Ezekiel 44:23

23 "The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not. 1

Ezekiel 44:23 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:23

And they shall teach my people the difference between the
holy and the profane
Persons and things; not in a ceremonial, nor merely in a moral, but in an evangelical sense, between truth and error; between the doctrine which is according to godliness, and that which is corrupt and unsound, and eats as cloth a canker; between holy worship, and superstition; between holy duties, and profane and Heathen rites and ceremonies; and between persons sanctified by the Spirit and grace of God, and unconverted ones: and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean;
impure persons, doctrines, and manners, and those which are agreeable to the word of God; the sense is, that they shall take pains to instruct persons in the knowledge of divine things, and shall do it truly, faithfully, and sincerely.

Ezekiel 44:23 In-Context

21 Priests must not drink any wine before going into the inner courtyard.
22 No priest may marry a divorced woman; he is to marry only an Israelite virgin or the widow of another priest.
23 "The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not.
24 When a legal dispute arises, the priests are to decide the case according to my laws. They are to keep the religious festivals according to my rules and regulations, and they are to keep the Sabbaths holy.
25 "A priest is not to become ritually unclean by touching a corpse, unless it is one of his parents, one of his children or a brother or an unmarried sister.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 44.23Leviticus 10.10.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.