The glory of the Lord is represented as returning to the temple, 1-6; lohere God promises to fix his residence, ij the people repent and forsake those sins which caused him to depart from them, 7-12. Then the measures of the altar, and the ordinances relating to it, are set down, 13-27.
^FTERWARD he brought me to the gate, even the gate
2 >' And, behold, the glory of the (xod of Israel came from the way of the east: and " his voice loas like a noise of many waters: "^ and the earth shined with his glory.
3 And it was " according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw ' when I came e to destroy the city: and the visions ivere like the vision that I saw ^ by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4 ' And the glory of the Lord came into the
Verse 2. The glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east] This was the chariot of cherubim, wheels. &c., which he saw at the river Chebar. And this glory, coming from the east, is going to enter into the eastern gate of the temple, and thence to shine out upon the whole earth. Is there not a mystery here 1.Vll knowledge, all religion, and all arts and sciences, have travelled, according to the course of the sun, from EAST TO WEST! From that quarter the Divine glory at first came; and thence the rays of Divine light contmue to diffuse themselves over the face of the earth. From thence came the Bible, and through that the new covenant. From thence came the prophets, the apostles, and the first missionaries, that brought the knowledge of God to Europe, to the isles of the sea, and to the west first, and afterwards to these northern regions.
Verse 5. The spirit took me up] And, to follow his thought for a moment, how many men has this neavenly Spirit taken up; filled them with his own influence, and sent them to every country, and nation, and tongue, and people, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God, and to preach among the Gentiles the house by the way of the gate ^- M- 3430. whose prospect is toward the east. Olymp' Li.'a.
5 ''So the spirit took me up, ServirTuUii, and brought me into the inner ^ Koman.. 5. court; and, behold, ' the glory of the Lord filled the house.
6 And I heard hi?n speaking unto me out of the house; and " the man stood by me.
7 And he said unto me. Son of man, " the place of my throne, and "the place of the soles of ray feet, p where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall the house of Israel i no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their
unsearchable riches of Christ! What spiritual temples have been raised, beautified, and filled with the glory of God! And this light is shining and burning more and more unto the perfect day, when the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God!
Verse 7. Son of man, the place of my throne] The throne refers to his majesty; the soles of his feet, to his condescension in dwelling among men.
Where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel] The tabernacle and temple were types of the incarnation of Jesus Christ: " Destroy this temple, and after three days I will raise it up; — but this he spake of the temple of his body;" John ii. 19, 21. And in th.\t temple " dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Into this immaculate humanity did the glory of the Supreme God enter; and thus, " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." And this Jesus is Immanuel, God tcith us. In bin? we find united the ineffable majesty of God, with the abjectness of man. He humbled himself in human nature, not only to bear the form of a servant, but to suffer death upon the cross as a malefactor slave! But by these means he has purchased eternal redemption for us; and the spiritual Israel, who find redemption
their post by my posts, ' and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I liave consumed them in mine anger.
9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and "the carcasses of their kings, far from me, ^ and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
10 Thou son of man, " show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of ihehr iniquities: and let them measure the " pattern.
11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show 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 lavv^s thereof: and write it in their sight, that they
may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
12 This is the law of the house; Upon ^ the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of tiie house.
13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: ^ The cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth; even the " bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the ^ edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.
14 And from the bottom upon the ground eve7i to the lower settle shall 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.
15 So ■= the altar shall be four cubits; and from ^ the altar and upward shall be four horns.
1 6 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.
in his blood, shall be laised up wherever his holy name shall be proclaimed; and shall not, like the old apostate Israel, drfile that great name by idolatry or a life of wickedness, but they shall show forth the virtues of Him who has called them from darkness into his marvellous light.
Verse 8. In their setting of their threshold] They had even gone so far as to set up their idol altars by those of Jehovah; so that their abominable idols were found in the very house of God! therefore, " he consumed them in his anger."
' And the carcasses of their kings] It appears that God was displeased with their bri/iging their kings so near his temple. David was buried in the city of David, which was on Mount Zion, near to the temple; and so were almost all the kings of Judah; but God requires that the place of his temple and its vicinity shall be kept unpolluted; and when they put away all kinds of defilement, then will he dwell among
Verse 10. Shoie the house to the house of Israet] Show them this holy house where the holy God dwells, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Their name, their profession, their temple, their religious services, all bound them to a holy life; all within them, all without them, should have been holiness unto the Lord. But alas! they have been bound by no ties, and they have sinned against all their obligations; nevertheless, let them measure the pattern, let them see the rule by which they should have walked, and let them measure themselves by this standard, and walk accordingly.
Verse 11. And if they be ashamed] If, in a spirit of true repentance, they acknowledge their past transgressions, and purpose in his help never more to offend their God, then teach them every thing that concerns my worship, and their profiting by it.
Verse 12. T/ns is the law of the house] From the top of the mountain on which it stands, to the bottom, all round about, all shall be holy; no buildings shall be erected in any part, nor place nor spot be appropriated to a common use; all shall be considered as being most holy.
Verse 13. The cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth] It is the same cubit by which all the previous admeasurements were made, and was a hand breadth or /««r inches longer than the Babylonian cubit.
And from the altar] VN^xn01 nmihaariel, " and from the lion of God." Perhaps the first was a n.ame given to the allar when elevated to the honour of God, and on which the victims were offered to him; and the second, the lion of God, may mean the hearth, which might have been thus called, because it devoured and consumed the burnt-offerings, as a lion does his prey. See on Isa. x.\ix. 1.
Olymp. LI. 3. squares thereof; and the border Semi Tullii, about it sJiaJl be half a cubit; and R. Roman., 5. j]jg bottom thereof shall be a cubit
about; and ' his stairs shall look toward the east.
18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day wlien they shall make it, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, and *o *^ sprinkle blood thereon.
1 9 And thou shalt give to? the priests tlie Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approacli unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God, ^ a young bullock for a sinoffering.
20 And 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 cleanse and purge it.
21 Tiiou shalt take the bullock also of the sin-offering, and he ' shall bum it in the appointed place of the house, ''without the sanctuary.
priests walked round the altar, see ver. 14. By these settles or ledges the altar was narrowed towards the top. " The ascent shall look toward the east;" this ascent was an inclined plane. But these settles, or more properly ledges, as Bp. Newcome translates, may be thus computed. The altar itself was ten feet high and twenty broad; the same as that of Solomon, 2 Chron. iv. 1.
