Discovery BoxEzekiel 40:1--48:35 
Context40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city 1 was struck down, on this very day, 2 the hand 3 of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there. 4 40:2 By means of divine visions 5 he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain, 6 and on it was a structure like a city, to the south. 40:3 When he brought me there, I saw 7 a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway. 40:4 The man said to me, “Son of man, watch closely, listen carefully, and pay attention 8 to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I can show it to you. 9 Tell the house of Israel everything you see.”
40:5 I saw 10 a wall all around the outside of the temple. 11 In the man’s hand was a measuring stick 10½ feet 12 long. He measured the thickness of the wall 13 as 10½ feet, 14 and its height as 10½ feet. 40:6 Then he went to the gate facing east. He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate as 10½ feet deep. 15 40:7 The alcoves were 10½ feet long and 10½ feet wide; between the alcoves were 8¾ feet. 16 The threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate facing inward was 10½ feet. 40:8 Then he measured the porch of the gate facing inward as 10½ feet. 40:9 He measured the porch of the gate as 14 feet, 17 and its jambs as 3½ feet; 18 the porch of the gate faced inward. 40:10 There were three alcoves on each side of the east gate; the three had the same measurement, and the jambs on either side had the same measurement. 19 40:11 He measured the width of the entrance of the gateway as 17½ feet, 20 and the length of the gateway as 22¾ feet. 21 40:12 There was a barrier in front of the alcoves, 1¾ feet 22 on either side; the alcoves were 10½ feet 23 on either side. 40:13 He measured the gateway from the roof of one alcove to the roof of the other, a width of 43¾ feet 24 from one entrance to the opposite one. 40:14 He measured 25 the porch 26 at 105 feet 27 high; 28 the gateway went all around to the jamb of the courtyard. 40:15 From the front of the entrance gate to the porch of the inner gate was 87½ feet. 29 40:16 There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees. 30
40:17 Then he brought me to the outer court. I saw 31 chambers there, and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 40:18 The pavement was beside the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 40:19 Then he measured the width from before the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court as 175 feet 32 on the east and on the north.
40:20 He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces north. 40:21 Its alcoves, three on each side, and its jambs and porches had the same measurement as the first gate; 87½ feet 33 long and 43¾ feet 34 wide. 40:22 Its windows, its porches, and its decorative palm trees had the same measurement as the gate which faced east. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was in front of them. 40:23 Opposite the gate on the north and the east was a gate of the inner court; he measured the distance from gate to gate at 175 feet. 35
40:24 Then he led me toward the south. I saw 36 a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and its porches; they had the same dimensions as the others. 40:25 There were windows all around it and its porches, like the windows of the others; 37 87½ feet 38 long and 43¾ feet 39 wide. 40:26 There were seven steps going up to it; its porches were in front of them. It had decorative palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 40:27 The inner court had a gate toward the south; he measured it from gate to gate toward the south as 175 feet. 40
40:28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. He measured the south gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 40:29 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet 41 and its width 43¾ feet. 42 40:30 There were porches all around, 43¾ feet 43 long and 8¾ feet 44 wide. 40:31 Its porches faced the outer court, and decorative palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 40:33 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet 45 and its width 43¾ feet. 46 40:34 Its porches faced the outer court, it had decorative palm trees on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:35 Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same dimensions as the others – 40:36 its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches. It had windows all around it; its length was 87½ feet 47 and its width 43¾ feet. 48 40:37 Its jambs 49 faced the outer court, and it had decorative palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:38 There was a chamber with its door by the porch of the gate; 50 there they washed the burnt offering. 40:39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on either side on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. 40:40 On the outside of the porch as one goes up at the entrance of the north gate were two tables, and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables. 40:41 Four tables were on each side of the gate, eight tables on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. 40:42 The four tables for the burnt offering were of carved stone, 32 inches 51 long, 32 inches 52 wide, and 21 inches 53 high. They would put the instruments which they used to slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them. 40:43 There were hooks 54 three inches 55 long, fastened in the house all around, and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.
40:44 On the outside of the inner gate were chambers for the singers of the inner court, one 56 at the side of the north gate facing south, and the other at the side of the south 57 gate facing north. 40:45 He said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 58 40:46 and the chamber which faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the descendants of Zadok, from the descendants of Levi, who may approach the Lord to minister to him.” 40:47 He measured the court as a square 175 feet long and 175 feet wide; 59 the altar was in front of the temple.
