 And He said to me, "³Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer ⁴burnt offerings on it and to ⁵sprinkle blood on it.

19 'You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of ⁶Zadok, who draw ⁷near to Me to minister to Me,' declares the Lord GOD, 'a ⁸young bull for a ⁹sin offering.

20 'You shall take some of its blood and put it on its four ¹⁰horns and on the four corners of the ¹¹ledge and on the border round about; thus you shall ¹²cleanse it and make atonement for it.

21 'You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be ¹³burned in the appointed place of the house, outside * the sanctuary.

22 'On the second day you shall offer a ¹⁴male goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall ¹⁵cleanse the altar as they cleansed it with the bull.

23 'When you have finished cleansing it, you shall present a ¹⁶young bull without blemish and a ¹⁷ram without blemish from the flock.

24 'You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall throw ¹⁸salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD.

25 '¹⁹For seven days you shall prepare daily a goat for a sin offering; also a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be prepared.

26 'For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they consecrate * it.

27 'When they have completed the days, it shall be that on the ²⁰eighth day and onward, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings on the altar, and your ²¹peace offerings; and I will ²²accept you,' declares the Lord GOD."

Ezekiel 43:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 43

The temple or house of God being measured, the worship of God in it is pointed out and observed in this and the following chapter; and which, though evangelical, is expressed in the language of the Old Testament. An account is given of the glory of the Lord returning to the house, and the way he did, and his taking possession of it, which the prophet was favoured with a view of, Eze 43:1-5, a promise is made of his continuance there, provided his people behaved as they should, Eze 43:6-9, an order is given to the prophet, to show them the form and fashion, the laws, orders, and ordinances of the house to them, to be observed by them, Eze 43:10-12, then follows the measuring of the altar of burnt offerings; which, though measured before in chapter forty, the dimensions are here given, Eze 43:13-17, and the chapter is concluded with directions about the consecration of it, Eze 43:18-27.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 20:26
• 2. Ezekiel 40:6
• 3. Ezekiel 2:1
• 4. Exodus 40:29
• 5. Leviticus 1:5, 11; Hebrews 9:21, 22
• 6. 1 Kings 2:35; Ezekiel 40:46; Ezekiel 44:15
• 7. Numbers 16:5, 40
• 8. Leviticus 4:3; Ezekiel 43:23; Ezekiel 45:18
• 9. Ezekiel 45:19; Hebrews 7:27
• 10. Leviticus 8:15; Leviticus 9:9; Ezekiel 43:15
• 11. Ezekiel 43:14, 17
• 12. Leviticus 16:19; Ezekiel 43:22, 26
• 13. Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:12; Hebrews 13:11
• 14. Ezekiel 43:25
• 15. Ezekiel 43:20, 26
• 16. Exodus 29:1, 10; Ezekiel 45:18
• 17. Exodus 29:1
• 18. Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19; Mark 9:49, 50; Colossians 4:6
• 19. Exodus 29:35-37; Leviticus 8:33, 35
• 20. Leviticus 9:1
• 21. Leviticus 3:1; Leviticus 17:5
• 22. Ezekiel 20:40

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "be on the east side"
• [b]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD, and so throughout the ch
• [c]. Lit "fill its hands"
• [d]. Lit "make"