For the base, ver. 13, is in height -... i From the surface of the base to the first ledge,
From the lower ledge to the upper, ver. 14,
altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock
23 When 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.
24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, ' and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt-offering unto the Lord.
25 "" Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin-offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 Seven days shall they pm-ge the altar and purify it; and they shall " consecrate them-
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the ° eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar, and your p peace-offerings; and I will 1 accept you, saith the Lord God.
The altar of bumt-ofiferings, described Exod. xxvii. 1, xxiviii. 1, was smaller than this, because it was to be removed from place to place with the tabernacle. This was designed for a permanent temple. See Bp. Neioconie on this chapter.
Verse 19. The priests — that he of t/ie seed of Zadok] It was this Zadok that was put in the place of Abiathar, by Solomon, 1 Kings ii. 35, in whose family the priesthood had continued ever since.
Verse 25. Seveii days shalt thou prepare] These are, in general, ordinances of the Law; and may be seen by consulting the parallel passages. All these directions are given that they might follow them, when they should be put in possession of their own land. For in several cases the prophet enters into particulars, as if he had supposed that the book of the law had perished.
TAw chapter gives an account of the glory of God having returned to the temple, 1-4. The Jeios reprovea for suffering idolatrous priests to pollute it with their ministrations, 5-8. Ordinances respecting the conduct of the priests, and the maintenance due to them, 9—31.
'PHEN he brought me back I God; O ye house of Israel, ''let the way of the gate of the it suffice you of all your abomi- eth toward the east; and it ivas shut.
2 Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall bo 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.
5 And the Lord said vmto 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.
6 And thou shalt say to the ' rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord
Verse 1. The outicard sanctuart/] In opposition to the temple itself, which was the inner sanctuary.
Verse 2. This gate shall be shut] It was not to he opened on ordinary/ occasions, nor at all on the week days: but only on the Sabbaths and the new moons. See the account of the gates (4) in the explanation of the plan.
This verse has been adduced by the Roman Catholics to prove the perpetual virginity of the mother of our Lord; and it may ha allowed to be as much to the purpose as any other that has been brought to prove this ver/ precarious point, on which no stress should ever be laid by any man. Marj' was a virgin when she brought forth Jesus.
Verse 5. Mark icell, and behold] Take notice of every thing; register all so fully that thou shalt be
7 ' In that ye have brought into my sancfitan/ " strangers," " uncircumcised in heart, and imcircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer Pmy bread, i the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
8 And ye have not 'kept the charge of mine holy things; but ye have set keepers of my ^ charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
9 Thus 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 frorh me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
11 Yet 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.
1 2 Because they ministered unto them before
Verse 7. The fat and the blood] These never went into common use; they were wholly offered to God. The blood was poured out; the fat consumed.
Because if all your abominations.] Several MSS. of KcnniriiU's and De Rossi's read their abominations. referring to the strangers mentioned before.
A'erse 10. And the Levites that are gone away far from me] This refers to the schism of Jeroboam, who, when he set up a new worship, got as many of the priests and Levites to join him in his idolatry as he could. These, on the return from the captivity, should not be permitted to perform the functions of priests in the new temple; but they might be continued as keepers of all the charge of the house — be
the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13'' And 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
14 But I will make them '^keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
1 5 " But 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.mto me, and they ^ shall stand before me to jifer unto me ' the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God:
16 Tiiey 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 ihey 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.
18 ™They 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.
treasurers, guards of the temple, porters, &c.; see ver. 1 1—15. The whole of these passages refer to the period of time when the second temple was built.
Verse 16. Come near to my tahle'\ To place the nheio-breaii there, and to burn incense on the golden altar in the holy of holies.
Verse 17. No wool shall come upon them] The reason is plain; wool is more apt than linen to contract dirt and breed insects; linen breeds none; besides, this is a vegetable, and the other an animal substance. It was an ancient maxim, that whatever was taken from a dead body was impure in matters of religion, and should not be permitted to enter into the temple. The Egj'p''^" priests always wore linen on their bodies, and shoes of matting or rushes on their
they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall inot sanctify the people with their garments.
20 ' Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer tlieir locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
21 ^Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
22 Neither 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.
23 And '' they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And ^ 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; y and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
25 And 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.
26 And ^^ after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
27 And in the day that he goeth into the
feet. The Mohammedans never write the Koran upon vellum or skin of any kind, as they would consider that as a defilement.
Verse 20. Neither shall they shave their heads] The priests of Isis shaved their heads close to the skin; the priests of Budhoo do so stiD; their ordinances oblige them to shave their heads every tenth day. To let the hair grow long would have been improper; therefore the Lord commands them to poll — cut the hair short, but not to shave.
Verse 22. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow] Tliis was prohibited to the high priest only, by Moses, Lev. xxi. 13, 14.
Verse 25. And they shall come at no dead person to defile thetnselves] Touching the dead defiles a oijmp. LI. 3. to minister in the sanctuary, "^ he Servii Tullii, shall offer his sin-offering, saith "■ ^°"'"- ^- the Lord God.
28 And it shall be uiito them for an inheritance: I ^ am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
29 • They shall eat the meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering;
Hindoo now, as it formerly did a Jew; and they must bathe to become clean again.
A'^erse 28. 7am their inheritance] Those who affect to form their ecclesiastical matters on the model of the Jewish Church have with one consent left this out of the question. They will not live on the free-will offerings of the people; but must have vast revenues, and these secured to them by laio. That every minister of God should be supported by the altar I grant; but I think, instead of that method of paying the parochial clergy wliich I see is so much objected to, and breeds so much dissension between the pastors and their flocks, it would be better, on these accounts, to assign them a portion of land adequate to their supply, or let the state maintain them as it does its other officers. In Israel God was their inheritance and their possession; but thei/ had the breast and shoulder of all sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, and all dedicated things were theirs; and they had a portion of all the dough that was prepared for bread. These were con-
30 And the *> first ' of all the scrvii TuUii,
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.