40:48 Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured the jambs of the porch as 8¾ feet 60 on either side, and the width of the gate was 24½ feet 61 and the sides 62 were 5¼ feet 63 on each side. 40:49 The length of the porch was 35 feet 64 and the width 19¼ feet; 65 steps 66 led up to it, and there were pillars beside the jambs on either side.
41:1 Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary, and measured the jambs; the jambs were 10½ feet 67 wide on each side. 41:2 The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, 68 and the sides 69 of the entrance were 8¾ feet 70 on each side. He measured the length of the outer sanctuary as 70 feet, 71 and its width as 35 feet. 72
41:3 Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance as 3½ feet, 73 the entrance as 10½ feet, 74 and the width of the entrance as 12¼ feet 75 41:4 Then he measured its length as 35 feet, 76 and its width as 35 feet, 77 before the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the most holy place.”
41:5 Then he measured the wall of the temple 78 as 10½ feet, 79 and the width of the side chambers as 7 feet, 80 all around the temple. 41:6 The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty in each story. There were offsets in the wall all around to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that the supports were not in the wall of the temple. 41:7 The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story; 81 for the structure 82 surrounding the temple went up story by story all around the temple. For this reason the width of the temple increased as it went up, and one went up from the lowest story to the highest by the way of the middle story.
41:8 I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring stick 83 of 10½ feet 84 high. 41:9 The width of the outer wall of the side chambers was 8¾ feet, 85 and the open area between the side chambers of the temple 41:10 and the chambers of the court was 35 feet 86 in width all around the temple on every side. 41:11 There were entrances from the side chambers toward the open area, one entrance toward the north, and another entrance toward the south; the width of the open area was 8¾ feet 87 all around.
41:12 The building that was facing the temple courtyard at the west side was 122½ feet 88 wide; the wall of the building was 8¾ feet 89 all around, and its length 157½ feet. 90
41:13 Then he measured the temple as 175 feet 91 long, the courtyard of the temple and the building and its walls as 175 feet 92 long, 41:14 and also the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard on the east as 175 feet. 93
41:15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, with its galleries on either side as 175 feet. 94
The interior of the outer sanctuary and the porch of the court, 95 41:16 as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and galleries all around on three sides facing the threshold were paneled with wood all around, from the ground up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 41:17 to the space above the entrance, to the inner room, and on the outside, and on all the walls in the inner room and outside, by measurement. 96 41:18 It was made with cherubim and decorative palm trees, with a palm tree between each cherub. Each cherub had two faces: 41:19 a human face toward the palm tree on one side and a lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around; 41:20 from the ground to the area above the entrance, cherubim and decorative palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary. 41:21 The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In front of the sanctuary one doorpost looked just like the other. 41:22 The altar was of wood, 5¼ feet 97 high, with its length 3½ feet; 98 its corners, its length, 99 and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” 41:23 The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double door. 41:24 Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging 100 leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. 41:25 On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees, like those carved on the walls, and there was a canopy 101 of wood on the front of the outside porch. 41:26 There were narrow windows and decorative palm trees on either side of the side walls of the porch; this is what the side chambers of the temple and the canopies were like.
42:1 Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the north, and brought me to the chamber which was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on the north. 42:2 Its length was 175 feet 102 on the north side, 103 and its width 87½ feet. 104 42:3 Opposite the 35 feet 105 that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories. 42:4 In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet 106 wide at a distance of 1¾ feet, 107 and their entrances were on the north. 42:5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 42:6 For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers 108 were set back from the ground more than the lower and upper ones. 42:7 As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet 109 long. 42:8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet 110 long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet 111 long. 42:9 Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the outer court.
42:10 At the beginning 112 of the wall of the court toward the south, 113 facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers 42:11 with a passage in front of them. They looked like the chambers on the north. Of the same length and width, and all their exits according to their arrangements and entrances 42:12 were the chambers 114 which were toward the south. There was an opening at the head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the east when one enters.
42:13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers which face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests 115 who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings – the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy. 42:14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”
42:15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out by the gate which faces east and measured all around. 42:16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick 116 as 875 feet 117 by the measuring stick. 42:17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 42:18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 42:19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick. 42:20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.
43:1 Then he brought me to the gate that faced toward the east. 43:2 I saw 118 the glory of the God of Israel 119 coming from the east; 120 the sound was like that of rushing water; 121 and the earth radiated 122 his glory. 43:3 It was like the vision I saw when he 123 came to destroy the city, and the vision I saw by the Kebar River. I threw myself face down. 43:4 The glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate that faces east. 43:5 Then a wind 124 lifted me up and brought me to the inner court; I watched 125 the glory of the Lord filling the temple. 126
43:6 I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man was standing beside me. 43:7 He said to me: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne 127 and the place for the soles of my feet, 128 where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their spiritual prostitution or by the pillars of their kings set up when they die. 129 43:8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger. 43:9 Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.
43:10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern. 43:11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole design – all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its statutes and do them.
43:12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.
43:13 “And these are the measurements of the altar: 130 Its base 131 is 1¾ feet 132 high, 133 and 1¾ feet 134 wide, and its border nine inches 135 on its edge. This is to be the height 136 of the altar. 43:14 From the base of the ground to the lower edge is 3½ feet, 137 and the width 1¾ feet; 138 and from the smaller ledge to the larger edge, 7 feet, 139 and the width 1¾ feet; 43:15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 43:16 Now the altar hearth 140 is a perfect square, 21 feet 141 long and 21 feet wide. 43:17 The ledge is 24½ feet 142 long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border around it is 10½ inches, 143 and its surrounding base 1¾ feet. 144 Its steps face east.”
43:18 Then he said to me: “Son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: These are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it, 145 43:19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the sovereign Lord. 43:20 You will take some of its blood, and place it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. 146 43:21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.
43:22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 43:23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. 43:24 You will present them before the Lord, and the priests will scatter salt on them 147 and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.
43:25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided. 43:26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they will consecrate it. 148 43:27 When the prescribed period is over, 149 on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings; 150 I will accept you, declares the sovereign Lord.”
44:1 Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces east, but it was shut. 44:2 The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. 44:3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal 151 before the Lord; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.”
44:4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. As I watched, I noticed 152 the glory of the Lord filling the Lord’s temple, and I threw myself face down. 44:5 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, pay attention, 153 watch closely and listen carefully to 154 everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the Lord’s house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances 155 to the temple with all the exits of the sanctuary. 44:6 Say to the rebellious, 156 to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel! 44:7 When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my sanctuary, you desecrate 157 it – even my house – when you offer my food, the fat and the blood. You 158 have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices. 44:8 You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners 159 to keep charge of my sanctuary for you. 44:9 This is what the sovereign Lord says: No foreigner, who is uncircumcised in heart and flesh among all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, will enter into my sanctuary. 160
44:10 “‘But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for 161 their sin. 44:11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them. 44:12 Because they used to minister to them before their idols, and became a sinful obstacle 162 to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow 163 concerning them, declares the sovereign Lord, that they will be responsible 164 for their sin. 44:13 They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any of my holy things, the things which are most sacred. They will bear the shame of the abominable deeds they have committed. 44:14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all of its service and all that will be done in it.
44:15 “‘But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok 165 who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the sovereign Lord. 44:16 They will enter my sanctuary, and approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my charge.
44:17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they must wear linen garments; they must not have any wool on them when they minister in the inner gates of the court and in the temple. 44:18 Linen turbans will be on their heads and linen undergarments will be around their waists; they must not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. 44:19 When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in, and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. 166
44:20 “‘They must not shave their heads 167 nor let their hair grow long; 168 they must only trim their heads. 44:21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court. 44:22 They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from the house of Israel 169 or a widow who is a priest’s widow. 44:23 Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean. 170
44:24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges; 171 they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe 172 my Sabbaths.
44:25 “‘They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled; 173 however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister, they may defile themselves. 44:26 After a priest 174 has become ceremonially clean, they 175 must count off a period of seven days for him. 44:27 On the day he enters the sanctuary, into the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the sovereign Lord.
