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B.. C. 574.

EZEKIEL.

B. C. 574.

the new temple. A. M. 3430. 8 For the length of the chambers 13 Then said he unto me, The A. M. 3430. that were in the outer court was fifty north chambers and the south chamcubits; and lo, before the temple were a hun-bers which are before the separate place; they dred cubits. be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat-offering, and the sinoffering, and the trespass-offering; for the place is holy.

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9 And 3 from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the outer court.

10 The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.

11 And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors,

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14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people. 15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth to ward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.

16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.

e Lev. ii. 3, 10; vi. 14, 17, 25, 29; vii. 1; x. 13, 14; Num. xviii.
9, 10.-
f Chap. xliv. 19.6 Heb. wind.

The show-bread, the remainder of the meat-offering, sin-offering, and trespass-offering, are expressly call

Verses 8-12. For the length of the chambers, &c. -The chambers that were built over the cloisters were in length fifty cubits. And lo, before the tem-ed the most holy things, Lev. vi. 14, 17, and xxiv.9; ple were a hundred cubiis-In passing from the north to the south side of the temple, verses 11, 12, over the space of ground that fronted the east side of it, the prophet was shown that it measured a hundred cubits, chap. xli. 14. And from under these chambers was the entry, &c.-The entry into these south chambers was by a pair of stairs at the east corner of the outer court: see chap. xlvi. 19. The chambers were in the thickness-Or rather, in the breadth of the wall-That is, of the ground which that wall enclosed. Over against, or before, the separate place, and before the building-These expressions denote that these south chambers had the same situation with respect to the temple, as the north chambers had, spoken of verse 1. And the way before them, &c.-Such a way led to these chambers, as did to the chambers on the north side. As long as they, and as broad as they-The proportions of both were the same; and the windows, doors, and passages belonging to these, were exactly uniform with those on the north side. The sense of

and are distinguished from the holy things, such as the peace-offerings, first-fruits, and tithes, Lev. xxi. 22. These were to be eaten within the precincts of the temple, by the direction of the Levitical law. There shall they lay the most holy things—These rooms were likewise set apart for laying up the remainder of the sacrifices, till they were eaten by the priests and their families, Lev. x. 13, and xxii. 13. When the priests enter therein-Within the inner court; then shall they not go out of the holy place, &c., but there they shall lay their garments, &c.— They shall not go into the court of the people, in their priestly vestments, but shall lay them up in some of these chambers. The priestly garments were only to be used in the time of their ministration, as appears from Exod. xxviii. 43. And shall put on other garments, and shall approach, &c.— The words should rather be translated, and shall come into the court belonging to the people; the outer court, mentioned at the beginning of the verse.

Verses 15, 16. When he had made an end of the twelfth verse would be plainer, if the words were measuring the inner house-The inner house dethus translated, And such were the doors of the notes the temple, distinguished from the courts chambers toward the south; namely, as those to- about it; he measured the east side, &c.-This and ward the north. There was a door in the head of the following verses contain the measures of the holy the way, &c.-Namely, like that described verse 9. mountain, or area, upon which the temple stood, and Verses 13, 14. The north chambers, and the south which is described to be an exact square, consisting chambers-Namely, those described in the forego- of five hundred reeds in measure on each side of it, ing part of the chapter; they be holy chambers, that is, of very near an English mile. The whole where the priests shall eat the most holy things-area, therefore, was near four miles in compass; a

The glory of the Lord

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A. M. 3430. 17 He measured the north side, five || measured five hundred reeds, with A. M. 3430. hundred reeds, with the measuring- the measuring-reed. reed round about. 20 He measured it by the four sides: it had 18 He measured the south side, five hundred a wall round about, h five hundred reeds long, reeds, with the measuring-reed. and five hundred broad, to make a separation 19 He turned about to the west side, and between the sanctuary and the profane place.