3 1 The priest shall not eat of any thing that is "■ dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
sidered as the Lord's property, and these he gave to them; and this is always implied in the Lord''s being their inheritance and their possession. They had a plentiful support.
Hitherto tithes have been thought the best mode of paying the clergy, and providing for the poor of each parish; but these matters have undergone such alterations since the time of their institution, that some emendation of the system is at present absolutely necessary.
There should be a public acknowledgment of God in every nation, and this should be provided for by the state in a way the least burdensome to the people, that all may rejoice in the benefit. Happy the nations that have a Bible so correct, and a Liturgy so pure, as those in the British empire! In such cases, a religion established by the state is an unutterable blessing to the nation; only keep it to the Bible, and to the Liturgy, and all, under God, will be well; but when the sermon is against these, all is bad
The several portions of land appointed for the sanctuary, 1-5, the city, 6, and the prince, 7, 8. Regulations concerning the weights and measures, 9—12; with ordinances respecting the provisions for the ordinary and extraordinary sacrifices, 13-25.
Servii Tullii, inheritance, ye shall
"A/rOREOVER, » when ye shall '' divide by lot the land for offer an oblation unto the Lord, "^ a holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This
ye cause the land to fall. *> Chap, xlvii. 22.
NOTES ON CHAP. XLV. Verse 1. 'IVhen ye shall divide by lot] That is, when on your lepossessing your land, every family settles according to the allotment which they formerly had; for it is certain that the land was not divided afresh by lot after the Babylonish captivity. The allotment mentioned and described here was merely for
2 Ofthis there shall be for the sane- Servii Tullii,
five hundred in breadth, square round about; and
fifty cubits round about for the 'suburbs thereof.
3 And of this measure shalt thou measure
the service of the temple, the use of tlie priests, and the prince or governor of the people. A division of the ivhole land is not intended.
B c' 574°' ^^^^ lengtli of five and twenty Olymp. LI. 3. tliousand, and tlie breadth of ten Servii Tuiiii, thousand: ^ and in it sliall be the R. Roman., 5. sanctuary ancZ the mostholyp/ace.
4 '^ The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the Lord: and it shall be a place for their houses, and a holy place for the sanctuary.
5 ' And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for ^ twenty chambers.
6 And ' ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.
7 " And a portion shall he for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.
8 In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and ° my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
9 Tiius saith the Lord God; "Let it suflice you, O princes of Israel: i' remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice,
Verse 7. A portion shall be for the prince] N'B'J nasi, he who had the authority of chief magistrate; for there was neither /;iiig nor prince amonjr the Jews after the Babylonish captivity. For these allotments and divisions, see the plan, EE, FF, GG.
Verse 8. My princes shall no tnore oppress my p'ople] By e.Korbitant taxes to maintain profligate courts, or subsidize other powers to help to keep up a system of tyranny in the earth. The former princes even robbed the temple of God to give subsidies to other states.
11 The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.
1 2 And the ^ shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels shall be your maneh.
1 3 This is the oblation that ye shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give tiie sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:
14 Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:
1 5 And one ' lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat-ofiering, and for a burnt-offering, and for " peace-offerings, '^ to make recon. ciliation for them, saith the Lord God.
16 All the people of the land " shall give this oblation ^ for the prince in Israel.
17 And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt-offerings, and meat-offerings, and drinkofferings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sinoflfering, and the meat-offering, and the burntoflTering, and the ^peace-oflferings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
Verse 9. Take away your exactions from my people] This is the voice of God to all the rulers of the
Take away your exactions; do not oppress the people; they are mine. Abolish all oppressive taxes.
Verse 10. Ye shall have jnst balances] This appreciation of weights, 7neasures, and money was intended to show them that they must not introduce those to which they had been accustomed in the captivity, but those which God had prescribed to their forefathers. See the notes on the parallel places.
Verse 16. All — this oblation for the prince] A present or offering to the prince.
A''erse 18. Thou shall take a young bullock — and cleanse the sanctuary.] There is nothing of this in
18 Thus saith the Lord God: In the first /nonth, in the first
a young bullock without blemish, and '■ cleanse the sanctuary.
19" And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.
20 And so thou shall do the seventh day of the month '' for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.
21 "= In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
22 And upon that day shall ^b'''c514°- the prince prepare for himself Olymp. Li. 3. and for all the people of the land servii Tullli, " a bullock /w a sin-offering. ^ Roman.,5.
23 And " seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt-offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; ' and a kid of the goals daily for a sin-offering.
24 s And he shall prepare a meat-offering of an ephali for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil for an ephali.
25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the '^ feast of the seven days, according to the sinoffering, according to the burnt-offering, and according to the meat-offering, and according to the oil.
the Mosaic law; it seems to have been a new ceremony. An annual purification of the sanctuary may be intended.
Verse 20. For him that is simple] That wants understanding to conduct himself properly.
the feast of tabernacles the same things that he was desired to do on the passover. The prince should offer the same number of victims, of the same quality, and with the same ceremonies, as during the above seven days. The offerings were, sin-offerings, burntofferings, and peace-offerings.
Ordinances of worship prescribed for the prince and for the people, 1—15; and the gifts he may bestow on his sons and servants, 16-18. A description of the courts appointed for boiling or baking any pari of the holy oblations, 19-24.
'J'HUS 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.
2 ^ 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 priest shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peaceofferings, and he shall worship at the threshold
NOTES ON CHAP. XLVI. Verse 4. The burnt-offering that the prince shall offer] The chief inagislrate was always obliged to attend the public worship of God, as well as the priest, to show that the civil and ecclesiastical states were t)0th under the same government of the Lord; and that no one was capable of being prince or priest, who did of the gale: then he shall go ^^ ^^ 3430. forth: but the gate shall not be Olymp. Li. 3. shut until the evening. servii Tuiui,
3 Likewise the people of the R- Ro°»an., 5. land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
4 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.
not acknowledge God in all his ways. It is no wonder that those lands mourn, where neither the established priest nor the civil magistrate either fear or love God. Ungodly priests and profligate magistrates are a curse to any land. In no country have I found both so exemplary for uprightness, as in Britain.