44:28 “‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property. 176 44:29 They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs. 44:30 The first of all the first fruits and all contributions of any kind 177 will be for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house. 44:31 The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal. 178
45:1 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment 179 to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be eight and a quarter miles 180 and the width three and one-third miles. 181 This entire area will be holy. 182 45:2 Of this area a square 875 feet 183 by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet 184 set aside for its open space round about. 45:3 From this measured area you will measure a length of eight and a quarter miles 185 and a width of three and one-third miles; 186 in it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place. 45:4 It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 187 45:5 An area eight and a quarter miles 188 in length and three and one-third miles 189 in width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the cities 190 in which they will live.
45:6 “‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot for the city an area one and two-thirds miles 191 wide and eight and a quarter miles 192 long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.
45:7 “‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, alongside the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border 45:8 of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
45:9 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction, and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people, 193 declares the sovereign Lord. 45:10 You must use just balances, 194 a just dry measure (an ephah), 195 and a just liquid measure (a bath). 196 45:11 The dry and liquid measures will be the same, the bath will contain a tenth of a homer, 197 and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure. 45:12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs. Sixty shekels 198 will be a mina for you.
45:13 “‘This is the offering you must offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat; a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley, 45:14 and as the prescribed portion of olive oil, one tenth of a bath from each kor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths make a homer); 45:15 and one sheep from each flock of two hundred, from the watered places of Israel, for a grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offering, to make atonement for them, declares the sovereign Lord. 45:16 All the people of the land will contribute 199 to this offering for the prince of Israel. 45:17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offering, and the drink offering at festivals, on the new moons and Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he will provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.
45:18 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary. 45:19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorpost of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the doorpost of the gate of the inner court. 45:20 This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.
45:21 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, and for seven days bread made without yeast will be eaten. 45:22 On that day the prince will provide for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 45:23 And during the seven days of the feast he will provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, on each of the seven days, and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 45:24 He will provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a gallon 200 of olive oil for each ephah of grain. 201 45:25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, 202 he will make the same provisions for the sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering, and for the olive oil, for the seven days.
46:1 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court that faces east 203 will be closed six working days, but on the Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 46:2 The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside, and will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening. 46:3 The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. 46:4 The burnt offering which the prince will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram. 46:5 The grain offering will be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be as much as he is able to give, 204 and a gallon 205 of olive oil with an ephah. 46:6 On the day of the new moon he will offer 206 an unblemished young bull, and six lambs and a ram, all without blemish. 46:7 He will provide a grain offering: an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wishes, 207 and a gallon 208 of olive oil with each ephah of grain. 209 46:8 When the prince enters, he will come by way of the porch of the gate and will go out the same way.
46:9 “‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go out straight ahead. 46:10 When they come in, the prince will come in with them, and when they go out, he will go out.
46:11 “‘At the festivals and at the appointed feasts the grain offering will be an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as one is able, 210 and a gallon 211 of olive oil with each ephah of grain. 212 46:12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east will be opened for him, and he will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings just as he did on the Sabbath. Then he will go out, and the gate will be closed after he goes out. 213
46:13 “‘You 214 will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering daily to the Lord; morning by morning he will provide it. 46:14 And you 215 will provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a gallon 216 of olive oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the Lord; this is a perpetual statute. 46:15 Thus they will provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil morning by morning, as a perpetual burnt offering.
46:16 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as 217 his inheritance, it will belong to his sons, it is their property by inheritance. 46:17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty; 218 then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance will only remain with his sons. 46:18 The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered, each from his own property.’”
46:19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests which faced north. There I saw 219 a place at the extreme western end. 46:20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out to the outer court to transmit holiness to the people.”
46:21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and I noticed 220 that in every corner of the court there was a court. 46:22 In the four corners of the court were small 221 courts, 70 feet 222 in length and 52½ feet 223 in width; the four were all the same size. 46:23 There was a row of masonry around each of the four courts, and places for boiling offerings were made under the rows all around. 46:24 Then he said to me, “These are the houses for boiling, where the ministers of the temple boil the sacrifices of the people.”
47:1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed 224 that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. 47:2 He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed 225 that the water was trickling out from the south side.
