Ezekiel 43:8-18

8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with ¹only a wall between me and them. They have ²defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.

9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, ³and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 "As for you, ⁴son of man, ⁵describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan.

11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, ⁶make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, ⁷its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down ⁸in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.

12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of ⁹the mountain ¹⁰all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 "These are the measurements of ¹¹the altar by cubits (the cubit being ¹²a cubit and a handbreadth):^[a] its base shall be one cubit high^[b] and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span^[c] around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar:

14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit;

15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, ¹³four horns.

16 The altar hearth shall be ¹⁴square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad.

17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. ¹⁵The steps of the altar shall face east."

18 And he said to me, ¹⁶"Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and ¹⁷for throwing blood against it,

Ezekiel 43:8-18 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. [Ezekiel 42:20]
• 2. [ver. 7]
• 3. [See ver. 7 above]
• 4. [See ver. 7 above]
• 5. Ezekiel 40:4
• 6. [See ver. 10 above]
• 7. [Ezekiel 44:5]
• 8. See Ezekiel 12:3
• 9. [Ezekiel 40:2]
• 10. See Ezekiel 42:15-20
• 11. [Ezekiel 40:47; Ezekiel 47:1]; See Exodus 27:1-8
• 12. Ezekiel 40:5; [Ezekiel 41:8]
• 13. See Exodus 27:2
• 14. [Ezekiel 40:47; Exodus 27:1]
• 15. [Exodus 20:26]
• 16. See Ezekiel 2:1
• 17. See Leviticus 1:5

Footnotes

• [a]. A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
• [b]. Or its gutter shall be one cubit deep
• [c]. A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters