1The glory of God returneth into the temple. 7God promiseth to dwell there, if the people will put away their sins. 10In order to incite them to repentance, the prophet sheweth them the model and law of the house. 13The measures of the altar; 18the ordinances thereof.
1AFTERWARD he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2And, behold, the 1glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his 2voice was like a noisea of 3many waters: and the earth 4shined with his glory.
1 Which was removed from the temple previously. See Ezek. 1:28; 10:4, 18, 19 with the annotations. Compare Mal. 3:1.
2 Or, sound, noise.
a Ezek. 1:24.
3 Or, great. Compare Ezek. 1:24, where the majesty of God appeared as the majesty of a judge, as here on the contrary was a token of grace and mercy, when the glory of God returned to dwell in His own house, and thus to restore it fully and perfectly, and to bless it. See the sequel.
4 Hebr. gave light, or shined. Compare Rev. 18:1; 21:23. See Isa. 60:19, 20, etc.; Mat. 4:16; Acts 13:47; 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6, etc. Some understand that the light is here opposed to the cloud of the Old Testament. See 1 Kings 8:10, 11, 12.
3And 5it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the visionb that I saw when I came to 6destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I 7fell upon my face.
5 Or, it was as the appearance of the vision.
b Ezek. 1:4; 8:4.
6 That is, when God sent me to declare in His Name the destruction of Jerusalem, upon which the destruction would certainly follow. See Ezekiel 9; 10. Compare Jer. 1 on verse 10. The prophet wants to say, that the same God did here manifest Himself in grace and favor, Who had shown Himself there in great wrath and indignation.
7 See Ezek. 1 on verse 28. Also Ezek. 44:4.
4And the glory of the LORD came into the 8house by the way of the gate whose 9prospect is toward the east.
8 That is, the temple.
9 Hebr. whose face was of the way, etc., as it was separated through the east-gate out of the previous old temple (see Ezek. 10:19), for to reside afterward in the new. See 2 Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5. Likewise Hag. 2:7, 8, 9. The christian reader may also compare Luke 1:78, 19.
5So the 10spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD 11filled the house.
10 See Ezek. 2:2; 3:12; 8:3, with the annotations.
11 Compare Exod. 40:34, 35; 1 Kings 8:10, 11; Isa. 6:1; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1, 2; 66:18, 19; Ezek. 44:4; Hab. 2:14; Hag. 2:7, 9; Zech. 2:5; Mat. 17:5; John 1:14; 12:41; 1 Cor. 15:28; 2 Thes. 1:10; 2 Peter 1:16, 17, 18; Rev. 15:8; 21:23; 22:5.
6And I heard 12him speaking unto me out of the house; and 13the man stood by me.
12 Namely, the LORD, Whose glory filled the temple, in the previous verse; and Who speaks unto the prophet in the next verse. Compare Ezek. 1:28; 2:1.
13 Other, a man. See Ezek. 40 on verse 3.
7¶And 14he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the 15place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel 16for ever, and 17my holy name, shall 18the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their 19whoredom, nor by the 20carcasesc of their kings 21in their high places.
14 The LORD, Who talked with me out of the house, as is said in the previous verse.
15 Compare Lev. 26:11, 12; Isa. 60:13. See John 14:23; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19; Rev. 21:3; 22:3, etc.
16 See Jer. 31:32, 33, 36; 32:40; 33:20, 21, 25, 26, etc.
17 Hebr. the name of my holiness; also in the sequel.
18 Hebr. the house of Israel shall, etc. The sum is: By the gracious indwelling of My Holy Spirit, I will cause that My spiritual Israel (that is, My church) shall serve me holily, and be estranged from all that is repugnant thereunto, especially from all idolatry, whereof some kinds are related in the sequel of the abominations which the people of God had committed in Canaan. This may in a manner be applied (according to some) to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah after the deliverance of the Jews out of Babel, (although those men of God had to strive continually against many gross mistakes of the people, and the Jews afterward from time to time grew still worse and worse, as appeared about the time of Christ’s coming), but all this looks principally to the time of the Messiah, and the sending forth of His Spirit, and shall be fully accomplished in the life to come, in the heavenly Canaan, Rev. 21:27; 22:3, etc.
19 That is, idolatry, all kinds of superstition, self-willed human inventions and traditions in the service of God. See Lev. 17 on verse 7; Lev. 20 on verse 5.
20 That is, as some conceive, by the bodies of some deceased kings who were buried about the temple. Others understand hereby the bodies of those men whom they had slain and sacrificed to the honor of their idols, which idols they, in an heathenish way, were wont to call their kings, especially that Molech or Milcom or Malcam or Melech, etc., that had the name from thence; for, Melech signifies king. See Lev. 18:21; Jer. 48:7. 49:1; Amos 1:15; 5:26, with the annotations. Some understand it of the idols themselves, which are justly called carcasses, because they are without life, and as filthy rotten carcass stink before God. See Lev. 26:30; Jer. 16:18, with the annotations.
c Jer. 16:18.
21 Or, and their high places, so that the high places (as often) are taken for a special kind of idolatry.
8In their setting of 22their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the 23wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
22 That is, impudently brought into and committed in Mine house all manner of idolatry, superstition and traditions of men, intending thus to serve Me and the devil together, to build temple by or in temple, as it were in spite of Me. Compare herewith Ezekiel 8, and especially verses 7, 8, 9 and 10, etc., and further 2 Kings 16:14; 21:7; Ezek. 23:39.
23 See Ezek. 8:8, 9. Other, and made a wall between me and between them, that is, separated themselves from Me by their abominations. See Isa. 59:2.