■= And the meat-offerins shall
Olymp. LI. 3. be ail ephah for a ram, and the Servu TiiUii, iTicat-offering for the lambs '^ as
6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall he without blemish.
7 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 a hin of oil to an ephali.
8 " And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth bv the way thereof.
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.
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 B the meat-offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an epiiah to a ram, and to the lambs
as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an thrust them out of their possession; but he
12 Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt-offering or peace-offerings
JHeb. the gift of his hand;
Verse 7. According as his hand shall attain unto] According to his ability, to what Ihe providence of God has put in his hand, i. e.. his power. This proportion of offerings is different from that prescribed by the Mosaic law. Num. XV. 4-12.
Verse 9. He that entereth in by the icatj nf the north, t^-c] As the 7iorth and the souili gates were opposite to each other, he that came in at the north must go out at the south; he that came in at the south must go out at the north. No person was to come in at the east gate, because there was no gate at the west; and the people were not permitted to turn round and go out at the same place by which they came in; for this was like turning their backs on God, and the decorum and reverence with which public worship was to be conducted would not admit of this. Besides, returning by the same way must have occasioned a
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 sabbath day: then he
did on the shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
1 3 ' 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 a hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat-offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto
1 5 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
shall give his sons' inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
great deal of confusion, where so many people must have jostled each other, in their meetings in different parts of this space.
Verse 10. And the prince 171 the midst of theni] Even he shall act in the same way: he must also go straight forward, and never turn his back to go out at the same gate by which he entered. The prince and the people were to begin and end their worship at the same time.
Verse 13. Thou shalt prepare it every morning.] The evening offering is entirely omitted, which makes an important difference between this and the old laws. See Exod. xxix. 31-46.
Verse 17. To the year of liberty] That is, to the year of jubilee, called the year of liberty, because there was then a general release. All servants had their liberty, and all alienated estates returned to theii former owners.
A-M-^30. 19 After he brought me through
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 trespassoffering and the sin-offering, where they shall p bake the meat-offering; that they bear the?n not out into the utter court, i to sanctify the
21 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four cor-
A'erse 19. He brought me through the entry] The prophet had entered by the north gate of the court of the priests, where he had seen, a little before, the glory of the Lord, and where he had received all those directions from chap. xliv. 4, 5, to this chapter. From that gate, (see plan Q,) he entered the vestibule by a gate which was by the side of the apartments of the priests, which were along this aisle, (see S,) to the right of the vestibule towards the west. At the extremity of a row of chambers, he remarked, at the west, the place where they boiled the flesh of the sinofferings, (sjee T.) They did not boil there the flesh of all sorts of victims, there were other kitchens appointed for that, (see PP;) but that only which could not be eaten but in the cruter court, and by the priests which were sanctified; such were the parts of the of-
22 In the four corners of the R- Koman., 5 court there were courts '^ joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four ' comers luere of one measure.
23 And tliere 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.
ferings for sins of commission and ignorance, and the offerings of flour with which they were accompanied.
Verse 20. The trespass-offering] Part of this, and of the sin-offering, and the flour-oflering, was the portion of the priests. See Num. xviii. 9, 10.
Verse 23. It was made with boiling places] These were uncovered apartments, where they kept fires for dressing those parts of the peace-offerings, which were miide in the temple by individuals through a principle of devotion. On these their families and their friends feasted; and portions were sent to the poor, the widows, and the orphans. And thus the spirit of devotion was the means of preserving the spirit of mercy, charity, and benevolence in the land. How true is that word, " Godliness is profitable foi all things!"
The vision of the holy waters issuing out of the temple, and their virtue; an emblem of the power of God's grace under the Gospel, capable of healing all but the incorrigibly impenitent, represented by the marshy ground that cannot be healed, 1-12. Also a description of the several divisions of the Holy Land indiscriminately shared betwixt Jews and proselytes; to denote that in after times the privileges now enjoyed by the Jews should be also extended to the Gentiles, 13-23.
again unto the door of the house; and, behold, " waters issued out from under the '' threshold of the house eastward: for the fore front
NOTES ON CHAP. XLVII. Verse 1. Behold, waters issued out from under the threshold] Ezekiel, after having made the whole compass of the court of the people, is brought back by the narlh gate into the courts of the priests; and, having reached the gate of the temple, he saw waters which had their spring under the threshold of that gate, that looked towards the east; and which, passing to the
of the house stood toioard the east, and the waters came down from under from, the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
south of the altar of burnt-offerings on the rit;ht of the temple, ran from the west to the east, that they might fall into the brook Kidron, and thence be carried into the Dead Sea. Literally, no such waters were ever in the temple; and because there were none, Solomon had what is called the brazen sea made, which held water for the use of the temple. It is true that the water which supplied this sea might have been brought by
2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way
that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3 And when "^ the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the "^ waters were to the ankles.
4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters luere to the luiees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me tlu-ough; the waters luere to the loins.
5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for
pipes to the place: but a fountain producing abundance of water was not there, and could not be there, on the top of such a hill; and consequentl}' these waters, as well as those spoken of in Joel iii. 18, and in Zech. xiv. 8, are to be understood spiritually or typically; and indeed the whole complexion of the place here shows, that they are thus to be understood. Taken in this view, I shall proceed to apply the whole of this vision to the effusion of light and salvation by the outpouiing of the Spirit of God under the Gospel dispensation, by wliich the knowledge of the true God was multiplied in the earth; and have only one previous remark to make, that the farther the waters flowed from the temple, the deeper they grew.
With respect to the phraseology of this chapter, it may be said that St. John h.ad it particularly in view while he wrote his celebrated description of the paradise of God, Rev. xxii. The prophet may therefore be referring to the same thing which the apostle describes, viz., the grace of the Gospel, and its effects in
Verse 2. There ran otit waters] D03"D □''"^ mayim mephaccim, the waters seem to have been at lirst in small quaritity; for the words imply that they oozed or dropped out. They were at first so small that they came guttatim, drop by drop; but they increased so, that they became a river in which one could swim.
Verses 3-5. He measttred a thousand cubits, — t?ie waters were to the.\nkles; a thousand more, — the waters were to the knees; a thousand more, — they became a river that could not be forded. The loaters were risen, and they were waters to swim in.