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circuit as large as one-half of the whole city of Jeru-ing to what lengths they may proceed. Surely it is salem, in its most flourishing condition, and certainly better to acknowledge our ignorance on such abstruse far greater than that occupied either by Solomon's subjects than to support a favourite scheme of intertemple, with all its out-buildings and courts, or by pretation, by giving countenance to so dangerous a the temple built after the return of the Jews from measure." We have said above, that the area here Babylon; and indeed greater than the mountain of described is an exact square; and it is to be obthe temple was capable of containing, according to || served, that the heavenly Jerusalem, represented to the description given of it by all the Jewish writers. St. John, Rev. xxi. 16, is likewise described as fourThis proves, as Mr. Scott justly observes, that the square, that figure being an emblem of solidity. And vision cannot be explained of any temple that has Ezekiel's vision, as well as St. John's, is designed, in hitherto been built, or indeed of any literal temple, its mystical sense, to represent the regularity and but must be understood figuratively and mystically. strength of Christ's church and kingdom. Bishop Newcome indeed, following Capellus, says, "Read here, and verses 17-19, 8, cubits, for D'p, reeds, with the LXX., verses 17, 20." But the former word, signifying cubits, does not once occur in the Hebrew text, whereas the word rendered reeds is repeated four times. And as to the LXX., it is evident they "had Solomon's temple in view, and changed reeds for cubits, in order to adjust the di- || mensions of this temple to those of Solomon's; and that late writers have proposed the alteration in the text for the same reason. But if men allow themselves to substitute one word for another in the sacred text, because the alterations would render that consistent with their systems which otherwise would be incompatible with them, there is no know

Verse 20. It had a wall round about-To defend it from being invaded or profaned. Such a square wall as is here described, seems only capable of a mystical sense and interpretation. To make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place |-Between that compass of ground which was included in the precincts of the temple, and was considered as consecrated to the Lord, and where it was not permitted either the heathen, strangers, or impure persons, to present themselves; and that place, here termed profane, which all the world might enter indiscriminately, men, women, pure, impure, Gentiles, and others. We learn from Josephus, that such a place of separation existed at the temple in his time: see Antiq., lib. xv. c. 14, and Calmet

CHAPTER XLIII.

Here,

In this chapter and the next the temple-service is described, but under the type of the Old Testament service. (1,) God takes possession of the temple in a cloud of glory, 1-6. (2,) He promises that his presence shall continue in it, provided the people return to and continue in his worship, according to the instituted and holy ordinances of it, and keep themselves from idolatry, 7-12. (3,) The altar of burnt-offerings is described, 13–17; with directions for the consecration of it, 18-27.

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me to|| 2b And behold, the glory of the A. M. 3430. God of Israel came from the way

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3430. AFTERWARD he brought the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

a Chap. x. 19; xliv. 1; xlvi. 1.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XLIII.

b Chap. xi. 23.

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B. C. 574.

of the east and his voice was like a noise

Chap. i. 24; Rev. i. 15; xiv. 2; xix. 1, 6.

of Israel, which had departed from this place and Verses 1, 2. Then he brought me to the gate—|| people, and had absented itself from them for so The eastern gate of the court of the priests, which || long a time, is now returning to them, and fixing its was just before the temple. And behold, the glory|| residence among them. When the glory of the Lord of the God of Israel-The word behold is an ex- forsook the temple, it is represented as departing pression of joy and admiration; as if the prophet from the eastern gate of it; afterward, as quite forhad said, Behold, a wonderful and joyful sight!|| saking the city, and removing to a mountain on the The glory of that God who calls himself the God east side of it; and now that glory is described as

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returns to the temple.

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6 And I heard him speaking unto A. M. 3430. me out of the house; and the man stood by me.

7 And he said unto me, Son of man, m the place of my throne, and " the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel P no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places.

8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their posts by my posts, 2 and the wall between me and them, they have even

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n1 Chron. xxviii. 2; Psa. xcix. 5.- Exod. xxix. 45; Psa. lxviii. 16; cxxxii. 14; Joel iii. 17; John i. 14; 2 Cor. vi. 16. Chap. xxxix. 7.—4 Lev. xxvi. 30; Jer. xvi. 18.2 Kings xvi. 14; xxi. 4, 5, 7; Chap. viii. 3; xxiii. 39; xliv. 7.———— Or, for there was but a wall between me and them.

Verse 6. I heard him speaking unto me, &c.—The prophet now receives instructions more immediately from the glory of the Lord, as Moses did when God had taken possession of the tabernacle, Lev. i. 1. When God's glory shines in the church, we must from thence expect to receive divine oracles. And the man stood by me—` -We could not bear to hear the voice of. God, any more than to see the face of God, if Jesus Christ did not stand by us as a Mediator. Or, if this was a created angel, it is observable, that when God began to speak to the prophet, he stood by, and gave way, having no more to say. Nay, he stood by the prophet as a learner with him; for to the principalities and powers, to the angels themselves, who desire to look into these things, is made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. iii. 10.

