The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel 46
Chapter XLVI · Vol. III, pp. 1378–1381
1 Ordinances for the prince in his worship, 9 and for the people. 16 An order for the prince's inheritance. 19 The courts for boiling and baking.
1 Thus saith the Lord GOD, The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shalla be shut the bsix working days;1 but con the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2 And the dprince2 shall enter by the eway of the porch of that gate without, and shall standg by the post of the gate, and the hpriests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall iworship at the threshold of the gate; then he shall go forth; but the gate shall jnot be shut until the evening.
d ver.8; ch.44.3.
2 This ordinance presents the duty of kings under the gospel, to give a reverential attendance on the public worship of God. See ver. 10. The distinction (ver. 8,9) between the entering and departure of prince and people, seems, most probably, a prophetic emblem of a specific difference between Christ and his people. He entered the temple for sacrifice by the gate of righteousness, by the same gate he returned. His people enter the temple of God by the gate of faith, pass onward, and retire by the gate of death.—C.
e Jn.10.1-3.
g ch.43.1,7. 2 Ch.23.13. Mat.18.20; 28.20.
h Col.1.28. 1 Pe.2.5. Re.1.6. 1 Co.2.2. 2 Ti.4.2.
i Ge.24.26,52. Ex.12.27. 1 Ch.29.20. 2 Ch.29.29. Job 1.20.
j ver.3. Mat.25.10-12.
3 Likewisek the people of the land shall worship at lthe door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths, and in the new moons.
4 And the 3burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath-day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
3 ch.45.17; ver.6,7,14, with Nu.28.5,9,11,12. Is.64.4. 1 Co.3.7,11. No such oblation was commanded by Moses.
5 And the nmeat-offering shall be an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] for a ram, and the meat-offering for the lambs as he shall be able4 to give,5 and an hin[≈ 3.7 litres · 6.5 pints] of oil to an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons].
A.M. cir. 3430. B.C. cir. 574.
n ch.45.24.
4 As he shall be able. 'As he shall see good' (Poole). This offering is much greater than that under the law; the law fixed the amount by weight and measure—this by conscience and ability.—C.
5 Heb. the gift of his hand, ver.7,12. De.16.17. Le.6.11; 12.8; 14.21; 25.28. Nu.6.21.
6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.
7 And he shall prepare a meat-offering, an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] for a bullock, and an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] for a ram; and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin[≈ 3.7 litres · 6.5 pints] of oil to an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons].6
* Though the prince is supposed himself to be a very hearty, zealous friend to the sanctuary, yet it is not left to him, no not in concert with the priests, to appoint what sacrifices shall be offered, but God himself appoints them: for it is his prerogative to institute the rites and ceremonies of religious worship (Henry).—I.
6 See note * in first column.
8 And when the prince shall enter, ohe shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
9 But when the people of the land pshall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, qhe that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate; he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.7
p Ex.23.14-17; 34.23. De.xvi. Mal.4.4. Ps.42.4; 84.7; 122.1-4. Is.66.23. Zec.14.16-19.
q ch.1.12,17. He.12.13. Ga.4.9. 1 Co.9.24. 2 Pe.2.20,21. He.10.38; 3.12, with ch.8.16. Lu.9.62.
7 None but the prince might enter the sanctuary from the east, and there was no entrance from the west; so that all the people must enter from the north or from the south. But those who entered from the north were to go out by the south; and they who entered by the south to go out by the north. This may signify that every thing should be regulated, in respect of divine worship, in that way which may most effectually prevent disorder and interruption; but it is generally supposed to intimate that men should go forward, and make progress in religion, and go through with it; and not be superficial, hypocritical, or apostate.—I.
10 Andr the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth,8 shall go forth.
r Re.2.1; 21.3. Mat.18.20; 28.20. Ep.2.18; 3.12,17,18. He.3.6; 4.14-16; 10.19-22.
8 Though the prince was directed to enter and return by a way of his own; yet he might enter the sanctuary at the same time, and continue as long there as the people; and thus testify his fellowship with them in the worship of God. 'He shall pay the same attendance upon God's worship with the people; since all men are equal in the sight of God.'—I.
11 Ands in the feasts, and in the solemnities, the tmeat-offering shall be an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] to a bullock, and an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] to a ram; and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin[≈ 3.7 litres · 6.5 pints] of oil to an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons].