I. This may be applied to the gradual discoveries of the plan of salvation, — 1. In the patriarchal ages. •2. In the giving of the law. 3. In the ministry of John the Baptist. And, 4. In the full manifestation of Christ by the communication ol' the Hoh/ Ghost.
II. This vision may be applied also to the growth of a believer in the grace and knowledge of God. There is — 1. The seed of the kingdom. 2. The blade
the waters were risen, « waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
6 And he said unto me. Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then lie brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the f bank of the river were very many ^ trees on the one side and on the other.
8 Then said he imto me. These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the ''desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveih, whithersoever the
III. It may be applied to the discoveries a penitent believer receives of the mercy of God in his salvation. He is — 1. A little child,hoxn of God, born from above, and begins to taste the bread of life, and live en the heavenly food. 2. He grows up and increases in stature and strength, and becomes a young man. 3. He becomes matured in the Divine life, and has his spiritual senses exercised so as to become a father in Christ. In other words, the grace of God appears to come drop by drop; it is given as it can be used; it is a seed of light, and multiplies itself. The penitent at first can scarcely believe the infinite goodness of his Maker; he however ventures to follow on with the conducting angel, the minister of the Gospel, in his descriptions of the plenitude of that salvation, provided in that living Temple in which alone the well-spring of life is to be found. 4. In thus following on to know the Lord he finds a continual increase of light and life, till at last he is carried by the streams of grace to the ocean of eternal mercy; then
IV. These waters may be considered as a type of the progress which Christianity shall make in the world. 1. There were only a few poor fishermen. 3. Afterwards many Jews. 3. Then the Gentiles of Asia Minor and Greece. 4. The continent and isles of Europe. And, 5. Now spreading through Africa, Asia, and America, at present these waters are no longer a river, but an immense sea; and the Gospei fishers are daily bringing multitudes of souls to Christ,
Verse 9. Every thing — whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live] Life and salvation shall continu ally accompany the preaching of the Gospel; the death of sin being removed, the life of righteousness shall be brought in.
they shall be healed; and every thing shall hve whither the river cometh.
10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish ^ of the great sea, exceeding many.
1 1 But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof ' shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12 And "by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, ° shall grow all trees for meat, " whose leaf shall not fade, neither sliall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall brins; forth p new firuit according to his
months, because their waters they *g **■ ^l,^^"- issued out of the sanctuary; and Olymp. Li. 3. the fruit thereof shall be for meat, Servii TuiUi, and the leaf thereof i for 'medicine. '^ '^°'"''"" ^-
13 TJius saith the Lord God; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: ' Joseph shall have two portions.
14 And ye shall inlierit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I ' lifted " up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall ' fall unto you for inheritance.
15 And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, " the way of Hethlon, as men go to ^ Zedad;
1 6 y Hamath, ^ Berothali, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; '' Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.
17 And the border from the sea shall be
she above plan this must refer to genuine converts to the Christian faith; true believers, who have got life and salvation by the streams of God's grace. The apostles were fishers of men; converts were the fish caught. See below. As the waters flow into the Dead Sea, where no fish, it is said, can live, its waters must be healed, that is, made capable of preserving life; and so its nature be thus far most surprisingly altered.
Terse 10. The fishers shall stand upon it\ On the above plan of interpretation these m.ust mean — 1. The a/josi/es of our Lord Jesus. 2. T\ie preachers of the everlasting Gospel. See Matt. iv. 19.
Their fish shall be according to their kinds] Every kind of fish, and the fish all excellent of their kinds. All nations, and kindreds, and people shall be called by the Gospel; it shall not be an excluding system like that of Judaism, for its Author tasted death for every man. Verse 1 1. The miry places] " Point out," says Calmet, " the schismatics and heretics who do not live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, but separate from his Church; and the evil Christians who dishonour that Church, of which they are corrupt members." A description applicable to the Roman Catholic Church, that is both schismatic and heretic from the Church of Jesus Christ, which is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; for the Church of Rome, leaving this foundation, is now built on the foundation of councils and traditions, and lying miracles; the popes in their succession being its onlv comer stones.
Verse 12. Shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade] A description that suits the righteous, who are stiU producing — -1. The fruits of faith. 2. The fruits of the Spirit. 3. The fruits of love to God, obedience to his holy will, and love to all men. Benevolence, mercy, charity, kindness, &c.
The leaf thereof for medicine.] See Rev. xxii. 1-5. Even the leaves, the holy profession of the righteous, is a spiritual medicine. Righteousness is thus encouraged in the world. The profession points out the salvation, as it shows the nature and sufficiency of that salvation; for a just creed contains all the articles of the Christian faith.
A'erse 13. Joseph shall have two portions.] That is, In Ephraim and Manasseh, his two sons, who each had a separate inheritance.
Averse 15. The way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad.] Probably Hethlon is the same as Cuthlon, a city of Syria, between Antioch and Laodicea, according to Antoninus. Some of these places are not known; but see the same kind of division. Num. xxxiv. 7-13.
Berothali] Berytus, now Baruth or Beeroth, which David took from Hadarezer, king of Syria, 2 Sam. viii. 8; but these things are very uncertain.
Sibraim] Sabarim or Sepharvaim, according to the Syriac, between Hamath and Damascus.
Hauran.] The city Aurana, and the district Auranitis, are in the north-east limit of the Holy Land.
18 And the east side ye shall measure " from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel hy Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.
19 And the south side southward, from Tamar even to ^ the waters of " strife in Kadesh, the ^ river to the great sea. And this is the south side & southward.
20 The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against
der eastward is ascertained yer. 15, 16; here it is shown how far it extends itself noTthward.
Hazar-enati] The village of Enan, Num. xxxiv. 9, placed to the north of Csesarea Philippi. Ziphron, see Num. xxxiv. 9, called Zaphion by the Syriac.
•" Hamath. This is the west side.
21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes
22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, ' and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: ^ and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord God.