47:3 When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured 1,750 feet, 226 and then he led me through water, which was ankle deep. 47:4 Again he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was now knee deep. Once more he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was waist deep. 47:5 Again he measured 1,750 feet and it was a river I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 47:6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 47:7 When I had returned, I noticed 227 a vast number of trees on the banks of the river, on both sides. 47:8 He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, 228 where the sea is stagnant, 229 the waters become fresh. 230 47:9 Every living creature which swarms where the river 231 flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh 232 and everything will live where the river flows. 47:10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. 233 47:11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. 47:12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” 234
47:13 This is what the sovereign Lord says: “Here 235 are the borders 236 you will observe as you allot the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. (Joseph will have two portions.) 237 47:14 You must divide it equally just as I vowed to give it to your forefathers; 238 this land will be assigned as your inheritance. 239
47:15 “This will be the border of the land: 240 On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to the entrance of Zedad; 47:16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, as far as Hazer-hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran. 47:17 The border will run from the sea to Hazar-enan, at the border of Damascus, and on the north is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. 47:18 On the east side, between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, will be the Jordan. You will measure from the border to the eastern sea. This is the east side. 47:19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, the river, 241 to the Great Sea. This is the south side. 47:20 On the west side the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This is the west side.
47:21 “This is how you will divide this land for yourselves among the tribes of Israel. 47:22 You must allot it as an inheritance among yourselves and for the foreigners who reside among you, who have fathered sons among you. You must treat them as native-born among the people of Israel; they will be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 242 47:23 In whatever tribe the foreigner resides, there you will give him his inheritance,” declares the sovereign Lord.
48:1 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion. 48:2 Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher 243 will have one portion. 48:3 Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion. 48:4 Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion. 48:5 Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion. 48:6 Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion. 48:7 Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judah 244 will have one portion.
48:8 “Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be eight and a quarter miles 245 wide, and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. 48:9 The allotment you set apart to the Lord will be eight and a quarter miles 246 in length and three and one-third miles 247 in width. 48:10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north eight and a quarter miles 248 in length, toward the west three and one-third miles 249 in width, toward the east three and one-third miles 250 in width, and toward the south eight and a quarter miles 251 in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle. 48:11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off, like the Levites did. 252 48:12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, next to the border of the Levites.
48:13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment eight and a quarter miles 253 in length and three and one-third miles 254 in width. The whole length will be eight and a quarter miles 255 and the width three and one-third miles. 256 48:14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apart 257 to the Lord.
48:15 “The remainder, one and two-thirds miles 258 in width and eight and a quarter miles 259 in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open space. The city will be in the middle of it; 48:16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be one and one-half miles, 260 the south side one and one-half miles, the east side one and one-half miles, and the west side one and one-half miles. 48:17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet, 261 on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet. 48:18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be three and one-third miles 262 to the east and three and one-third miles toward the west, and it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the workers of the city. 48:19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it. 48:20 The whole allotment will be eight and a quarter miles 263 square, you must set apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.
48:21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the eight and a quarter miles 264 of the holy allotment to the east border, and westward from the eight and a quarter miles 265 to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince. The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it. 48:22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin will be for the prince.
48:23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side, Benjamin will have one portion. 48:24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon will have one portion. 48:25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar will have one portion. 48:26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun will have one portion. 48:27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will have one portion. 48:28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt 266 and on to the Great Sea. 48:29 This is the land which you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the sovereign Lord.
48:30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, one and one-half miles 267 by measure, 48:31 the gates of the city 268 will be named for the tribes of Israel; there will be three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 48:32 On the east side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 48:33 On the south side, one and one-half miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 48:34 On the west side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 48:35 The circumference of the city will be six miles. 269 The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’” 270
1 sn That is, Jerusalem.
2 tn April 19, 573
3 tn Or “power.”
sn Hand in the OT can refer metaphorically to power, authority, or influence. In Ezekiel God’s hand being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God (3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1).
4 sn That is, to the land of Israel (see v. 2).
5 tn The expression introduces the three major visions of Ezekiel (1:1; 8:3; 40:2).
6 tn The reference to a very high mountain is harmonious with Isa 2:2.
7 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
8 tn Heb “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your mind on.”
9 tn Heb “in order to show (it) to you.”
10 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
11 tn Heb “house.”
12 tn Heb “a measuring stick of six cubits, [each] a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Therefore the measuring stick in the man’s hand was 10.5 feet (3.15 meters) long. Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.
