Ezekiel 42:13

13 Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers opposite 1the yard are the holy chambers, 2where the priests who approach the LORD 3shall eat the 4most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings--5the grain offering, 6the sin offering, and 7the guilt offering--for the place is holy.

Ezekiel 42:13 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 42:13

Then said he unto me
The divine Person that measured and described these chambers, and brought the prophet to take a view of them, said to him, as follows: the north chambers, and the south chambers, which are before the
separate place, they be holy chambers;
these are the two rows of chambers before described, which were southward and northward to each other, though both in the northern part of the outward court; these were for holy persons to dwell in, and for holy things to be done in, as the churches of Christ are; they consist of holy persons, men called with a holy calling, and in them the holy word of God is preached, and holy ordinances administered: where the priests that approach unto the Lord shall eat the most holy
things;
which is to be understood not of the ministers of the Gospel, for whom a proper maintenance is to be provided, and who should live of the Gospel they preach; but of all the saints, who are made priests to God by Christ; and who approach unto the Lord by him, in his name and righteousness, and by the faith of him, with true hearts, in a spiritual manner; and which is profitable to themselves, and acceptable to God; for whom spiritual provisions are made in his house: these have most holy things to eat of, the holy word of God, the law part of which is holy, just, and good; and the Gospel part is our most holy faith, which is food for faith, savoury and salutary, milk for babes, and meat for strong men; and which is found and eaten, and digested by them: also our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the most holy, and is the sum and substance of the word and ordinances, and the food of believers, the bread of life, the hidden manna, the Lamb of God, and fatted calf; whose flesh and blood are meat and drink indeed, and are eaten and fed upon by faith. There shall they lay the most holy things;
lay up the word of God in their minds and memories, and remember the love of God, his sufferings and death, and the benefits arising from them, particularly in the ordinance of the supper: and the meat offering;
the "minchah", or bread offering, made of fine flour, typical of Christ, the bread of life: and the sin, offering, and the trespass offering;
both typical of Christ, made sin for his people; and who, by one sacrifice of himself, has made atonement for it, and an end of it; (See Gill on Ezekiel 40:39), these were called the most holy things, and were laid up in the sanctuary for the priests and their families to live upon, ( Leviticus 6:17 ) : for the place is holy:
the place of these chambers holy, as the temple itself, where these most holy things and holy persons were.

Ezekiel 42:13 In-Context

11 with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits and arrangements and doors,
12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.
13 Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings--the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering--for the place is holy.
14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people."
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around.

Cross References 7

  • 1. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 2. Ezekiel 40:46
  • 3. Leviticus 6:16, 26; Leviticus 10:13; Leviticus 24:9
  • 4. Numbers 18:9
  • 5. Numbers 18:9
  • 6. Ezekiel 40:39
  • 7. Ezekiel 40:39
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.