Ezekiel 44:11-21

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.)
14 And I shall make them porters of the house (of the Lord), in all the service thereof, and in all things that be done therein. (And I shall make them servants at the Temple, in all its service, and for all the things that need to be done there.)
15 Forsooth priests and deacons, the sons of Zadok, that kept the ceremonies of my saintuary, when the sons of Israel erred from me, they shall nigh to me, for to minister to me; and they shall stand in my sight, that they offer to me inner fatness and blood, saith the Lord God. (But the levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept, or continued, the ceremonies of my sanctuary, when the Israelites went astray from me, they shall come near me to minister to me; and they shall stand before me, to offer me the inner fatness and the blood, saith the Lord God.)
16 They shall enter into my saintuary, and they shall nigh to my board, that they minister to me, and keep my ceremonies. (They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, so that they can minister to me, and keep, or conduct, my ceremonies.)
17 And when they shall enter into the gates of the inner foreyard, they shall be clothed with linen clothes, neither any woolen thing shall go on them, when they minister in the gates of the inner foreyard, and within; (And when they shall enter into the gates of the inner courtyard, they shall be clothed with linen clothes, yea, no woolen thing shall be upon them, when they serve me at the gates of the inner courtyard, and within;)
18 linen caps, either mitres, shall be in the heads of them, and linen breeches shall be in the loins of them, and they shall not be gird in sweat. (linen caps, or linen mitres, shall be upon their heads, and linen breeches, or linen pants, shall be upon their loins, and so they shall not be covered in sweat.)
19 And when they shall go out at the outermore foreyard to the people, they shall despoil them(selves) of their clothes in which they ministered, and they shall lay those up in the chamber(s) of the saintuary; and they shall clothe themselves in other clothes, and they shall not hallow my people in their clothes (And when they shall go out to the outer courtyard to the people, they shall remove the clothes in which they ministered, and they shall put them away, or shall leave them, in the rooms of the sanctuary; and so they shall not hallow, or shall not sanctify, my people/and so they shall not harm my people with the clothes in which they ministered.)
20 Forsooth they shall not shave their head[s], neither they shall nurse long hair, but they clipping shall clip their heads.
21 And each priest shall not drink wine, when he shall enter into the inner foreyard. (And no priest shall drink wine, before that he shall go into the inner courtyard.)

Ezekiel 44:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 44

This chapter treats of the eastern gate of the temple being appropriated to the use of the prince, Eze 44:1-3, of the sin of the Lord's people, in admitting strangers and unholy persons into the sanctuary, either to officiate or communicate there, Eze 44:4-9 of the degrading of the Levites, that went astray, assigning them inferior posts and service in the house of God, Eze 44:10-14 and of the establishment of the sons of Zadok in their ministry, who were faithful, Eze 44:15,16, then follow various laws relating to their garments; shaving of their heads; drinking wine; their marriage; performance of their ministerial work; their regard to the dead, and their food and maintenance, Eze 44:17-31.

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