13 tn Heb “building.”
14 tn Heb “one rod [or “reed”]” (also a second time in this verse, twice in v. 6, three times in v. 7, and once in v. 8).
15 tn The Hebrew text adds “the one threshold 10½ feet deep.” This is probably an accidental duplication of what precedes. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:517.
16 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters) according to the “long” cubit. See the note on the first occurrence of the phrase “10½ feet” in v. 5.
17 tn Heb “eight cubits” (i.e., 4.2 meters).
18 tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
19 sn The three alcoves are parallel to the city gates found at Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.
20 tn Heb “ten cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
21 tn Heb “thirteen cubits” (i.e., 6.825 meters).
22 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
23 tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
24 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
25 tn Heb “made.”
26 tc The MT reads “jambs” which does not make sense in context. Supposing a confusion of yod for vav, the text may be emended to read “porch.” See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:518.
27 tn Heb “sixty cubits” (i.e., 31.5 meters).
28 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied for sense.
29 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
30 sn Decorative palm trees were also a part of Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 6:29, 32, 35).
31 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
32 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
33 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
34 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
35 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
36 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
37 tn Heb “as these windows.”
38 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
39 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
40 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
41 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
42 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
43 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
44 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
45 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
46 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
47 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
48 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
49 tc The LXX reads “porches.”
50 tc The MT reads “jambs of the gates” which does not make sense in a context discussing one chamber. The emendation to “porch” is similar to v. 14. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:530.
51 tn Heb “one and a half cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
52 tn Heb “one and a half cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
53 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
54 tc This reading is supported by the Aramaic Targum. The LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac read “shelves” or some type of projection.
55 tn Heb “one handbreadth” (7.5 cm).
56 tn “One” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied for clarity in the translation.
57 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads “east.”
58 tn Heb “the house.”
59 tn Heb “one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, a square” (i.e., 52.5 meters by 52.5 meters).
60 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
61 tn The LXX reads “fourteen cubits” (i.e., 7.35 meters). See following note.
62 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “the width of the gate was three cubits,” the omission due to haplography.
tn Or “sidewalls.”
63 tn Heb “three cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
64 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
65 tn Heb “eleven cubits” (i.e., 5.775 meters).
66 tc The LXX reads “ten steps.”
67 tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
68 tn Heb “ten cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
69 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “the width of the gate was three cubits,” the omission due to haplography.
tn Or “sidewalls.”
70 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
71 tn Heb “forty cubits” (i.e., 21 meters).
72 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
73 tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
74 tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
75 tn Heb “seven cubits” (i.e., 3.675 meters).
76 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
77 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
78 tn Heb “house” throughout Ezek 41.
79 tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
80 tn Heb “four cubits” (2.1 meters).
81 tc The Hebrew is difficult here. The Targum envisions a winding ramp or set of stairs, which entails reading the first word as a noun rather than a verb and reading the second word also not as a verb, supposing that an initial mem has been read as vav and nun. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:549.
82 tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.
83 tn Heb “reed.”
84 tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).
85 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
86 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
87 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
88 tn Heb “seventy cubits” (36.75 meters).
89 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
90 tn Heb “ninety cubits” (i.e., 47.25 meters).
91 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
92 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
93 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
94 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
95 tc Some Hebrew
96 tc The LXX does not have the word “by measurements.” The word may be a technical term referring to carpentry technique, the exact meaning of which is unclear.
97 tn Heb “three cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
98 tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
99 tc So the Masoretic text. The LXX reads “base.”
100 tn Heb “turning” leaves.
101 tn Or “railings.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:218.
102 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
103 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
104 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
105 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
106 tn Heb “ten cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
107 tc Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm). The LXX and the Syriac read “one hundred cubits” (= 175 feet).
108 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
109 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
110 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
111 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
112 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
113 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads “east.”
114 tc The MT apparently evidences dittography, repeating most of the last word of the previous verse: “and like the openings of.”
115 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).
116 tn Heb “reed” (also in the following verses).
117 tn Heb “five hundred cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters).
118 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
119 sn This same title appears in 8:4; 9:3; 10:19; and 11:22.
120 sn Earlier Ezekiel had observed God leaving the temple to the east (11:23).
121 sn See Ezek 1:24; Rev 1:15; 14:2; 19:6.
