Ezekiel 44:16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 44:10-16

The Master of the house, being about to set up house again, takes account of his servants the priests, and sees who are fit to be turned out of their places and who to be kept in, and takes a course with them accordingly. I. Those who have been treacherous are degraded and put lower those Levites?or priests who were carried down the stream of the apostasy of Israel formerly, who went astray from God after their idols (Ezek. 44:10), who had complied with the idolatrous kings of Israel or Judah,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:16

They shall enter into my sanctuary ,.... Both to officiate, and to participate, which strangers and uncircumcised persons might not do, Ezekiel 44:9 , and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me ; which some understand of the altar of burnt offering, which was as a table, and the sacrifice on it was the food of the Lord, Leviticus 3:11 , others, the altar of incense; see Ezekiel 41:22 . Kimchi interprets it of the table of shewbread; but, whatever is meant in the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 44:16

Come near to my table - To place the shew-bread there, and to burn incense on the golden altar in the holy of holies. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:1-31

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:4-16

The relations of the people , Levites , and priests to the sanctuary . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:9-16

Accordingly, that no such abuses might creep in to desecrate the temple of the future, a new Torah was promulgated concerning the persons who should have a right to participate in its services. If the "prince" is omitted, the reason probably was that a special section is subsequently devoted to him ( Ezekiel 46:1-8 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:10-16

The degradation of the Levites. From this interesting passage it would appear that there was a time when the Levites enjoyed free access to the altar, and were allowed to serve as priests before the Lord. But they had abused their privileges in admitting heathen people to the sacred enclosure, in doing their work by proxy, in even going aside to idolatry. Therefore they were degraded from their high functions—all of them except one family, that of Zadok. As the members of this family had... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:10-16

Reward and punishment on earth, According to rank and position in the Church is responsibility. Example is contagious. Treachery by a military officer is a graver sin than treachery by a soldier in the ranks. Pollution at the fourth is a greater evil than pollution in a branch-stream. Disease in the heart is a more serious matter than disease in the skin or at the extremities. If the priests of God sanction idolatry, the whole nation will follow suit, and the cause of God is betrayed. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:15-16

The ordinance for the priests . That Ezekiel derived the phrase, the priests the Levites , from Deuteronomy ( Deuteronomy 17:9 ; Deuteronomy 18:1 ; Deuteronomy 24:8 ; Deuteronomy 27:9 ) may be granted without admitting that the Levites were all priests, or that the phrase had other import than that the priests were, as the Deuteronomist says, "sons of Levi" ( Deuteronomy 21:5 ; Deuteronomy 31:9 ). The priesthood, at its institution, having been entrusted to Aaron and his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 44:15-16

Appointed ministrations. The priests were an essential element in the Mosaic system, and their duties were prescribed with a precise exactness. After the Captivity, they still fulfilled their appointed duties, although their relative importance was probably diminished, whilst the scribes became growingly the religious leaders and teachers of the people. In the dispensation of the Spirit, the priesthood, so far as it is perpetuated, has been widened so as to include the whole Christian... read more

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