1 And he causeth me to go to the gate, the gate that is looking eastward.
2 And lo, the honour of the God of Israel hath come from the way of the east, and His voice `is' as the noise of many waters, and the earth hath shone from His honour.
3 And according to the appearance `is' the appearance that I saw, as the appearance that I saw in my coming in to destroy the city, and the appearances `are' as the appearance that I saw at the river Chebar, and I fall on my face.
4 And the honour of Jehovah hath come in unto the house, the way of the gate whose face `is' eastward.
5 And take me up doth the Spirit, and bringeth me in unto the inner court, and lo, the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house.
6 And I hear one speaking unto me from the house, and a man hath been standing near me,
7 and He saith unto me: `Son of man, the place of My throne, And the place of the soles of My feet, Where I dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel to the age, Defile no more do the house of Israel My holy name, They, and their kings, by their whoredom, And by the carcases of their kings -- their high places.
8 In their putting their threshold with My threshold, And their door-post near My door-post, And the wall between Me and them, And they have defiled My holy name, By their abominations that they have done, And I consume them in Mine anger.
9 Now do they put far off their whoredom, And the carcases of their kings -- from Me, And I have dwelt in their midst to the age.
10 Thou, son of man, Shew the house of Israel the house, And they are ashamed of their iniquities, And they have measured the measurement.
11 And since they have been ashamed of all that they have done, The form of the house, and its measurement, And its outlets, and its inlets, and all its forms, And all its statutes, even all its forms, And all its laws cause them to know, And write `it' before their eyes, And they observe all its forms, And all its statutes, and have done them.
12 This `is' a law of the house: on the top of the mountain, all its border all round about `is' most holy; lo, this `is' a law of the house.
13 `And these `are' measures of the altar by cubits: The cubit `is' a cubit and a handbreadth, and the centre `is' a cubit, and a cubit the breadth; and its border on its edge round about `is' one span, and this `is' the upper part of the altar.
14 And from the centre of the ground unto the lower border `is' two cubits, and the breadth one cubit, and from the lesser border unto the greater border four cubits, and the breadth a cubit.
15 `And the altar `is' four cubits, and from the altar and upward `are' four horns.
16 And the altar `is' twelve long by twelve broad, square in its four squares.
17 And the border `is' fourteen long by fourteen broad, at its four squares, and the border round about it `is' half a cubit, and the centre to it `is' a cubit round about, and its steps are looking eastward.'
18 And He saith unto me, `Son of man, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: These `are' statutes of the altar in the day of its being made to cause burnt-offering to go up on it, and to sprinkle on it blood.
19 And thou hast given unto the priests, the Levites, who `are' of the seed of Zadok -- who are near unto Me, an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, to serve Me -- a calf from the herd, for a sin-offering.
20 And thou hast taken of its blood, and hast put it on its four horns, and on the four corners of its border, and on the border round about, and hast cleansed it, and purified it.
21 And thou hast taken the bullock of the sin-offering, and hast burnt it in the appointed place of the house at the outside of the sanctuary.
22 And on the second day thou dost bring near a kid of the goats, a perfect one, for a sin-offering, and they have cleansed the altar, as they cleansed `it' for the bullock.
23 In thy finishing cleansing, thou dost bring near a calf, a son of the herd, a perfect one, and a ram out of the flock, a perfect one.
24 And thou hast brought them near before Jehovah, and the priests have cast upon them salt, and have caused them to go up, a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
25 Seven days thou dost prepare a goat for a sin-offering daily, and a bullock, a son of the herd, and a ram out of the flock, perfect ones, do they prepare.
26 Seven days they purify the altar, and have cleansed it, and filled their hand.
27 And the days are completed, and it hath come to pass on the eighth day, and henceforth, the priests prepare on the altar your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings, and I have accepted you -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 43
Commentary on Ezekiel 43 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 43
The prophet, having given us a view of the mystical temple, the gospel-church, as he received it from the Lord, that it might appear not to be erected in vain, comes to describe, in this and the next chapter, the worship that should be performed in it, but under the type of the Old-Testament services. In this chapter we have,
Ezekiel seems here to stand between God and Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord did when the sanctuary was first set up.
Eze 43:1-6
After Ezekiel has patiently surveyed the temple of God, the greatest glory of this earth, he is admitted to a higher form, and honoured with a sight of the glories of the upper world; it is said to him, Come up hither. He has seen the temple, and sees it to be very spacious and splendid; but, till the glory of God comes into it, it is but like the dead bodies he had seen in vision (ch. 37), that had no breath till the Spirit of life entered into them. Here therefore he sees the house filled with God's glory.
Eze 43:7-12
God does here, in effect, renew his covenant with his people Israel, upon his retaking possession of the house, and Ezekiel negotiates the matter, as Moses formerly. This would be of great use to the captives at their return both for direction and encouragement; but it looks further, to those that are blessed with the privileges of the gospel-temple, that they may understand how they are before him on their good behaviour.
Eze 43:13-27
This relates to the altar in this mystical temple, and that is mystical too; for Christ is our altar. The Jews, after their return out of captivity, had an altar long before they had a temple, Ezra 3:3. But this was an altar in the temple. Now here we have,