Ezekiel 44:20-30

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.)
22 And priests shall not take (for) wives a widow, and a forsaken woman, but virgins of the seed of the house of Israel; but also they shall take a widow, which is the widow of a priest. (And priests shall not take for wives a widow, or an abandoned, or a divorced, woman, but only virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel; and they may also take in marriage a widow, who is the widow of a priest.)
23 And they shall teach my people, what is betwixt holy thing and defouled; and they shall show to them, what is betwixt clean thing and unclean.
24 And when debate is, they shall stand in my dooms, and shall deem (by) my laws; and they shall keep my commandments in all my solemnities, and they shall hallow my sabbaths. (And when there is debate, or a dispute, they shall stand in my judgements, and shall judge by my laws; and they shall keep my commands for all my solemn feasts, and they shall hallow my sabbaths/and they shall keep my sabbaths holy.)
25 And they shall not enter to a dead man, lest they be defouled; no but to father, and mother, and to son, and daughter, and to brother, and sister that had not an husband, in which they shall be defouled. (And they shall not go to a dead person, lest they be defiled; except for their father, or their mother, or their son, or their daughter, or their brother, or their sister who did not have a husband, only for them shall they be defiled.)
26 And after that he is cleansed, seven days shall be numbered to him. (And then after that he is cleansed, or is purified, he shall count, or shall wait, seven days.)
27 And in the day of his entering into the saintuary, to the inner foreyard, that he minister to me in the saintuary, he shall offer for his sin, saith the Lord God. (And on the day of his entrance into the sanctuary, into the inner courtyard, so that he minister to me in the sanctuary/so that he serve me in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord God.)
28 Forsooth none heritage shall be to them, (for) I am the heritage of them; and ye shall not give to them (a) possession in Israel, for I am the possession of them. (And no inheritance shall be for them, for I am their inheritance; and ye shall not give them a possession, or any parcel of land, in Israel, for I am their possession, or their portion.)
29 They shall eat (the) sacrifice, and (that) for sin, and (that) for trespass, and each avow of Israel shall be theirs.
30 And the first things of all first engendered things, and all moist sacrifices, of all things that be offered, shall be the priests? part; and ye shall give the first things of your meats to the priest, that he lay up blessing to his house. (And the first things of all the first begotten things, and of all the other things that be offered, shall be the portion for the priests; and ye shall give the first things of your food to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon thy house.)

Ezekiel 44:20-30 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.