Ezekiel 44:11

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.)

Ezekiel 44:11 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:11

Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary
Though degraded from their office as priests and ministers of the word, yet being restored from their sins and errors, shall have a place in the house of God, and do their work there in a less honourable and a more servile way; as in former times, when ministers had sinned foully, and were degraded from their office, upon repentance they were not restored to that, but only admitted to lay communion; see ( 2 Kings 23:9 ) : having charge at the gates of the house;
like those sort of Levites who were porters and doorkeepers in the temple, or like our sextons or pew openers now: and ministering to the house;
employed as the Gibeonites were in hewing wood and bringing water for the use of the sanctuary, or in repairing of it; learning and exercising the business of smiths, masons, and carpenters: they shall slay the burnt offering, and the sacrifice for the people;
not bring it to the altar, and offer it there; only slay it, and skin it for the priests; which is not to be understood literally, there being no such sacrifice in Gospel times; but to denote the menial service and inferior post that such shall be employed in; if they have no trade, they shall learn one, in order to get a livelihood for themselves, and be serviceable to the interest of religion in a lower way; but ministers of the word they shall not be: and they shall stand before them to minister unto them;
either before the priests, whose servants they shall be, or before the people; signifying that those that sin publicly shall be rebuked before all.

Ezekiel 44:11 In-Context

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