Ezekiel 44

King James Version

Full text for Ezekiel Chapter 44

1¶ Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it [was] shut.

2Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

3[It is] for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of [that] gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

4¶ Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.

5And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

6And thou shalt say to the rebellious, [even] to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

7In that ye have brought [into my sanctuary] strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, [even] my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

8And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

9Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that [is] among the children of Israel.

10¶ And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.

11Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, [having] charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.

12Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.

13And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy [place]: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.

14But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

15But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:

16They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

17¶ And it shall come to pass, [that] when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.

18They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird [themselves] with any thing that causeth sweat.

19And when they go forth into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

20Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.

21Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

22Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.

23And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

24And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; [and] they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

25And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

26And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.

27And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord GOD.

28And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I [am] their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I [am] their possession.

29They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.

30And the first of all the firstfruits of all [things], and every oblation of all, of every [sort] of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.

31The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Ezekiel is shown the eastern gate of the sanctuary, which is permanently shut because the Lord entered through it, though the prince may eat bread there. The chapter then details the exclusion of uncircumcised strangers from the sanctuary and the demotion of Levites who strayed. In contrast, the faithful sons of Zadok are elevated to priestly duties, with specific ordinances established for their attire, conduct, and inheritance.

Medium Summary

Ezekiel is first shown the eastern gate of the outer sanctuary, which the Lord declares shall remain shut because He entered through it, though the prince is permitted to sit there to eat bread. The prophet is then brought to the north gate, where he witnesses the glory of the Lord filling the house and is instructed to heed all ordinances. The Lord condemns the house of Israel for bringing uncircumcised strangers into the sanctuary, polluting it, and breaking His covenant, thus forbidding any such stranger from entering. The Levites who strayed after idols are demoted from priestly duties, instead serving as gatekeepers and ministers for the people, bearing their iniquity. In contrast, the faithful priests, the sons of Zadok, are chosen to minister directly to the Lord, offering the fat and blood. Detailed regulations for these Zadokite priests are given, covering their linen garments, personal conduct, marriage, teaching responsibilities, and specific allowances regarding defilement by the dead. Their inheritance is declared to be the Lord Himself, sustained by offerings and firstfruits.

Long Summary

The vision in Ezekiel 44 begins with the prophet being led back to the eastern gate of the outward sanctuary, which is found to be shut. The Lord declares that this gate shall remain permanently shut because He, the God of Israel, entered through it, signifying its sacred and unique status. However, an exception is made for the prince, who is permitted to sit within the porch of this gate to eat bread before the Lord, entering and exiting by the same way. Ezekiel is then brought to the north gate, where he observes the overwhelming glory of the Lord filling the house, causing him to fall upon his face. The Lord instructs Ezekiel to carefully observe and hear all the ordinances and laws concerning the sanctuary, emphasizing the importance of understanding its entrances and exits. A stern rebuke is issued to the rebellious house of Israel for their abominations, specifically for allowing uncircumcised strangers, both in heart and flesh, to enter and pollute the sanctuary, thereby breaking God's covenant. Therefore, a strict decree is given that no uncircumcised stranger shall ever enter the sanctuary. The chapter then addresses the Levites who had strayed from the Lord after their idols when Israel went astray. These unfaithful Levites are to bear their iniquity and are demoted from the highest priestly functions; they are permitted to serve as ministers in the sanctuary, having charge of the gates, slaying burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people, but they are forbidden from drawing near to the Lord to perform the office of a priest or to handle the most holy things. Instead, they are assigned to be keepers of the charge of the house for all its general service. In contrast, the priests, the sons of Zadok, who remained faithful and kept the charge of the sanctuary when Israel went astray, are chosen to come near to the Lord to minister to Him, offering the fat and the blood. They alone shall enter the sanctuary and approach the Lord's table, keeping His charge. Specific ordinances are then laid out for these Zadokite priests: they must wear linen garments when entering the inner court, avoiding wool, and changing these holy garments before going out to the people. They are commanded to poll their heads, not shave or let their hair grow long, and are forbidden from drinking wine while ministering. Their marriage is restricted to maidens of Israel or a priest's widow. Their duties include teaching the people the difference between the holy and profane, judging controversies according to God's judgments, and hallowing the Sabbaths. Rules regarding defilement by the dead are also given, allowing it only for immediate family members. Finally, their inheritance is declared to be the Lord Himself, with no land possession in Israel, and they are sustained by the various offerings and firstfruits of the people.

Core Concepts

  • The Shut Eastern GateThe eastern gate of the outer sanctuary is to remain permanently shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, entered through it, signifying its unique sanctity. Only the prince is permitted to sit within its porch to eat bread before the Lord.
  • Exclusion of Uncircumcised StrangersThe Lord condemns Israel for allowing uncircumcised foreigners, both in heart and flesh, to enter and pollute His sanctuary. A strict decree is issued that no such stranger shall ever again enter the holy place.
  • Demotion of Unfaithful LevitesLevites who had strayed after idols are demoted from priestly duties, bearing their iniquity. They are assigned to lesser roles such as gatekeepers and ministers for the people, but are forbidden from directly ministering to the Lord in the most holy places.
  • Elevation of Zadokite PriestsThe priests, the sons of Zadok, who remained faithful to the Lord when Israel went astray, are chosen to be the exclusive ministers to the Lord. They are granted the privilege of drawing near to Him, offering sacrifices, and entering the sanctuary.
  • Priestly Ordinances and ConductDetailed regulations are established for the Zadokite priests, covering their linen attire, personal grooming (polled heads), abstinence from wine during service, marriage restrictions, and rules for ritual purity concerning the dead.
  • Teaching and Judging ResponsibilitiesThe Zadokite priests are tasked with teaching the people the distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the clean and the unclean. They are also to serve as judges in controversies, adhering to God's judgments and upholding His laws and Sabbaths.
  • Divine Inheritance of PriestsThe Lord declares Himself to be the inheritance and possession of the faithful priests, the sons of Zadok. They are to receive no land in Israel but are to be sustained by the meat offerings, sin offerings, trespass offerings, dedicated things, and firstfruits from the people.