Ezekiel 46

Sacrifices at Appointed Times

1 "This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day[a] and opened on the day of the New Moon.
2 The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate's portico and stand at the doorpost of the gate while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be closed until evening.
3 The people of the land will also bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.[b]
4 "The burnt offering that the prince presents to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram.
5 The grain offering will be half a bushel[c] with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon[d] of oil for every half bushel.
6 On the day of the New Moon, [the burnt offering] is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish.
7 He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel[e] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon[f] of oil for every half bushel.
8 When the prince enters, he must go in by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.
9 "When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed times,[g][h] whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate.
10 When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave.
11 At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel[i] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon[j] of oil for every half bushel.
12 "When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the Lord,[k] the gate that faces east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate must be closed after he leaves.
13 "You must offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the Lord; you will offer it every morning.[l]
14 You must also prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts,[m] with one-third of a gallon[n] of oil to moisten the fine flour-a grain offering to the Lord. [This is] a permanent statute [to be observed] regularly.
15 They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.

Transfer of Royal Lands

16 "This is what the Lord God says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance.
17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom,[o] when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs.
18 The prince must not take any of the people's inheritance, evicting them from their property.[p] He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property."

The Temple Kitchens

19 Then he brought me through the entrance[q] that was at the side of the gate, into the priests' holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end.
20 He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring [them] into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people."[r]
21 Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a [separate] court in each of its corners.
22 In the four corners of the [outer] court there were enclosed[s] courts, 70 [feet][t] long by 52 and a half [feet][u] wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.
23 There was a [stone] wall[v] around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.
24 He said to me: "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple[w] will cook the people's sacrifices."

Ezekiel 46 Commentary

Chapter 46

- The ordinances of worship for the prince and for the people, are here described, and the gifts the prince may bestow on his sons and servants. Our Lord has directed us to do many duties, but he has also left many things to our choice, that those who delight in his commandments may abound therein to his glory, without entangling their own consciences, or prescribing rules unfit for others; but we must never omit our daily worship, nor neglect to apply the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to our souls, for pardon, peace, and salvation.

Footnotes 23

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 46

This chapter treats of the shutting of the eastern gate of the inner court on working days, and opening it on sabbaths and new moons, for the prince and people to worship in, Eze 46:1-3, gives a further account of the sacrifices of both at these seasons, and of their different ways of going in and out, Eze 46:4-15, delivers some rules about the prince's disposing of his gifts to his sons and servants, Eze 46:16-18 and describes the places for the priest's baking and boiling the sacrifices, Eze 46:19-24.

Ezekiel 46 Commentaries

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