Ezekiel 43:2-12

2 And lo! the glory of God of Israel entered by the east way; and a voice was to it, as the voice of many waters, and the earth shined of the majesty of him. (And lo! the glory of the God of Israel entered from the east; and his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his majesty.)
3 And I saw a vision, by the likeness which I had seen, when he came to destroy the city; and the likeness was like the beholding which I had seen beside the flood Chebar. And I fell down on my face, (And I saw a vision, of the same form which I had seen, when he had come to destroy the city; and the form was like what I had seen by the Chebar River. And I fell down on my face,)
4 and the majesty of the Lord entered into the temple by the way of the gate that beheld to the east. (and the majesty of the Lord entered into the Temple by way of the gate that faced east.)
5 And the Spirit raised me, and led me into the inner foreyard; and lo! the house (of the Lord) was filled with the glory of the Lord. (And the Spirit raised me up, and led me into the inner courtyard; and lo! the Temple was filled with the glory of the Lord.)
6 And I heard one speaking to me (out) of the house (of the Lord). And the man that stood beside me, (And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple. And the man who stood beside me also heard the voice.)
7 said to me, Thou, son of man, this is the place of my seat, and the place of the steps of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel without end; and the house of Israel shall no more defoul mine holy name, they, and the kings of them, in their fornications, and in the fallings of their kings, and in (their) high places. (And the Lord said to me, Thou, son of man, this is the place of my throne, and the place of the steps of my feet, where I shall live in the midst of the Israelites forever; and the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, they, and their kings, with their fornications, or their idolatries, and with the fallings of their kings, and with their high places, that is, their hill shrines.)
8 Which made their threshold beside my threshold, and their posts beside my posts, and a wall was betwixt me and them; and they defouled mine holy name in abominations which they did; wherefore I wasted them in my wrath (and they defiled my holy name with the abominations which they did; and so I destroyed them in my anger).
9 Now therefore put they away far their fornication, and the fallings of their kings from me; and I shall dwell ever in the midst of them. (And so now, they must put their fornication, that is, their idolatry, and the sins of their kings, far away from me; and then I shall live forevermore in their midst.)
10 But thou, son of man, show the temple to the house of Israel, and be they ashamed of their wickednesses; and mete they the building, (But thou, son of man, show this Temple to the house of Israel, and measure they the building, and be they ashamed of their wickednesses.)
11 and be they ashamed of all things which they did. Thou shalt show to them, and thou shalt write before the eyes of them the figure of the house, and of the building thereof; the out-goings, and the enterings, and all the describings thereof, and all the commandments thereof, and all the order thereof, and all the laws thereof; that they keep all the describings thereof, and commandments thereof, and do those. (And if they be ashamed of all the things which they have done, then thou shalt show them, and thou shalt draw before their eyes the plan for this Temple, and for its building; the goings out, or the exits, and the enterings, or the entrances, and all its describings, and all its rules and regulations, and all its order, and all its laws; so that they follow all of its describings, and its rules and regulations, and do them.)
12 This is the law of the house (of the Lord), in the highness of the hill; all the coasts thereof in compass is the holy of holy things; therefore this is the law of the house (of the Lord). (This is the law of the House of the Lord, on the highness of the hill; all the area surrounding it is most holy; and so this is the law of the Temple.)

Ezekiel 43:2-12 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.

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