Ezechiel xlvi.
Notes & Commentary:
Ver. 2. Prince. After the captivity, although the race of David continued in Salathiel, Zorobabel, &c., yet they had not the state of kings. Hence Christians, R. David and other Jews, understand this of the Messias and the rites of his Church, with a literal allusion to the old law. (Worthington) — Without, not proceeding into the court of the priests, chap. xliv. 2.
Ver. 4. Six. Moses only prescribed two lambs for every day, Numbers xxviii. 9.
Ver. 5. Sacrifice. See chap. xlv. 24. Flour and oil accompanied the victim. When lambs were presented, this was left to the prince’s devotion (ver. 7, 11.; Calmet) only. If he gave three or four ephies of flour, he must give as many hins of oil. (Haydock)
Ver. 6. Calf. Moses orders two, and seven lambs, Numbers xxviii. 11. (Calmet) — The rams. Hebrew, “a ram. They shall,” &c. (Haydock)
Ver. 9. It, perhaps to avoid confusion, (Menochius) and turning the back on the temple, (Calmet) or to exercise their obedience. As many might enter by one gate as by another, and thus the concourse would not be diminished. (Haydock)
Ver. 10. Out. The prince went in and out by the same gate, (ver. 8.) and might order that on the east to be opened when he had to offer a voluntary sacrifice. In other respects he was like a simple Israelite, and was to attend the temple and use the same gates as the rest. Before, the kings had a gate on the west leading to their palace. But this was no longer to subsist, and the palace was to be far removed, chap. xlviii. 21.
Ver. 11. Solemnities. Hebrew, “on feasts and on days of meeting.” (Calmet) — Sacrifice: mincha, ver. 7., and chap. xlv. 24. (Haydock)
Ver. 13. Morning. That for the evening had the same ceremonies, Leviticus vi. 9.
Ver. 14. By. Cata seems to be taken (Calmet) from the Greek kata, “according to,” or by, ver. 15. (Haydock)
Ver. 17. Sons. If any portion of his land was made over to them, it still remained in the family; but if any other had a present of it, the land must revert to the royal family, agreeably to the law, Leviticus xxv. 10. (Calmet) — This insinuates that works done by the true children of God, in the state of grace, merit an eternal reward, while moral good works performed in the state of sin, can only have a temporal one. (Worthington)
Ver. 19. Gate, on the north, chap. xliv. 4. — West. At this corner was the kitchen for victims, which could only be eaten in the inner court. If they had been brought into that without, the people would have become unclean; as it is equally wrong to touch holy or impure things when they are forbidden, chap. xliv. 19. There were four other kitchens for the people who might choose to eat their peace-offerings, ver. 24. (Calmet)
Ver. 22. Little. Hebrew, “courts joined;” (Protestants) or marginal note, “made with chimneys,” (Haydock) or “smoked,” as no chimneys were used. Septuagint, “little courts,” as they have read differently. (Calmet) — Vulgate unites both meanings. (Haydock)
Ver. 24. Kitchens. Septuagint, “porticoes,” or rather (Calmet) “boiling places;” (Protestants) and ver. 24. (Haydock)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
Other ordinances for the prince and for the sacrifices.
1 Thus saith the Lord God: The gate of the inner court, that looketh toward the east, shall be shut the six days on which work is done; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened; yea, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate from without, and he shall stand at the threshold of the gate: and the priests shall offer his holocaust, and his peace-offerings: and he shall adore upon the threshold of the gate, and shall go out: but the gate shall not be shut till the evening.
3 And the people of the land shall adore at the door of that gate before the Lord, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons.
4 And the holocaust that the prince shall offer to the Lord on the sabbath day, shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
5 And the sacrifice of an ephi for a ram: but for the lambs what sacrifice his hand shall allow: and a hin of oil for every ephi.
6 And on the day of the new moon a calf of the herd without blemish: and the six lambs, and the rams shall be without blemish.
7 And he shall offer in sacrifice an ephi for a calf, an ephi also for a ram: but for the lambs, as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil for every ephi.
8 And when the prince is to go in, let him go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and let him go out the same way.
9 But when the people of the land shall go in before the Lord, in the solemn feasts, he that goeth in by the north gate to adore, shall go out by the way of the south gate: and he that goeth in by the way of the south gate, shall go out by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go out at that over-against it.
10 And the prince in the midst of them, shall go in when they go in, and go out when they go out.
11 And in the fairs, and in the solemnities, there shall be the sacrifice of an ephi to a calf, and an ephi to a ram: and to the lambs, the sacrifice shall be as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil to every ephi.
12 But when the prince shall offer a voluntary holocaust, or voluntary peace-offerings to the Lord: the gate that looketh towards the east shall be opened to him, and he shall offer his holocaust, and his peace-offerings, as it is wont to be done on the sabbath day: and he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he is gone forth.
13 And he shall offer every day for a holocaust to the Lord, a lamb of the same year without blemish: he shall offer it always in the morning.
14 And he shall offer the sacrifice for it morning by morning, the sixth part of ephi: and the third part of a bin of oil, to be mingled with the fine flour: a sacrifice to the Lord by ordinance, continual and everlasting.
15 He shall offer the lamb, and the sacrifice, and the oil, morning by morning: an everlasting holocaust.
16 Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons: the inheritance of it shall go to his children, they shall possess it by inheritance.
17 But if he give a legacy out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of release, and it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall go to his sons.
18 And the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by violence, nor of their possession: but out of his own possession he shall give an inheritance to his sons: that my people be not dispersed every man from his possession.
19 And he brought me in by the entry, that was at the side of the gate, into the chambers of the sanctuary that were for the priests, which looked toward the north. And there was a place bending to the west.
20 And he said to me: This is the place where the priests shall boil the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering: where they shall dress the sacrifice, that they may not bring it out into the outward court, and the people be sanctified.
21 And he brought me into the outward court, and he led me about by the four corners of the court: and behold there was a little court in the corner of the court, to every corner of the court there was a little court.
22 In the four corners of the court were little courts disposed, forty cubits long, and thirty broad: all the four were of one measure.
23 And there was a wall round about compassing the four little courts, and there were kitchens built under the rows round about.
24 And he said to me: This is the house of the kitchens wherein the ministers of the house of the Lord shall boil the victims of the people.