122 tn Heb “shone from.”
123 tc Heb “I.” The reading is due to the confusion of yod (י, indicating a first person pronoun) and vav (ו, indicating a third person pronoun). A few medieval Hebrew
124 tn See note on “wind” in 2:2.
125 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
126 sn In 1 Kgs 8:10-11 we find a similar event with regard to Solomon’s temple. See also Exod 40:34-35. and Isa 6:4.
127 sn God’s throne is mentioned in Isa 6:1; Jer 3:17.
128 sn See 1 Chr 28:2; Ps 99:5; 132:7; Isa 60:13; Lam 2:1.
129 tn Heb “by their corpses in their death.” But the term normally translated “corpses” is better understood here as a reference to funeral pillars or funerary offerings. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:583-85, and L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:257.
130 tn Heb “the measurements of the altar by cubits, the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes. On the altar see Ezek 40:47.
131 tn The Hebrew term normally means “bosom.” Here it refers to a hollow in the ground.
132 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
133 tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
134 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
135 tn Heb “one span.” A span was three handbreadths, or about nine inches (i.e., 22.5 cm).
136 tc Heb “bulge, protuberance, mound.” The translation follows the LXX.
137 tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).
138 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm; the phrase occurs again later in this verse).
139 tn Heb “four cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters; the phrase also occurs in the next verse).
140 tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.
141 tn Heb “twelve cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
142 tn Heb “fourteen”; the word “cubits” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood from the context; the phrase occurs again later in this verse. Fourteen cubits is about 7.35 meters.
143 tn Heb “half a cubit” (i.e., 26.25 cm).
144 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
145 sn For the “sprinkling of blood,” see Lev 1:5, 11; 8:19; 9:12.
146 sn Note the similar language in Lev 16:18.
147 sn It is likely that salt was used with sacrificial meals (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5).
148 tn Heb “fill its hands.”
149 tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”
150 sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).
151 tn Heb “to eat bread.”
152 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
153 tn Heb “set your heart” (so also in the latter part of the verse).
154 tn Heb “Set your mind, look with your eyes, and with your ears hear.”
155 tc The Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum read the plural. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:618.
156 tc The LXX reads “house of rebellion.”
157 tn Heb “to desecrate.”
158 tc The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions read “you.” The Masoretic text reads “they.”
159 tc Instead of an energic nun (ן), the text may have read a third masculine plural suffix ם (mem), “them,” which was confused with ן (nun) in the old script. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:621.
tn This word is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
160 sn Tobiah, an Ammonite (Neh 13:8), was dismissed from the temple.
161 tn Heb “will bear.”
162 tn Heb “a stumbling block of iniquity.” This is a unique phrase of the prophet Ezekiel (cf. also Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7; 18:30).
163 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
164 tn Heb “will bear.”
165 sn Zadok was a descendant of Aaron through Eleazar (1 Chr 6:50-53), who served as a priest during David’s reign (2 Sam 8:17).
166 sn For a similar concept of the transmitting of holiness, see Exod 19:12-14; Lev 10:1-2; 2 Sam 6:7. Similar laws concerning the priest are found in Lev 10 and 21.
167 sn The shaving of the head was associated with mourning (Ezek 7:18).
168 sn Letting the hair grow was associated with the taking of a vow (Num 6:5; Acts 21:23-26).
169 tn Heb “from the offspring of the house of Israel.”
170 sn This task was a fundamental role of the priest (Lev 10:10).
171 sn For a historical illustration of the priest carrying out this function, see 2 Chr 19:9-11.
172 tn Heb “sanctify, set apart.”
173 sn This law was part of the legal code for priests (Lev 21:1-3).
174 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
175 tc One medieval Hebrew
176 sn See Num 18:20; Deut 10:9; 18:2; Josh 13:33; 18:7.
177 tn Heb has in addition “from your contributions,” a repetition unnecessary in English.
178 tn The words “by a wild animal” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation as a clarification of the circumstances.
sn For this law, see Lev 7:24; 17:15.
179 tn Heb “a contribution.”
180 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers). The measuring units here are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard miles (one mile = 5,280 feet), with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.
181 tc The LXX reads “twenty thousand cubits.”
tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
182 tn Heb “holy it is in all its territory round about.”