12 Now when the prince shall prepare ua voluntary burnt-offering or peace-offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one vshall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and xhe shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings as he did on the sabbath-day; then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
13 Thou shalt daily yprepare a burnt-offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year9 without blemish; thou shalt prepare it every 1morning.
y Ex.29.38-42. Nu.28.3,4,6,10,15,23,24,31; 29.6,11,16,19,22,25,28,31,34,38. Da.8.11-13. Jn.1.29,36.
9 Heb. a son of his year.
1 Heb. morning by morning, Ps.92.2.
14 And thou shalt prepare a meat-offering for it every morning, the zsixth2 part of an ephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons], and the third part of an hin[≈ 1.2 litres · 2.2 pints] of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat-offering continually, by a perpetual ordinance, unto the LORD.
z With Nu.28.5. Lu.1.74,75.
2 The sixth, &c. In Nu.28.5 the proportion is a tenth. The increase is intended to show that as under the gospel grace has abounded, so should our thanksgiving proportionally abound, 2 Co.9.12.—C.
15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat-offering, and the oil, aevery morning, for a continual burnt-offering.
16 Thus saith the Lord GOD, If the prince giveb a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his 3sons'; cit shall be their possession by inheritance.
b Is.55.3. Ac.13.34. Ps.84.11. Ep.1.3. 1 Co.1.30; 3.22.
3 This unlimited power of endowment is an ordinance entirely new—the emblem of that state, in which he who 'spared not his own Son, but freely gave him up to the death for us all, will much more with him freely give us all things.'—C.
c Ro.8.15,17,30. Ps.103.17. Mat.25.34. Lu.10.42. Ro.6.23; 5.21. Jn.8.35,36.
17 But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his dto the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
18 Moreover, ethe prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression,4 to thrust them out of their possession: gbut he shall give his sons' inheritance out of his own possession; that my people be not hscattered every man from his possession.
e ch.45.8. Ps.72.2,4; 78.72. Is.32.1,2; 11.3,4. Je.23.5,6.
4 However the ordinance of the princedom may have been a type of the headship of Messiah—and so it undoubtedly was—yet this reference to the possibility of oppression, and this care to guard against it, clearly demonstrate that 'the prince' was not Messiah himself, but the earthly ruler reigning in the fear of God.—C.
g He.1.2. Jn.16.14,15; 1.14,16; 10.28. Ps.68.18. Ep.4.8.
h ch.34.5,6.
19 After he brought me through the entry, whichi was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
i ch.42.9; 40.44,46.
20 Then said he unto me, jThis is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering; where they shall kbake the meat-offering; that they bear them not out into the outer court, lto sanctify the people.
j ch.42.4,13; 44.29. 2 Ch.35.13. 1 Sa.2.13-15. ver.24. Ac.20.20,21,28. 1 Ti.4.13,15,16. 2 Ti.4.2. See ver.20.
k Le.2.4-7.
l ch.44.19. Le.6.17,29; 7.6.
21 Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court, and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.5
5 Heb. a court in a corner of a court, and a court in a corner of a court.
22 In the four corners of the court there were courts joined6 of forty cubits[≈ 18 m · 60 ft] long, and thirty broad: these four corners7 were of one measure.
6 Or, made with chimneys.
7 Heb. cornered.
23 And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places8 under the rows round about.
8 These were not merely the places for preparing necessary food for the priests, their families and guests, but were also a department of the Mosaic poor-law institutions, where the poor, the widow, and the orphan received their daily allowance—the spirit of devotion and charity thus happily blending in the same place and service.—C.
24 Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that nboil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the osacrifice of the people.
n Mat.24.45. Jn.21.15,17. Col.4.17. 1 Ti.3.13; 4.13,15,16. 2 Ti.4.2. 1 Pe.5.2,3. Ac.20.20,28. See ver.20.
Notes
Reflections.—All ranks of men should carefully concur in promoting the regular sanctification of the Sabbath, and the whole worship of God. And it is the greatest glory of princes to be patterns of true piety to their people. But all our attendance on ordinances ought to be in close fellowship with Jesus our Prince, who is All to, does all for, and works all in us. And in our whole course of religion we must never go back; but, forgetting the things that are behind, reach forward unto the things that are before. It is very graceful to behold great men reverently attending the ordinances of the gospel with their servants, tenants, and poor around them; and it is an honour for princes to be generous, without oppressing their subjects, but infinitely more so for Jesus to give gifts to his servile professors, qualifying them for the help of his church in this life, and to give his genuine children an unbounded, irrevocable, and everlasting salvation. Nor must ministers by any means deliver to the people what themselves have not seriously preconsidered. And it is when their hearts and studies are made warm by the power of the truths which they are to preach, that their work is most useful and acceptable.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.