returning by the same way it departed: see chap. x. 18, and xi. 23. This was intended to signify that God would again accept of this place for a temple to be built on it, and dedicated to his worship, and would accept of the service that should be paid him there, and afford the place his peculiar protection. And his voice was like a noise of many waters— || Great and terrible: compare chap. i. 24; Rev. i. 15. Either to signify the dreadfulness of God's judg-| ments, or the efficacy of his commands, who calls things into existence by the power of his word. And the earth shined with his glory-The rays of his glory, like the sunbeams, enlightened the earth: see the margin. This glory of the Lord seems to have been intended as an emblem of the light of the gospel, which is the glory of Christ, and which spread from the eastern part of the world into the western; and which has been, and still is, powerful Verses 7-9. And he said unto me, Son of man, &c. and mighty in operation, in saving mankind, and en--God here, in retaking possession of his house, in lightening the earth with abundance of knowledge, holiness, and comfort.

effect renews his covenant with his people Israel; and Ezekiel negotiates the matter, as Moses formerly did. This would be of great use to the captives at their return, both for direction and for encouragement; but it more especially concerns those that are blessed with the privileges of the gospel temple, and shows that they hold their blessings under the con

Verses 3-5. And it-This glory of the God of Israel; was according to the vision, &c., when I came to destroy the city-That is, to prophesy that the city would be destroyed. The prophets are often said to do those things which they foretel shall be done. And I fell upon my face-In humble and reverent adora-dition of their obedience. The place of my throne tion of the divine majesty, or overwhelmed, as it -The sense would be plainer if the beginning of the were, and not able to bear the lustre of such glory. verse were rendered, This is the place of my throne, But the Spirit took him up, when the glory of the &c.-The cherubim are described as God's throne, Lord was come into the house, that he might see how and he is said to dwell, or sit, between the cherubim, the house was filled with it. He had formerly seen, and the ark was as his footstool. Observe, reader, to his great grief, how the glory of the Lord, in this his temple, the church, is the place where the throne same appearance, departed from the temple, because of his grace is erected; and in the dispensations of it was profaned; and now he sees, to his great satis- grace he has a throne, and manifests himself as a faction, how it returns to it. As we do not find that king, to whom we must be subject. Where I will ever the Shechinah did in such a manner take posses- dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever sion of the second temple, it seems evident that this -He alludes to the promise formerly made with rewas to have its accomplishment in that glory of thelation to the tabernacle and temple, (see Psa. lxviii. 16, divine grace which shines so bright in the gospel and exxxii. 14, ) which promise is to be understood, church, and fills it. like all God's other promises made of old, as con

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Solemn exhortation

B. C. 574.

anger.

CHAPTER XLIII.

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to the people. A. M. 3430. defiled my holy name by their abo- || have done, show them the form of the A. M. 3430. minations that they have commit-house, and the fashion thereof, and ted: wherefore I have consumed them in mine 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 laws 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

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 their iniquities: and let them measure the 3 pattern.

11 And if they be ashamed of all that they is the law of the house.

Verse 7.- Verse 7.-U
" Chap xl. 4.

Or, sum, or, number.- — Chap. xl. 2.

that they may be ashamed, &c.-The prophet is here directed to show the measure and pattern of the house to the Jews, with a view to render them ashamed of their idolatries and other iniquities, which had provoked God to deprive them of the honour and happiness of his residence among them, and the benefit of his ordinances. It seems also, that this same draught and description of the house and its courts, &c., was to be laid before them, as a model for them to imitate, as far as they should be able, when they should return to their own country, and rebuild their temple. See Preliminary Observations to chap. xl.-xlviii. But, as has been more than once intimated, "the words may have a further view, and the model of God's temple here set forth might be intended as a pattern of heavenly things, as Moses's was, Exod. xxv. 40, and a type of that pure church, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, which we may hope God will in due time everywhere restore. And, in the mean season, it is the duty of all Christians, according to their ability, to inform themselves and others what is the pattern, form, and fashion of this true church of God, in order to reform all those deviations which have been made from it. Let them measure the pattern-In order to build their new temple by it, when they shall return from captivity, as far as their abilities will reach. For the same purpose the prophet is commanded in the following verse to write it in their sight.

