Ezekiel 43:1-12

The Glory of the LORD Returns to the Temple

1 Then the man brought me back to the gate that faces east,

2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when He came ^[a] to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown,

4 and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.

5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple,

7 and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings ^[b] for their kings at their deaths. ^[c]

8 When they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with only a wall between Me and them, they defiled My holy name by the abominations they committed. Therefore I have consumed them in My anger.

9 Now let them remove far from Me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will dwell among them forever.

10 As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure the plan,

11 and if they are ashamed ^[d] of all they have done, then make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement and its exits and entrances—its whole design along with all its statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.

12 This is the law of the temple: All its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be most holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.

Ezekiel 43:1-12 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts when I came
• [b]. Or the monuments; also in verse 9
• [c]. Or for their kings on their high places
• [d]. Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate and they will be ashamed