Verse 22. And to the strangers that sojourn] In former divisions of the land, no place was given to strangers; but in this division, (which seems to have no other reference than to the Gospel, for literally such a division never took place.) the strangers are to have an inheritance; intimating the caUing of the GentUes into the Church of Christ, to an inheritance that is incorruptible, undeftled, and that fadeth not away. Glory be to God for his unspeakable gift! Amen. Amen.
This chapter contains a description of the several portions of the land belonging to each tribe, together with the portion allotted to the sanctuary, city, suburb, and prince, 1—29; as also the measure and gates of the new city, 30—35.
"IVrOW these are the names of the tribes. ^ From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; '' a j)ortion for Dan.
2 And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.
3 Arid by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
4 And by the border of Naphtali, from the
Verse 1. Noio these are the names of the tribes.] See the division mentioned Num. xxxiv. 7—12, which casts much light upon this.
east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.
5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, s. portion for Ephraim.
6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.
7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for
8 And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be ■= the offering
Ver.se9. Theoblation] This was a portion of land /icenty-five thousand cMhiis in length, by ten fhousandbToid; in the centre of which was the temple, which must be destined for the use of the priests, the Lev ites, and the priiicQ.
oiymp. LI. 3. twenty thousand reeds in breadth, Servii Tviiiii, and in length as one of the other
9 The oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.
10 And for tiiem, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward tlie west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the cast ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty -thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the Lord sliall be in the midst thereof.
11 '^ It " shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my ^ charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray,? as the Levites went astray.
1 2 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.
13 And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.
14 *" And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange nor alienate the first-fruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord.
15 ' And the five thousand that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be "^ a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for subiu-bs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.
16 And these shall be the measures thereof;
Verse 15. And the Jive thousand that are left] The territory of the Levites was twenty-five thniisand square cubits, ver. 20. But their city was only /our thousand five hundred square cubits, see ver. 1 3 and 1 6: there remained, therefore, ten thousand cubits square to be divided, of which five thcu.^and cubits in breadth, by itcenti/five thousand in length, on the east and west sides, were roscr\-ed for a sort of second city; or for suburbs where laymen might dwell who were employed by those priests and Levites who lodged in the temple and in the city, ver. 18. And another space of one thousand cubits in breadth, by twenty-five thousand in leagth, which extended onlv from north to south, was five hundred, and the south side Oiymp. Li. 3. four thousand and five hunched, Senii Tuiiii, and on tiie east side four thousand "" '^°""'"- ^- and five hundred, and the west side four thou sand and five hundred.
17 And the suburbs of the city shall be toward tiie north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.
18 And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city.
1 9 ' And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.
20 All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city.
21 "^ And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for tiie prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; ° and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.
22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city being in the iniAsi of that which is the prince's between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.
23 As for the rest of the tribes from the
for fields and gardens appointed for the support of those lay servants. On which we ma)' remark, there was no cultivated land between the portion of the Levites and that of the prince, but only on the east and west sides. See chap..xlv. 6, and the map FF.
Verse 21. And the residue — -for the prince] His portion was alongside that of the Levites, from west to east; these were on each side twenty-five thousand cubits in length, from the east to the west, by twelve thousand five Imndred cubits in breadth from north to south. The space both above and below wa.* equal, between the tribe of Judah and that of Benjamin to north and south; and the portion of the Levites, which
Olynip. LI. 3. jamui shatl have ° a portion. Sen4"Tuiiii, 24 And by the border of Benja- R. Roman.. 5. j^^jj^^ from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.
25 And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.
26 And by the border of Issachar, from the east.side unto the west side, Zebulun a. portion.
27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.
28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto ^the waters of i strife in Kadcsh, and to the river toward the great sea.
29 ■■ This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saitli the Lord
30 And these are the goings out of the city
3 1 " And the gates of the city servii"TuiUi,
had Judah and Benjamin to the north and south, and the portion of the prince to the east and to the west. See the niap.
Verse 28. From Tamar — in Kadesh] The former was on the south of the Dead Sea; and the latter, or Kadesh-Barnea, was still farther south, and at the extremity of the portion of Gad, which was the most southern tribe, as Dan was the most northern.
Verse 30. These are the goings out] Each of the four sides of the city was four thousand Jive hundred cubits long. There were three gates on each side, as mentioned below; and the whole circumference of the city was eighteen thousand cubits. See the map, plan B. dddd.
The rector of New Haven College, in New England, supposes the preceding representations to refer to the happy state of the Church in what is called the Millennium. Leaving this period out of the question, the following observations are worthy of notice:• — ■
" The Jews, for whom this vision was intended, would conceive their country to be divided to the twelve tribes, in lots of a regular and mathematical form: and not confused or intermixed, as in Joshua's time. Theucity laid out larger than before; and ex?LCi\y four-square, with regular suburbs; the temple and appendages much more commodious for their sacrifices, and the habitations of the priests and Levites regularly formed round about the temple. So that this whole plan of the division of the country, laying out of the city, temple, and all the appendages, appears to be perfectly regular and uniform, as if it were drawB all at one time, and by one hand, who had power to effect it; and therefore conveyed to the Jews the most complete idea they were capable of conceiving of the most perfect church, commonwealth, citv, temple, and conveniences, for Divine
tribes of Israel: tliree gates northwai-d; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
32 And at the east side four tliousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.
34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, ivilh their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
35 It ivas round about eighteen thousand measures: ' and the name of the city from that day shall be, " The "' Lord is there.