ditional, (see verse 9,) and intended to be eminently fulfilled in and by Christ, in whom all the promises of the Old Testament are to have their final accomplishment. Zechariah prophesied, chap. vi. 13, that the Messiah should build the temple of the Lord, and bear the glory; that is, as such prophecies are explained in the New Testament, he shall build the Christian Church, and in him shall all the fulness of the Godhead dwell bodily and really, not in types and figures. To the same sense we may explain the prophecy of Haggai, chap. ii. 7, The glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former; for no visible glory appeared in the second temple, till the Lord whom they expected came to his temple, Mal. iii. 1; that is till the Messiah, who was the brightness of his Father's glory, appeared there, and made it an illustrious figure of that true temple, or church of believers, where he would continue his presence for ever; see 2 Cor. vi. 16. And my holy name shall Israel no more defile by their whoredom -By idolatry, often described in Scripture under the metaphor of fornication. The captivity had that good effect upon the Jews, that they scarce ever after relapsed into idolatry. And the entire destruction of || idolatry is often mentioned as a blessing reserved for the latter days, when the Jews shall be converted, and|| the fulness of the Gentiles come into the church. Nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high placesIdols are called carcasses, because they are without life and motion, and likewise upon the account of their being hateful and loathsome in the sight of Verse 12. This is the law of the house-This is God: see the margin. They are called carcasses of the first comprehensive rule; or, this is the genera. kings because they were set up, and the worship of || law respecting this temple, and all that belongs to it. them encouraged, by the idolatrous kings of Judah,|| Whereas formerly only the chancel, or sanctuary, who erected high places for that purpose near Jerusalem, in the very view of the temple, 2 Kings xxiii. 13. By this means the temple itself was profaned by those that came directly from the worship of idols to attend upon God's service in the temple. Nay, they even advanced to such high degrees of idolatry, as to set up their threshold by God's threshold, that is, to erect the altars and images of their idols in the temple itself, and the courts before it. And the wall-For there was but a wall between me and them: see the margin.

was most holy, now the whole mount of the house, the whole limit thereof round about, including all the courts and all the chambers, shall be so. This signified that, in gospel times, 1st, The church should have the privilege of the holy of holies, namely, that of a near access to God. All believers have now, under the gospel, liberty to enter into the holiest, Heb. x. 19, with this advantage, that whereas the Jewish high-priests entered by the virtue of the blood of bulls and goats; we enter by the virtue of the blood of Jesus, and at all times, and wherever we Verse 10. Show the house to the house of Israel, || are, we have through him access to the Father. 2d,

How the temple was

A. M. 3430. B. C. 574.

EZEKIEL.

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 even 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.

16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. 17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.

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to be hallowed.

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18 ¶ And he said unto me, Son of A. M. 3430 man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, and to a sprinkle blood thereon.

19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach 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 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin-offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.

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That the whole church should be under an indis- Verses 18-27. These are the ordinances of the pensable obligation to press toward the perfection of altar-Here we have directions concerning the dediholiness, as he who hath called us is holy. All must cation of the altar at first. Seven days were to be now be most holy. Holiness becomes God's house spent in the dedication of it, and every day sacrifor ever, and in gospel times more than ever. Be-fices were to be offered upon it, particularly a goat hold, this is the law of the house! Let none expect for a sin-offering, (verse 25,) besides a young bulthe protection and blessings of it that will not sub-lock for a sin-offering on the first day, verse 19; mit to this law.

Verses 13-17. These are the measures of the altar--The Jews, after their return out of captivity, had an altar long before they had a temple, Ezra iii. 3; but the altar here spoken of is an altar in the temple, the mystical temple emblematical of the gospel church; and this altar is mystical too, for Christ is our altar. The bottom shall be a cubit, &c.--To render the dimensions here specified of the altar more intelligible to an English reader, it may be best to observe, that it was about six yards square at the top, and seven at the bottom. It was four yards and a half high; it had a lower bench, or shelf, here called a settle, a yard from the ground, on which some of the priests stood to minister, and another, two yards above that, on which others of them stood; and those were each of them half a yard broad, and had ledges on either side, that they might stand firm upon them. The sacrifices were killed at the table spoken of chap. xl. 39; what was to be burned on the altar was given up to those on the lower bench, and handed by them to those on the higher, and they laid it on the altar. Thus in the service of God we must be assistant to one another.

which teaches us, in all our religious services, to have an eye to Christ, the great sin-offering. Neither our persons nor our performances can be acceptable to God, unless sin be taken away; and that cannot be taken away but by the blood of Christ, which both sanctifies the altar (for Christ entered by his own blood) and the gift upon the altar. There was also a bullock and a ram to be offered for a burnt-offering, (verse 24,) which was intended purely for the glory of God, to teach us to have an eye to that in all our services. This dedication of the altar is called the cleansing and purging of it, verses 20, 26. Christ, our altar, though he had no pollution to be cleansed from, yet sanctified himself, John xvii. 19. And when we consecrate the altars of our hearts to God, to have holy love always burning upon them, we must see that they be purified and cleansed from the love of the world and the lust of the flesh. It is observable, that there are several differences between the rites of dedication here, and those which were appointed Exod. xxix., to intimate that the ceremonial institutions were mutable things, and the changes made in them were earnests of their termi nation in Christ. Only here, according to the gene

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