924Now let them put away their whoredom, and the 25carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
24 At the time of this new temple, when I shall bestow upon My people the aforesaid grace by the Messiah.
25 As verse 7.
10¶Thou son of man, shew 26the house to the house of Israel, that they may be 27ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the 28pattern.
26 That is, the vision of the appearance of this house, and show them the purpose and explanation thereof. See Ezek. 40:4.
27 By the consideration of their unworthiness (as follows) and this My abundant, undeserved, incomprehensible mercy, which I promise My people, and will thus surely perform hereafter when I have shown thee this new building, and they shall by thee receive its pattern, and be able to perceive clearly by all that, it is no device or invention of thine, but My work.
28 Or, the shape, having its due proportion, fashion or form, measure, etc. (compare 2 Chron. 24 on verse 13), such as thou at present has seen it.
11And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, 29shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and 30write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
29The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them …, Psalm 25:14, but not for dogs and swine, Mat. 7:6.
30 That is, picture or portray it unto them, and describe it, in order that by true repentance they may seek to be living stones of this building, and likewise My spiritual house, etc. See Eph. 2:20, 21, 22; 1 Peter 2:4, 5.
12This is the law of the house; Upon the 31top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be 32most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
31 Hebr. head. Some conceive that God thus secretly points to the Jerusalem, which is above, Gal. 4:26. Compare Psalm 15:1; Mat. 5:14; Heb. 12:22.
32 That is, most holy, a most holy place; because the Lord had now hallowed all things by the glory of the Lord, or the Father and the Son had taken up their habitation there by the Holy Spirit, sanctifying all the elect; howbeit the church militant initially and in part, by degrees and measures, but the triumphant perfectly and completely.
13¶And these are the measures of the 33altar after the 34cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the 35bottom shall be a 36cubit, and the 37breadth a cubit, and the 38border thereof by the 39edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher 40place of the altar.
33 Understand the altar of burnt offering, typifying the Lord Christ with His one and only expiatory sacrifice, wherewith all the faithful, in the four corners of the world, have fellowship, likewise in and upon which they offer unto God their spiritual sacrifices. See Heb. 13:10; 1 Peter 2:5.
34 See Ezek. 40:5.
35 Or, bosom, that is, the foot or bottom, which beneath compassed about, and received (as it were) into its bosom all that rested upon it, and fastened and upheld the same. See the next verse and verse 17.
36 Understand in height.
37 That is, thickness.
38 Or, and the end thereof. Hebr. the border thereof, that is, the uttermost part of this bosom.
39 Hebr. lip.
40 That is, the lowest parts, the support of all the rest, as when one lies upon his back.
14And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower 41settledshall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
41 That is, last sticking out, compassing about, and as it were butting forth. Hebr. help.
d base, pedestal, ledge*
15So the 42altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four 43horns.
42 That is, the hearth, gridiron or place above upon the altar, where the wood and the sacrifices were laid and burnt, called Harel, that is, the mountain of God, by reason of its height (as some conceive), because they went up to it by steps, verse 17, and Ariel, that is, the lion of God, because it consumed the offerings as a strong lion that devours all that comes before him. See Isa. 29 on verse 1, and compare Exod. 27:4, with the annotation. As such is our Altar (the Lord Christ) in truth as a mountain of God, to where all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, go for refuge and ascend, and the lion of God, out of Judah, Who consumes and devours all who sets itself against us. See Isa. 2:2, 3; 60:7; 63:1, etc.; Rev. 5:5.
43 Compare Exod. 27:2 with the annotation.
16And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four 44squares thereof.
44 Hebr. four quadrangles, or four squares, or four squarenesses; as Ezek. 1:8, see there. Also in the following verse.
17And the 45settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the 46bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.
45 Or, every settle.
46 As verse 13.
18¶And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances 47of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
47 Which concerns the altar, that were to be observed both in the making of it, and in its ministry.
19And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of 48Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a 49young bullock for a sin offering.
48 See Ezek. 40:46; 44:15, etc.
49 Hebr. a son of a bullock; also in the sequel.
20And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou 50cleanse and purge it.
50 Forasmuch as neither altar nor sacrifice had of themselves any ceremonial cleanness or holiness, neither would bring any of it to the person who was unclean, therefore all things were first to be purged and consecrated by blood, typifying the spiritual purging of our consciences, worship services and heavenly things by the precious blood of our Lord Christ, of which application or appropriation the ministers of Christ, as His instruments, are at our service by the sincere preaching of the Holy Gospel concerning Christ crucified, and the administration of the holy sacraments, prayers, etc., as the Levitical priests did in the time of the ceremonial law. See Heb. 9:9–24; 2 Cor. 3:6; 4:5, 7; Gal. 3:1, etc. Compare Ezek. 40 on verse 39.
21Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the 51appointed place of the house, 52without the sanctuary.
51 Or, commanded.
52 Compare Heb. 13:11, 12.
22And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
23When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast 53salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
53 Compare Lev. 2 on verse 13; Num. 18 on verse 19; 2 Chron. 13 on verse 5. Further Mat. 5:13; Mark 9:49, 50; Col. 4:6.
25Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they 54shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
54 Other, as they, etc., shall have prepared.
26Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall 55consecrate themselves.
55 That is, dedicate and consecrate it to an holy use. Compare Lev. 7 on verse 37; 8:33, etc. Other, they shall every one fill his hands, that is, hallow and consecrate themselves for the offering of sacrifice upon the altar.
27And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make 56your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD.
56 See on verse 20; Ezek. 40 on verse 39.