Bible Commentaries

Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.

The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened ... And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate. The prince is to go through the east gate without (open on the Sabbath only, to mark its special sanctity) to the entrance of the gate of the inner court: he is to go no further, but "stand by the post" (cf. 1 Kings 8:14; 1 Kings 8:22, Solomon standing before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the congregation; also 2 Kings 11:14, The king stood by a pillar, as the manner was; 2 Kings 23:3). This was therefore the customary place, the court within belonging exclusively to the priests. There, as representative of the people, in a peculiarly near relation to God, he is to present his offerings to Yahweh, while at a greater distance the people are to stand worshipping at the outer gate of the same entrance. The offerings on Sabbaths are larger than those of the Mosaic law, to imply that the worship of God is to be conducted by the prince and people in a more munificent spirit of self-sacrificing liberality than formerly.

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.

No JFB commentary on these verses. Ezekiel 46:9

But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he 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.

When the people of the land shall come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate. The worshippers were on the great feasts to pass from one side to the other, through the temple courts, in order that, in such a throng as should attend the festivals, the ingress and egress should be the more unimpeded, those going out not being in the way of those coming in.

And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.

The prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in - not isolated, as at other times, but joining the great throng of worshippers, at their head, after the example of David ( Psalms 42:4, "I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday"); the highest in rank animating the devotions of the rest by his presence and example.

And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he 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.

Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering, or peace offerings voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east ... then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate. Not only is he to perform official acts of worship on holy days and feasts, but in "voluntary" offerings daily he is to show his individual zeal, surpassing all his people in liberality, and so setting them a princely example. The prince goes forth on the most solemn occasions, not only holy days, but when offering extraordinary sacrifices, through the gate looking toward the east, whereby the God of Israel entered in, because of the prince's close connection with Messiah, whose representative he shall be. Compare Ezekiel 44:2-3, notes.

Thus saith the Lord GOD If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.

If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons' ... but if he give a gift ... to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince. The prince's possession is to be inalienable, and any portion given to a servant is to revert to his sons at the year of jubilee, that he may have no temptation to spoil his people of their inheritance as formerly (cf. the case of Ahab and Naboth's vineyard, 1 Kings 21:1-29.) The mention of the year of jubilee implies that there is something literal meant, besides the spiritual sense. The jubilee year was restored after the captivity. (Josephus' 'Antiquities,' 14: 10, 6; 1 Maccabees 6:49.) Perhaps it will be restored under Messiah's coming reign. Compare Isaiah 61:2-3 , where "the acceptable year of the Lord" is closely connected with the comforting of the mourners in Zion, and "the day of vengeance" on Zion's foes. The mention of the prince's sons is another argument against Messiah being meant by "the prince."

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.

He brought me ... into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward. Due regard is to be had for the sanctity of the officiating priest's food, by cooking courts being provided close to their chambers. One set of apartments for cooking was to be at the corners of the inner court, reserved for the flesh of the sin offered, to be eaten only by the priests, whose perquisite it was ( Leviticus 6:25; Leviticus 7:7), before coming forth to mingle again with the people; another set of apartments was to be at the corners of the outer court, for cooking the flesh of the peace offerings, of which the people partook along with the priests. All this implies that no longer are the common and unclean to be confounded with the sacred and divine, but that in even the least things, as eating and drinking, the glory of God is to be the aim ( 1 Corinthians 10:31 ).

Verse 22. There were courts joined - Fairbairn translates, 'roofed' or 'vaulted' [q***