1 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.

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: then 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 offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lord in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.

And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

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.

And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

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 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.

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

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

12 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.

13 Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.

14 And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the Lord.

15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering.

16 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.

17 But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.

18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.

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.

Commentary

Verse 1

McArther Bible Commentary
This section further discusses offerings and deals with: (1) Sabbath and New Moon (Eze 46:1-8); (2) appointed feast days (Eze 46:9-11); (3) voluntary offerings (Eze 46:12); and (4) daily sacrifices (Eze 46:13-15). Cf. Num 28:1-15 for a summary of former, Mosaic details.
Bible Cross References
Exodus 20:9 1 Chronicles 9:18 Isaiah 66:23 Ezekiel 8:16 Ezekiel 10:3 Ezekiel 40:19 Ezekiel 43:1 Ezekiel 44:1 Ezekiel 44:2 Ezekiel 45:17 Ezekiel 45:18 Ezekiel 45:19 Ezekiel 46:3 Ezekiel 46:6 Ezekiel 46:12

Verse 2

McArther Bible Commentary
The prince. See note on Eze 44:3. He appears five times (Eze 46:2, Eze 46:4, Eze 46:8, Eze 46:10, Eze 46:12) in regard to sacrifices. He is to be an example of spiritual integrity to the people (cf. Eze 46:10).
Bible Cross References
1 Chronicles 9:18 Ezekiel 40:19 Ezekiel 40:39 Ezekiel 44:3 Ezekiel 45:19 Ezekiel 46:8 Ezekiel 46:12

Verse 3

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
In the sabbaths - Both weekly and other holy days, which are called sabbaths.
Bible Cross References
Luke 1:10 Ezekiel 46:1

Verse 4

Bible Cross References
Numbers 28:9 Ezekiel 45:17

Verse 5

Bible Cross References
Numbers 28:12 Ezekiel 45:24 Ezekiel 46:7 Ezekiel 46:11

Verse 6

McArther Bible Commentary
New Moon. Israel's calendar was lunar, so the feasts were reckoned according to the phases of the moon.
Bible Cross References
Numbers 28:11 Isaiah 66:23 Ezekiel 46:1

Verse 7

Bible Cross References
Leviticus 14:21 Numbers 28:11 Deuteronomy 16:17 Ezekiel 46:5 Ezekiel 46:11

Verse 8

McArther Bible Commentary
When the prince enters. He does not normally use the eastern gate itself, which is for the Lord (Eze 44:2). Rather, he enters and exits by the gate's vestibule. However, verse Eze 46:12 permits his use of the gate for free-will offerings.
Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 44:3 Ezekiel 46:2

Verse 9

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Go forth over against it - Perhaps, only to prevent all jostling and confusion.
McArther Bible Commentary
the people. The people's entering and exiting for temple worship are to be done in an orderly flow to prevent congestion, since all will be present (cf. Deu 16:16).
Bible Cross References
Exodus 34:23 Psalm 84:7 Ezekiel 8:14 Ezekiel 40:24 Micah 6:6

Verse 10

McArther Bible Commentary
The prince. He sets the example of worship for the people.
Bible Cross References
2 Samuel 6:14 2 Samuel 6:15 1 Chronicles 29:20 1 Chronicles 29:22 2 Chronicles 6:3 2 Chronicles 7:4 Psalm 42:4

Verse 11

Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 45:17 Ezekiel 46:5 Ezekiel 46:7

Verse 12

Bible Cross References
Leviticus 23:38 2 Chronicles 29:31 Ezekiel 44:3 Ezekiel 45:17 Ezekiel 46:1 Ezekiel 46:2

Verse 13

McArther Bible Commentary
daily. The testimony of the OT is that to remove the continual, burnt offering meant an abolition of public worship (cf. Dan 8:11-13; Dan 11:31; Dan 12:11).
Bible Cross References
Exodus 29:39 Numbers 28:3 Isaiah 50:4

Verse 14

Bible Cross References
Numbers 28:5 Daniel 8:11

Verse 15

Bible Cross References
Exodus 29:42 Numbers 28:6

Verse 16

McArther Bible Commentary
a gift. This explains inheritance laws governing the prince. A gift to one of his sons is permanent (Eze 46:16), but a gift to a servant lasts only to the year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year (cf. Lev 25:10-13), and then it returns to him (Eze 46:17).
Bible Cross References
2 Chronicles 21:3 Ezekiel 45:7

Verse 17

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
His inheritance - Whatever lands of the prince are given to servants, shall at the year of Jubilee revert to the sons of the prince. For them - And to theirs after them.
McArther Bible Commentary
the year of liberty. The year of Jubilee.
Bible Cross References
Leviticus 25:10 Ezekiel 46:18

Verse 18

McArther Bible Commentary
the prince shall not take any … inheritance. As in Eze 45:8-9, the prince is not to confiscate others' property to enlarge his own holdings, as often occurred in Israel's history when rulers became rich by making others poor (cf. 1 Kin. 21).
Bible Cross References
1 Samuel 8:14 1 Kings 21:3 1 Kings 21:19 Ezekiel 22:27 Ezekiel 45:8 Micah 2:1 Micah 2:2

Verse 19

McArther Bible Commentary
chambers. The priests' kitchen chambers are convenient for managing their parts of the offerings and cooking sacrificial meals for worshipers, possibly close to the inner east gate. The "ministers of the temple" (Eze 46:24) are not the priests, but temple servants.
Bible Cross References
Genesis 13:14 Ezekiel 42:4 Ezekiel 42:9 Ezekiel 44:5

Verse 20

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The outer court - Where the people were.
Bible Cross References
Leviticus 2:4 2 Chronicles 35:13 Ezekiel 44:19 Ezekiel 44:29 Ezekiel 46:21 Zechariah 14:20

Verse 21

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
A court - A smaller court made up on the outer sides with the walls of the greater square, and on the inside made with two walls, the one forty cubits long, the other thirty cubits broad.
Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 40:17 Ezekiel 46:20 Ezekiel 46:22

Verse 22

Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 46:21 Ezekiel 46:23

Verse 23

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
A row of building - A range of building on the inside of the walls of the lesser courts. Four - Four courts in the four corners.
Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 46:22 Ezekiel 46:24

Verse 24

Bible Cross References
Ezekiel 46:23 Ezekiel 47:1