Ezekiel 44:7

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5 And the Lord said to me, ^a“Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ^bordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

6 “Now say to the ^arebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, ^blet Us have no more of all your abominations.

7 ^aWhen you brought in ^bforeigners, ^cuncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered ^dMy food, ^ethe fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.

8 And you have not ^akept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.”

9 Thus says the Lord God: ^a“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

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10 ^a“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, ^aas gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; ^bthey shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and ^cthey shall stand before them to minister to them.

12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and ^acaused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have ^braised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Ezekiel 44:6

Ezekiel 44:8 >>

Ezekiel 44:4-16

Admonition to the ministering priests, grounded upon former neglect.

Ezekiel 44:4

The north gate before the house - The north gate of the inner court. God expostulates with His people in the seat of their former idolatries Ezekiel 8:3.

Ezekiel 44:5

Mark well - The careful arrangements made had all been intended to keep the temple and its surroundings from profanation. Hence, attention to these particulars is enjoined.

Ezekiel 44:7

Strangers - This refers especially to the sin of unauthorized and unfaithful priests ministering in the services of the temple. Compare marginal references.

Ezekiel 44:8

Mine holy things - The altar, its sacrifices, the sacred utensils, and the like.

For yourselves - According to your own pleasure, not My ordinances Numbers 16:40.

Ezekiel 44:10

The Levites as a body had remained true to the temple-service at Jerusalem II Chronicles 11:13; but individuals among them deserted to Israel probably from the first (see the marginal references), as in later years some went over to the worship of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim. These apostate Levites "shall bear their iniquities," they shall not be restored to their former rank and privileges.

Ezekiel 44:11

Ministers - As, according to the new system, the Levites, as a body, were to receive their portion in the "oblation" Ezekiel 45:5; the only manner in which the Levites of Ezekiel 44:10 could live at all, was as part of the whole body, to which they were therefore reunited, but in the lowest grade. It is remarkable that the number of Levites who returned after the captivity was very small, not exceeding 400, of whom only 74 were priests' assistants (Ezra 2:40-42; compare Ezra 8:15-19). The gap in their number was filled up by 220 Nethinim ("given" ones), probably originally strangers and captives, who, although employed in the temple services, were held by the Jews in the lowest repute.

Ezekiel 44:12

Lifted up mine hand - i. e., "The Lord sware" Ezekiel 20:5, that they should bear their iniquities.

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Ezekiel 44:7:

Ezekiel 32:1
Ezekiel 44:4-16
Zechariah 11:10
Zechariah 14:21
Malachi 1:7

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Ezekiel 44:8 >>

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