worship. I. The Holy Land, as described chap, xlvii. and xlviii., according to the original grant, being about two hundred and fifty miles long, north and south, and about one hundred and fifty mQes wide, is divided, by parallel lines east and west, to the twelve tribes, each of them having a portion tu-enty miles wide. Only between Judah and Benjamin there is a holy portion near ten miles wide; in the middle of which is the holy oblalioit, twenty five thousand cubits; that is, about ten miles square for the priests, Levites, city, and teYnple, chap. xlv. 1; xlviii. 8; the two ends are for the prince, chap. xlv. 7, &c. IL The holy oblation, lying in the middle of the holy portion, is twenty five thousand cubits square, which is near ten niUes; of which ten thousand cubits, or four mUes, are taken off from the north side for a habitation for the priests, and as much for the Levites on the south side, chap. xlv. 4, 5, and xlviii. 20; and jfce thousand cubits in the middle for the city portion, chap. xlv. 6; in the middle of which is the city, four thousand five hundred cubits square, which is nearly tioo miles, chap, xlviii. 15, 16. Round about this is left two hundred and fifty cubits, near thirty rods, for suburbs, ver. 17. The remaining ten thousand cubits on the east side, and the ten thousand cubits on the west side, are for the profit of those who serve the city, out of all the tribes, ver. 18, 19. The sanctuary is in the midst of the city, chap, xlviii. 8. ni. The sanctuary or temple, and its appendages, were entirely surrounded with a wall six cubits high and six cubits thick, chap. xl. 5; snAfive hundred cubits long on each side, chap. xlii. 15, &c., and xlv. 2. In the middle square stands the temple, which was surrounded by a wall one hmidred cubits long on each side, chap. xli. 13, and six cubits thick, chap. xli. 6. The side-chambers on the outside four cubits, ver. 6. The
Description of the plan CHAP. XLVIII.
Holy of Holies, at the west end, was twenty cubits square on the inside, ver. 4. The holy place, or outer court at the east end, was /or/i/ cubits, ver. 12. The length of the porch on the north side was twenfi/ cubits; the breadth was eleven cubits, chap. xl. 49; and the width of the separate place on the south side lioenty cubits. On each side of the temple, towards the /our gates in the outer wall, stood tivo courts, eight in the whole, each one hundred cubits square, chap. xl. 19, 23, 27. In each of these were thirty-six little chambers or buildings, about six cubits square, viz., six at the entrance of the gate, chap. xl. 7, 17, 20, &c., and thirty on the pavement, ver. 17, &c., which were for lodgings for the priests, for hanging up their garments, and their part of the sacrifices, chap. xlii. 13."
Calmet has constructed a map to show the position of the tribes, and the quantum of space each was to possess. As this will give a better view of the subject than any written description can, I have inserted one constructed for this work, which, consulting the places said to be connected with the possessions of the different tribes, shows that the tribes did not all possess the same quantum of space, ^ue of the southern tribes possessing only one half as much as those of the north.
A'erse 35. The name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.] It would have been better to have retained the original words: —
This is an allusion to the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, which was in the first, but most certainly was not in the second temple; but Ezekiel tells us that the Divine Presence should be in the city of which he speaks; and should be there so fuUy and so powerfully, that it should give name to the city itself; and that the very name, Jehovah shammah, should remind all men of the supereminently glorious Being who had condescended to make this city his habitation.
Two points must be considered here: — 1. That the prophet intended that, when they should be restored, they should build the temple, and divide the land as he here directs, if the thing could be found to be practicable. 2. That he had another temple, another holy city, another Promised Land, in view. The land of Immanuel, the city of the New Jerusalem; and his temple, the Cliristian Church, which is the house of the living God, 1 Tim. iii. 15, in which the presence of Christ shall ever be found; and all its inhabitants, all that believe on his name, shall be temples of the Holy Ghost. Nor can there be any reasonable doubt that the prophet here, by the Spirit of God, not only points out the return of the Israelites from the Babylonish captivity, and what was to befall them previously to the advent of Jesus Christ; but also the glorious spread of the Gospel in the earth, and the final conversion of the tribes of Israel by the preaciiing of that Gospel.
In conclusion, I think it necessary to state, that there are but few of the prophets of the Old Testament who have left a more valuable treasure to the Church of God than Ezekiel. It is true, he is in several places obscure; but there is a great proportion of the work that is in the highest degree edifynng: and several portions that for the deptli of the salvation predicted, and the accuracy and minuteness of the description, have nothing equal to them in the Old Testament Scriptures On such portions, I have felt it my duty to be very particular, that I might be able to point out spiritual beauties and excellencies in this book which are beyond all praise; while I passed slightly over prophecies and symbols which I did not fully understand; but have left to time, by the fulfilment of the events, to prove to successive generations with what heavenly wisdom this much neglected prophet has spoken. And I take this opportunity to recommend this book to the serious perusal of every pious man; and while he wonders at the extent of the wisdom by which Ezekiel has fathomed the depth of so many Blvine mysteries, let him give God the glory for this additional testimony to the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that plenary salvation which he has purchased for, and freely offers to, the vUest of the vile, and to the whole of the descendants of Adam.
Description of the pl.a.n of Ezekiel's temple.
As I utterly despair of making the prophet's description of this temple intelligible without a plan, I have introduced one drawn up with great labour and skill by Dom. August. Calmet, where the measurements, distances, gates, chambers, courts, inclosures, &c., are afl carefully entered as far as they could possibly be ascertained from Ezekiel's description; which, it must be allowed, though wondrously circumstantial, is in several respects obscure. But by referring to the places, both in Kings and Chronicles, as well as in this prophet, where the same things are mentioned, this obscurity will be considerably diminished, if not entirely removed. At the same time, for a description of the temple in general, I beg leave to refer the reader to 1 Kings vi., at the end, where this subject is considered at large.
[Let it be observed that the Hebrew cubit is about twenty inches and a half]
AAAA The first inclosure, or wall of six hundred cubits, i. e., one thousand and twenty-five royal feet in length on each side, chap. xlv. 2; and six cubits or ten feet three inches high, and as many in breadth, chap. xl. 5.
BBBB The court of the Gentiles, or first court, fifty cubits in breadth, or eighty-five feet_/Jue inches, chap, xl. 2.
CCCC The outward wall of the court of Israel, or inclosure, ^ye hundred cubits square, i. e., eight hundred and fifty-four feet two inches. This wall might be thirty cubits high, taken from the level of the threshold of the gate.
DDDD The court of Israel, one hundred cubits, or one hundred and seventy feet ten inches broad, chap. xl. 19.
EEEE The outer wall, or inclosure of the court of the priests, two hundred cubits, or three hundred andforli/-one feet eight inches square, is supposed to be t'h iriy cubits, or fifty-one feet three inches in height.
H The holy place, forty cubits long by twenty broad, or sixty-eight feet tico inches long by tliirty-four feet ttvo inches broad, chap. xli. 2, and 1 Kings vi. 2.
