Ezekiel 44:6-16

6 And thou shalt say to the house of Israel stirring me to wrath, The Lord God saith these things, Ye house of Israel, (let) all your great trespasses suffice to you (let all your great trespasses now suffice for you),
7 for ye bring in alien sons, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, that they be in my saintuary, and defoul mine house. And ye offer my loaves, inner fatness, and blood, and break my covenant in all your great trespasses. (for ye bring in foreigners, or strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, who be in my sanctuary, and defile my House, when ye offer my loaves, and the inner fatness, and the blood; and so ye break my covenant with all your great trespasses.)
8 And ye kept not the commandments of my saintuary, and ye setted keepers of my keepings in my saintuary to yourselves. (And ye kept not charge of the holy things yourselves, but ye have put these foreigners, or these strangers, in charge of my sanctuary.)
9 The Lord God saith these things, Each alien, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall not enter into my saintuary; (not even) each alien son, which is in the midst of the sons of Israel. (The Lord God saith these things, No foreigner, or no stranger, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary; not even any foreigner, who liveth in the midst of the Israelites.)
10 But also [the] Levites, [or deacons,] that went far away from me, in the error of the sons of Israel, and erred from me after their idols, and bare their wickedness, (But the Levites, or the deacons, though they went far away from me, in the error of the Israelites, and went astray from me after their idols, and bare their wickedness,)
11 they shall be keepers of [the] houses in my saintuary, and porters of gates of the house (of the Lord), and ministers of the house (of the Lord); they shall slay burnt sacrifices, and sacrifices for victory of the people; and they shall stand in the sight of the priests for to minister to them. (they shall still do service in my sanctuary, and as door-keepers, or as guards, they shall be in charge of the gates of the Temple, and shall also minister, or shall serve, at the Temple; they shall kill the burnt sacrifices, and the sacrifices for the people; and they shall stand before the priests to serve the people.)
12 For that that they ministered to those in the sight of their idols, and were made to the house of Israel into offending, either hurting, of wickedness; therefore I raised mine hand on them, saith the Lord God, and they bare their wickedness. (But because they ministered to the people before their idols, and were made to the house of Israel the cause of their falling into wickedness; therefore I have raised up my hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall bear their wickedness.)
13 And they shall not nigh to me, that they use priesthood to me, neither they shall nigh to all my saintuary, (or) beside (the) holy of holy things, but they shall bear their shame, and their great trespasses which they did. (And they shall not come near me, so that they serve me in the priesthood/so that they serve me as priests, nor shall they come near to my holy things, or into the Holy of Holies, that is, into the Most Holy Place, but they shall bear their shame, and their great trespasses which they did.)
14 And I shall make them porters of the house (of the Lord), in all the service thereof, and in all things that be done therein. (And I shall make them servants at the Temple, in all its service, and for all the things that need to be done there.)
15 Forsooth priests and deacons, the sons of Zadok, that kept the ceremonies of my saintuary, when the sons of Israel erred from me, they shall nigh to me, for to minister to me; and they shall stand in my sight, that they offer to me inner fatness and blood, saith the Lord God. (But the levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept, or continued, the ceremonies of my sanctuary, when the Israelites went astray from me, they shall come near me to minister to me; and they shall stand before me, to offer me the inner fatness and the blood, saith the Lord God.)
16 They shall enter into my saintuary, and they shall nigh to my board, that they minister to me, and keep my ceremonies. (They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, so that they can minister to me, and keep, or conduct, my ceremonies.)

Ezekiel 44:6-16 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.