Ezekiel 44:16

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.)

Ezekiel 44:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:16

They shall enter into my sanctuary
Both to officiate, and to participate, which strangers and uncircumcised persons might not do, ( Ezekiel 44:9 ) : and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me;
which some understand of the altar of burnt offering, which was as a table, and the sacrifice on it was the food of the Lord, ( Leviticus 3:11 Leviticus 3:16 ) , others, the altar of incense; see ( Ezekiel 41:22 ) . Kimchi interprets it of the table of shewbread; but, whatever is meant in the letter, the mystical sense is, the ordinance of the Lord's supper, called the Lord's table, ( 1 Corinthians 10:21 ) , a table richly spread, and well furnished with spiritual provision: here Christ himself sits, bids his people welcome, eats with them, and they with him; and here all the saints are guests, and ministers in particular officiate: and they shall keep my charge;
continue to do so; for this they did before, ( Ezekiel 44:15 ) , but now should be confirmed in their office, and never be displaced, as others; they that honour God he will honour, ( 1 Samuel 2:30 ) .

Ezekiel 44:16 In-Context

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.)