1 The vestibule or porch, txoenty cubits in breadth, by ten (or according to Ezekiel, eleven) cubits in length, i. e., thirty-four feet two inches long by seventeen feet one inch broad, chap. xl. 48; 1 Kings
K The altar of burnt-ofTerings, twelve cubits, or twenty feet six inches square, according to Ezekiel, chap, xliii. 12, 13, &c., or ten cubits high by twenty broad, i. e., seventeen feet one inch high, and thirtyfour feet two inches broad, according to 2 Chron.
LLL The wall of separation which encompassed the Temple, and the altar of burnt-offerings, of which the Scriptures do not give the dimensions. It was twenty cubits from the buildings in the court of the priests, andj?ye from the Temple, chap. xli. 9, 10. Josephus makes it three cubits high, Antiq. lib. viii. c. 2.
MMMMMM Gates of the court of Israel, and of the court of the priests, all of the same dimensions, chap. xl. 1, 22, 36. Each of the porches Vizs, fifty cubits long, i. e., eighty-five (eetfive inches (as much as the depth of the aisles, chap. xl. 1 5) and twentyfive cubits, ot forty-two feet eight inches and a half in breadth in the opening, and sixty cubits high, i. e., one hundred and two feet six inches, chap. xl. 14. On each side of the porches there were three chambers, each six cubits square, chap. xl. 6. And the separations between the three chambers were five cubits in thickness, chap. xl. 6.
NNNNNNNN Galleries around the court of Israel, chap. xl. I place there thirty pillars on a line of two hundred cubits in length, which is the same proportion as those given for one hundred cubits lung, 1 Kings vii. 2, 3, 4, for the court of the palace of Solomon.
00000000 Chambers or apartments round the court of Israel; there were thirty on both sides of the gate, or fifteen on each side, chap. xl. 17.
PPPP The kitchens of the Temp\e, forty cubits, or sixty-eight feet four inches long by thirty cubits, or fifty-one feet three inches broad, chap. xlv. 21, 22,
RRRR Galleries around the court of the priests, chap. xlii. 3.
SSSSSS Apartments continued round the court of the priests. The aisle, which was to the south of the eastern gate, was for the priests employed as guards of the Temple, chap. xl. 45. The aisle on the north side of the said gate was appointed for the singers, chap. xl. 44; the aisle that was on the eastern side of the south gate was for the priests employed about the altar, chap. xl. 46; the aisles which were to the ' west of the north gate and of the south gate, contained the halls where the priests ate, chap, xlii. 13. TT The kitchens of the court of the priests were those where they dressed the trespass-offering, sinoffering, and the meat-offerings, forty cubits, or sixty-eight feet four inches long, and thirty cubits, or fifty-one ieetfive inches broad, chap. xlvi. 20. He speaks only of that on the north.- WW Flights of steps which led to the court oi the people. In each flight there were seven steps, chap. xl. 22-26. XXX Flights of steps which led to the court of the priests; in each there were eight steps, chap. xl. 31,
YY A flight of steps which led to the porch of the
Temple, eight steps in each, chap. xl. 49. aaa Chambers about the Temple, thirty-three in number, Ezekiel makes them four cubits in breadth, chap, xli. 5; but in 1 Kings vi. 5, 6, they are stated to be five cubits in the lower stage, six in the second, and seven in the third. bb Flights of steps opposite to the chambers, which were continued round the temple, chap. xli. 7, and 1 Kings vi. 8. c The steps of the altar of burnt-offerings turned toward the east, chap, xliii. 15, 16. dddd Tables of hewn stone, which were in the portico of the north gate of the priests' court, where they slew, flayed, and cut up the victims. Each table was one and a half cubit square, chap. xl. 38,
The great walls of the temple were all six cubits, or ten feet three inches thick. These walls were: 1. That which formed the first inclosure; 2. The wall of the court of Israel; 3. The wall of the court of the priests; and, 4. The walls of the Temple. But the outward wall of the thirty-three chambers, which were around the holy place and the sanctuary, was only_^i'e cubits broad, z.ni fifteen high; i. e., eight feet six inches and a half in thickness, and twenty-five feet seven inches and a half in height, chap. xli. 9, 12.
All the gates of the two courts, that of Israel and that of the priests, are of the same dimensions. The wall where was the opening was six cubits, or ten feet three inches in thickness. The gate was eight cubits, or thirteen feet eight inches wide; and the opening of the gate was one cubit, and the gate was thirteen cubits, or twenty-two feet tieo inches and a half high, chap. xl. 9, 11.
The western gate of the Temple is not mentioned by Ezekiel, because, according to his plan, the king's palace was not to be near the temple; and consequently this gate, which was the gate of the king, did not exist. But this was not foUowed, as we find that, after the return from Babylon, there were gates on the western side of the Temple, according to Josephus; and before the captivity the western gate did most certainly exist, see chap, xliii. 8; 2 Kings xi. 6; xvi. 18; 1 Chron. ix. 24; xxvi. 16, 18.
1. The gate of the porch of the holy place was fourteen cubits wide, i. e., twenty-three feet eleven inches, chap. xl. 48; 1 Kings vi. 3.
2. The gate of the holy place was ten cubits, or seventeen feet one inch wide, chap. xli. 1, 2.
3. The gate of the sanctuary was six cubits, or ten feet three inches wide. The wall of the separation was only ttuo cubits, chap. xli. 1, 3.
4. The east gate of the court of the priests was shut all the week, and was not opened but on the Sabbath and new moons, according to Ezekicl. It was there that the king had his seat, a sort of tribunal, chap, xliv. 2-4; xlvi. 1, 2, &c.
Cabnct observes, with respect to his plan, that he assigns only two galleries to the apartments which were around the court of Israel; but those which were around the court of the priests had three, chap. xlii. 3, 5, 6. There is another diiierence between the palace (atrium) of the court of the priests, and that of the court of Israel. The walls of the first were buUt with three rows of hewn stones and one of cedar alternately, 1 Kings vi. 36; but this is not said to be the same in the structure of the outward court, or that of the people.
In the Old Testament we find no mention of the court of the Gentiles. Only two courts are mentioned there, one of the priests, the other of the people; one the inner, the other the outer court; but it is certain that such a court did exist, and is here marked BBBB.