Ezekiel 44:15-31

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 44:17-31

God's priests must be regulars, not seculars; and therefore here are rules laid down for them to govern themselves by and due encouragement given them to live up to those rules. Directions are here given, I. Concerning their clothes; they must wear linen garments when they went in to minister or do any service in the inner court, or in the sanctuary, and nothing that was woollen, because it would cause sweat, Ezek. 44:17, 18. They must dress themselves cool, that they might go the more readily... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:15

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok ;.... The priests who were of the tribe of Levi, whom the Lord chose and separated, to minister to him, and so had a lawful call to this office, and were regularly invested with it; and design true and lawful, as well as faithful, ministers of the word; these are called the sons of Zadok, who descended from Eleazar the son of Aaron in the line of Phinehas, to whom the Lord promised the everlasting priesthood, and who was put into this office by... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:17

And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court ,.... The priests before described; when they enter the right way into a true Gospel church, consisting of such who are internally renewed, and have an inward work of grace upon their hearts, and are inward court worshippers; either as private Christians, to pray together, to praise the Lord, to hear his word, and sit down at his table; or as public ministers, to preach the Gospel, and administer ordinances: ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:18

And they shall have linen bonnets upon their heads ,.... Denoting gravity and modesty, subjection to God, and authority among men under him; and also purity of doctrine, and clearness of light and knowledge: and shall have linen breeches upon their loins ; expressive of chastity; see Exodus 28:40 , they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat ; so not with wool, which is apt to cause sweat; and is thought to be the reason why it is forbidden in the preceding... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:19

And when they go forth into the utter court ,.... Out of the inner court where they minister, when they have done their service: even into the utter court to the people ; out of the church into the world, where the people are, doing their business, whether good men or bad: they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers ; the north and south chambers; See Gill on Ezekiel 42:13 , Ezekiel 42:14 , and they shall put on other garments ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:20

Neither shall they shave their heads ,.... As the priests and worshippers of Isis and Serapis did, as Jerom on the text observes; and as the Romish priests now do, from whom the Lord's faithful ministers must be distinguished: nor suffer their locks to grow long ; as the Nazarites, that a distinction might be preserved between those who were and were not such; or rather, after the manner of women, their locks hanging down, and flowing about their shoulders, as a token of levity,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:21

Neither shall any priest drink wine ,.... That is, to excess, immoderately, so as to be inebriated with it, Leviticus 10:9 , should not be given to it, and greedy of it, and drink it so as to disguise themselves: this is reckoned among the qualifications of a Gospel minister, 1 Timothy 3:3 , otherwise it is not forbidden good men, or ministers of the word, to drink wine, for health's sake, and for the refreshment of nature, provided it is done in moderation, 1 Timothy 5:23 , and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 44:22

Neither shall they take for their wives a widow ,.... Who has been not only another man's, but at her own will, and done her own pleasure, and been her own mistress, and so not easily brought into subjection, and to behave as becoming her station: or her that is put away ; or, "thrust forth" F17 גדושה "expulsam", Montanus, Heb; "ejectam", Piscator. ; out of doors; whose husband has given her a bill of divorce; since she may be suspected of having done some ill thing: but they... read more

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