Ezekiel 40:46

46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests 1who have charge of the altar. These are 2the sons of Zadok, who alone[a] among the sons of Levi may come 3near to the LORD to minister to him.

Ezekiel 40:46 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 40:46

And the chamber whose prospect is towards the north
The row of chambers on the side of the east gate; that side of it that was towards the north, and which the chambers in it faced: is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar;
the ministers of the Gospel, that take care of the altar, of public worship; that preach the Gospel, and administer ordinances; and who are to be taken care of themselves, and live of the Gospel, and have everything provided for them that is necessary, ( 1 Corinthians 9:13 1 Corinthians 9:14 ) : these are the sons of Zadok, among the sons of Levi;
these Levites, or priests, were of the family of Zadok; who descended from Aaron, and was the eldest house of Aaron, to whom the priesthood belonged; though it had been usurped a long time by the family of Ithamar; but, in Solomon's time, Abiathar, of that family, was dispossessed of it, and Zadok was placed in his stead, whose name signifies "just", or righteous; and was a type of Christ, the holy and just One, whose spiritual children and offspring are here meant: which come near to the Lord to minister unto him;
both preachers and people, who have near access to God through Christ, and minister before him in holy things, in praying, preaching, administering ordinances, and attending on the same.

Ezekiel 40:46 In-Context

44 On the outside of the inner gateway there were two chambers in the inner court, one at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south gate facing north.
45 And he said to me, This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple,
46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone among the sons of Levi may come near to the LORD to minister to him.
47 And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple.
48 Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate were three cubits on either side.

Cross References 3

  • 1. [Numbers 3:31]; See Numbers 18:5
  • 2. Ezekiel 43:19; Ezekiel 44:15; [1 Kings 2:35; 1 Chronicles 24:3, 6]
  • 3. Ezekiel 42:13; Ezekiel 45:4

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.