Ezekiel 40:38 - Exposition

The chambers . As the verse explains, these were different from the guard-rooms in the gates ( Ezekiel 40:7 , Ezekiel 40:21 ) and the chambers on the pavement ( Ezekiel 40:17 ), although the same Hebrew word is employed to designate the latter. The cells under consideration were expressly designed for washing "the inwards and the legs" of the victims brought for sacrifice (Le Ezekiel 1:9 ). Whether such a cell stood at each of the three gates, as the plural seems to indicate, although described only in connection with the north (Keil, Kliefoth, Plumptre), or merely at one gate, and that the north—because, according to the Law (Le Ezekiel 1:11 ; Ezekiel 6:1-14 :18; Ezekiel 7:2 ), on the north side of the altar burnt, sin, and trespass offerings were to be killed (Havernick, Hengstenberg)—or the east, which is alluded to in vet, s. 39, 40 (Hitzig, Ewald, Smend), is controverted, though the former view seems the preferable, seeing that, according to Ezekiel 46:1 , Ezekiel 46:2 , the priests were to prepare burnt offerings and peace offerings for the prince at the posts of the east gate. The situation of the cells is stated to have been by (or, beside ) the posts of ( i . e . at) the gates (see on Ezekiel 46:14 ), but on which side of the gates, whether near the right or left pillar, no information is furnished. Keil and Kliefoth place those at the south and north gates on the west side; that at the east gate Keil locates on its north side, Kliefoth placing one in the side wall at each side of the gate.