Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 46:21

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

More about the land and the temple (46:16-24)

If the king marked off a piece of his land and gave it to one of his sons, it remained the permanent property of the son. But if he made a similar gift to one of his servants, the land returned to the king at the year of jubilee. (Concerning the year of jubilee see Leviticus 25:8-34.) This ensured that the royal family retained possession of its land, and that the king was not tempted to seize other people’s land to compensate for what he gave away (16-18).

Returning to the details of the temple, Ezekiel adds that there were kitchens inside the enclosure of the inner court. These were provided so that the priests who offered the sacrifices (i.e. the Zadokite priests; see 44:15-16) could cook their portions of food from the holy offerings, without having to go outside the holy enclosure (19-20). There were also kitchens in the four corners of the outer court, where other temple officials (i.e. the Levites and non-Zadokite priests; see 44:10-14) cooked those portions of the sacrificial food that belonged to the common people (21-24).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. And the people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Jehovah on the sabbaths and on the new moons. And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto Jehovah shall be on the sabbath day six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; and the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. And on 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: and he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah. And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. But when the people of the land shall come before Jehovah in the appointed feasts, he that entereth by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth 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 straight before him. And the prince, when they go in, shall go in in the midst of them; and when they go forth, they shall go forth together. And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meal-offering shall be an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. And when the prince shall prepare a freewill-offering, a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a freewill-offering unto Jehovah, one shall open for him the gate that looketh toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he doth on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate. And thou shalt prepare a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah daily: morning by morning shalt thou prepare it. And thou shalt prepare a meal-offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal-offering unto Jehovah continually by a perpetual ordinance. Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt-offering. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons. Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people be not scattered every man from his possession. Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward. And he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, and where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they bring them not forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people. 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. In the four corners of the court there were courts inclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four in the corners were of one measure. And there was a wall round about in them, round about the four, and boiling-places were made under the walls round about. Then said he unto me, These are the boiling-houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people."

This chapter gives instructions for worship on the day of the new moon, and on the sabbath, and the gate by which the prince (or king) would be required to enter the temple. If one entered by the north gate he was required to exit by the south gate; and if he entered by the south gate, he was required to exit by the north gate. Also the king would be required to enter with the people and also to leave when they left. There are also directions for the king's offering of a voluntary burnt-offering or peace-offering.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The careful provision here made to keep separate the offerings of priests and people was to prevent collision, just as the enactments Ezekiel 46:16-18 were intended to secure their respective rights to prince and people.

Ezekiel 46:19

At the side of the gate - The entrance to the inner court at the same side as the northern gate Ezekiel 42:9.

Ezekiel 46:20

See M Plan II.

Boil - It was unique to the Paschal lamb, that it was to be eaten roasted. The flesh of the other sacrifices was to be “sodden” or boiled (see Leviticus 6:28; 1 Samuel 2:13; 2 Chronicles 24:14 margin). The “meat-offering” (flour and honey) was baked Leviticus 2:4.

Ezekiel 46:21

See K. Plan II.

Ezekiel 46:22

courts joined - enclosed courts, and entered by doors in the walls, which shut them out from the great court. The marginal rendering, “made with chimnies,” is based upon another interpretation of the word.

These four corners - Or, “these four corner-courts were of one measure.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 46

Now it describes in chapter 46 how the prince worships in this new sanctuary.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it will be open, in the day of the new moon it will be open ( Ezekiel 46:1 ).

So this gate on the inner court that you see here in your diagram, six days of the week it will be closed. It will be open only on the sabbath day.

And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: and he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons. And the burnt offerings that the prince shall offer unto the LORD ( Ezekiel 46:2-4 )

So the fact that he is offering burnt offerings unto the Lord, which are consecration offerings and all sort of precludes him being Jesus Christ.

The meal offerings ( Ezekiel 46:5 )

And it describes the various offerings that he will offer.

And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. But when the people of the land come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, and enter, they enter by the north gate and they leave by the south; or if they enter by the south gate they leave by the noRuth ( Ezekiel 46:8-9 ):

And it goes ahead and tells of the offerings and how the offerings are to be boiled and so forth in offering them unto the Lord. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The priests’ kitchens 46:19-24

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The same person then took Ezekiel out to the outer court and showed him the four corners of that court. In each of the four corners there was a courtyard 40 cubits (66 feet 8 inches) by 30 cubits (50 feet). Within each of these enclosures there were ledges with fireplaces underneath that created cooking areas where the priests were to boil the sacrifices that the people brought to the temple. Since the people would eat some of the sacrifices they brought, the outer court would be a place of both spiritual worship and social interaction. There they would enjoy fellowship with other worshippers as well as fellowship with God.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Then he brought me forth into the utter court,.... From the holy chambers of the priests, and from viewing the place where they boiled the sacrifices, and baked the meat offering:

and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; in each of the four corners of the outward court there was another court; signifying that there will be courts or churches in the several parts of the world in the latter day.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      19 After he brought me through the entry, which 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.   20 Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.   21 Then he brought me forth into the utter 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.   22 In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.   23 And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.   24 Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.

      We have here a further discovery of buildings about the temple, which we did not observe before, and those were places to boil the flesh of the offerings in, Ezekiel 46:20; Ezekiel 46:20. He that kept such a plentiful table at his altar needed large kitchens; and a wise builder will provide conveniences of that kind. Observe, 1. Where those boiling-places were situated. There were some at the entry into the inner court (Ezekiel 46:19; Ezekiel 46:19) and others under the rows, in the four corners of the outer court, Ezekiel 46:21-23; Ezekiel 46:21-23. These were the places where, it is likely, there was most room to spare for this purpose; and this purpose was found for the spare room, that none might be lost. It is a pity that holy ground should be waste ground. 2. What use they were put to. In those places they were to boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, those parts of them which were allotted to the priests and which were more sacred than the flesh of the peace-offerings, of which the offerer also had a share. There also they were to bake the meat-offering, their share of it, which they had from the altar for their own tables, Ezekiel 46:20; Ezekiel 46:20. Care was taken that they should not bear them out into the outer court, to sanctify the people. Let them not pretend to sanctify the people with this holy flesh, and so impose upon them; or let not the people imagine that by touching those sacred things they were sanctified, and made any the better or more acceptable to God. It should seem (from Haggai 2:12) that there were those who had such a conceit; and therefore the priests must not carry any of the holy flesh away with them, lest they should encourage that conceit. Ministers must take heed of doing any thing to bolster up ignorant people in their superstitious vanities.