183 tn Heb “five hundred cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters); the phrase occurs twice in this verse.
184 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
185 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
186 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
187 tc The LXX apparently understood “open land” instead of “sanctuary.”
188 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
189 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
190 tc The translation follows the LXX here. The MT reads “twenty.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:246.
191 tn Heb “five thousand cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
192 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
193 sn Evictions of the less fortunate by the powerful are described in 1 Kgs 21:1-16; Jer 22:1-5, 13-17; Ezek 22:25.
194 sn Previous legislation regarding this practice may be found in Lev 19:35-36; Deut 25:13-16; Mic 6:10-12.
195 tn Heb “ephah,” which was 1/2 bushel.
196 tn Heb “bath,” a liquid measure, was 5 1/2 gallons.
197 sn The homer was about 5 bushels as a dry measure and 55 gallons as a liquid measure.
198 tn Heb “twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels.”
199 tn Heb “will be.”
200 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
201 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
202 sn That is, the Feast of Temporary Shelters, traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Exod 23:16; 34:22; Deut 16:16).
203 sn The east gate of the outer court was permanently closed (Ezek 44:2).
204 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
205 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
206 tn The phrase “he will offer” is not in the Hebrew text but is warranted from the context.
207 tn Heb “with the lambs as his hand can reach.”
208 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
209 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
210 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
211 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
212 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
213 tn Heb “he shall shut the gate after he goes out.”
214 tc A few Hebrew
215 tc Two medieval Hebrew
216 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
217 tn The Hebrew text has no preposition; the LXX reads “from” (see v. 17).
218 sn That is, the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-15).
219 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
220 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
221 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term is unclear. The LXX and Syriac render “small.”
222 tn Heb “forty cubits” (i.e., 21 meters).
223 tn Heb “thirty cubits” (i.e., 15.75 meters).
224 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
225 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
226 tn Heb “one thousand cubits” (i.e., 525 meters); this phrase occurs three times in the next two verses.
227 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
228 tn Heb “the sea,” referring to the Dead Sea. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
229 tn Heb “to the sea, those which are brought out.” The reading makes no sense. The text is best emended to read “filthy” (i.e., stagnant). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:273.
230 tn Heb “the waters become healed.”
231 tn Heb “two rivers,” perhaps under the influence of Zech 14:8. The translation follows the LXX and other ancient versions in reading the singular, which is demanded by the context (see vv. 5-7, 9b, 12).
232 tn Heb “will be healed.”
233 sn The Great Sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea (also in vv. 15, 19, 20).
234 sn See Rev 22:1-2.
235 tc This translation follows the reading זֶה (zeh) instead of גֵּה (geh), a nonexistent word, as supported by the LXX.
236 tn Or “territory”; see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:715.
237 tc The grammar is awkward, though the presence of these words is supported by the versions. L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:274) suggests that it is an explanatory gloss.
sn One portion for Ephraim, the other for Manasseh (Gen 48:17-20).
238 sn Gen 15:9-21.
239 tn Heb “will fall to you as an inheritance.”
240 sn The measurements resemble those in Num 34:1-2.
241 tn Or “valley.” The syntax is difficult. Some translate “to the river,” others “from the river”; in either case the preposition is supplied for the sake of English.
242 sn A similar attitude toward non-Israelites is found in Isa 56:3-8.
243 sn The tribes descended from Jacob’s maidservants are placed farthest from the sanctuary. See Gen 30.
244 sn The tribe from which the Davidic prince would come is given the most prestigious allotment (see Gen 49:8-12).
245 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
246 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
247 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
248 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
249 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
250 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
251 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
252 tn Heb “strayed off.”
253 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
254 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
255 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
256 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
257 tn Or “holy.”
258 tn Heb “five thousand cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
259 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
260 tn Heb “four thousand five hundred cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
261 tn Heb “two hundred fifty cubits” (i.e., 131.25 meters); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
262 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers); the phrase occurs again later in this verse.
263 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
264 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
265 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
266 tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The word “Egypt” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
267 tn Heb “four thousand five hundred cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs again in vv. 32-34.
268 sn See Rev 21:12-14.
269 tn Heb “eighteen thousand cubits” (i.e., 9.45 kilometers).
270 sn See Rev 21:12-21.
