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Commentary on Ezekiel 45 verses 13–25
Having laid down the rules of the righteousness toward men, which is really a branch off true religion, he comes next to give some directions for their religion towards God, which is a branch of universal righteousness.
I. It is required that they offer an oblation to the Lord out of what they have (Eze 45:13): All the people of the land must give an oblation, Eze 45:16. As God's tenants, they must pay a quit-rent to their great landlord. They had offered an oblation out of their real estates (Eze 45:1), a holy portion of their land; now they are directed to offer an oblation out of their personal estates, their goods and chattels, as an acknowledgement of their receivings from him, their dependence on him, and their obligations to him. Note, Whatever our substance is we must honour God with it, by giving him his dues out of it. Not that God has need of or may be benefited by any thing that we can give him, Psa 50:9. No; it is but an oblation; we only offer it to him; the benefit of it returns back to ourselves, to his poor, who, as our neighbours, are ourselves, or to his ministers who serve continually for our good.
II. The proportion of this oblation is here determined, which was not done by the law of Moses. No mention is made of the title, but only of this oblation. And the quantum of this is thus settled: - 1. Out of their corn they were to offer a sixtieth part; out of every homer of wheat and barley, which contained ten ephahs, they were to offer the sixth part of one ephah, which was a sixtieth part of the whole, Eze 45:13. 2. Out of their oil (and probably their wine too) they were to offer a hundredth part, for this oblation; out of every cor, or homer, which contained ten baths they were to offer the tenth part of one bath, Eze 45:14. This was given to the altar; for in eery meat-offering there was flour mingled with oil. 3. Out of their flocks they were to give one lamb out of 200; that was the smallest proportion of all, Eze 45:15. But it must be out of the fat pastures of Israel. They must not offer to God that which was taken up from the common, but the fattest and best they had, for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: the former were offered for the giving of glory to God, the latter for the fetching in of mercy, grace, and peace, from God, and in our spiritual sacrifices these are our two great errands at the throne of grace; but, in order to the acceptance of both, these sacrifices were to make reconciliation for them. Christ is our sacrifice of atonement, by whom reconciliation is made, and to him we must have an eye in our sacrifices of acknowledgment.
III. This oblation must be given for the prince in Israel, Eze 45:16. Some read it to the prince, and understand it of Christ, who is indeed the prince in Israel, to whom we must offer our oblations, and into whose hands we must put them, to be presented to the Father. Or, They shall give it with the prince; every private person shall bring his oblation, to be offered with that of the prince; for it follows (Eze 45:17). It shall be the prince's part to provide all the offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. The people were to bring their oblations to him according to the foregoing rules, and he was to bring them to the sanctuary, and to make up what fell short out of his own. Note, It is the duty of rulers to take care of religion, and to see that the duties of it be regularly and carefully performed by those under their charge, and that nothing be wanting that is requisite thereto: the magistrate is the keeper of both tables; and it is a happy thing when those that are above others in power and dignity go before them in the service of God.
IV. Some particular solemnities are here appointed.
1.Here is one in the beginning of the year, which seems to be altogether new, and not instituted by the law of Moses; it is the annual solemnity of cleansing the sanctuary. (1.) On the first day of the first month (upon new-year's day) they were to offer a sacrifice for the cleansing of the sanctuary (Eze 45:18), that is, to make atonement for the iniquity of the holy things the year past, that they might bring none of the guilt of them into the services of the new year, and to implore grace for the preventing of that iniquity, and for the better performance of the service of the sanctuary the ensuing year. And, in token of this, the blood of this sin-offering was to be put upon the posts of the gate of the inner court (Eze 45:19), to signify that by it atonement was intended to be made for the sins of all the servants that attended that house, priests, Levites, and people, even the sins that were found in all their services. Note, Even sanctuaries on earth need cleansing, frequent cleansing; that above needs none. Those what worship God together should often join in renewing their repentance for their manifold defects, and applying the blood of Christ for the pardon of them, and in renewing their covenants to be more careful for the future; and it is very seasonable to begin the year with this work, as Hezekiah did when it had been long neglected, Ch2 29:17. They were here appointed to cleanse the sanctuary upon the first day of the month, because on the fourteenth day of the month they were to eat the passover, an ordinance which, of all Old Testament institutions, had most in it of Christ and gospel grace, and therefore it was very fit that they should begin to prepare for it a fortnight before by cleansing the sanctuary. (2.) This sacrifice was to be repeated on the seventh day of the first month, Eze 45:20. And then it was intended to make atonement for every one that errs, and for him that is simple. Note, He that sins errs and is simple; he mistakes, he goes out of the way, and shows himself to be foolish and unwise. But here it is spoken of those sins which are committed through ignorance, mistake, or inadvertency, whether by any of the priests, or of the Levites, or of the people. Sacrifices were appointed to atone for such sins as men were surprised into, or did before they were aware, which they would not have done if they had known and remembered aright, which they were overtaken in, and for which, afterwards, they condemn themselves. But for presumptuous sins, committed with a high hand, there was no sacrifice appointed, Num 15:30. By these repeated sacrifices you shall reconcile the house, that is, God will be reconciled to it, and continue the tokens of his presence in it, and will let it alone this year also.
2.The passover was to be religiously observed at the time appointed, Eze 45:21. Christ is our passover, that is sacrificed for us. We celebrate the memorial of that sacrifice and feast upon it, triumphing in our deliverance out of the Egyptian slavery of sin and our preservation from the sword of the destroying angel, the sword of divine justice, in the Lord's supper, which is our passover-feast, as the whole Christian life is, and must be, the feast of unleavened bread. It is here appointed that the prince shall prepare a sin-offering, to be offered for himself and the people, a bullock on the first day (Eze 45:22) and a kid of the goats every other day (Eze 45:23), to teach us, in all our attendance upon God for communion with him, to have an eye to the great sin-offering, by which transgression was finished and an everlasting righteousness brought in. On every day of the feast there was to be a burnt-offering, purely for the honour of God, of no less than seven bullocks and seven rams, with their meat-offering, which were wholly consumed upon the altar, and yet no waste, Eze 45:23, Eze 45:24.
3.The feast of tabernacles; that is spoken of next (Eze 45:25), and there is no mention of the feast of pentecost, which came between that of the passover and that of tabernacles. Orders are here given (above what were given by the law of Moses) for the same sacrifices to be offered during the seven days of the passover. See the deficiency of the legal sacrifices for sin; they were therefore often repeated, not only every year, but every feast, every day of the feast, because they could not make the comers thereunto perfect, Heb 10:1, Heb 10:3. See the necessity of our frequently repeating the same religious exercises. Though the sacrifice of atonement is offered once for all, yet the sacrifices of acknowledgement, that of a broken heart, that of a thankful heart, those spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Christ Jesus, must be every day offered. We should, as here, fall into a method of holy duties, and keep to it.
(Verse 15 and following) And one ram from the flock of two hundred, from those that nourish Israel, for a sacrifice, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them, says the Lord God. The whole population of the land shall be held accountable for these first fruits to the prince in Israel. And the prince shall have burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings for the festivals, and for the new moons, and for the Sabbaths, and for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He himself will make a sacrifice for sin, and a burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel. As mentioned above, a certain portion of those things that are offered, both dry and liquid measures, should be offered to the prince. Now he holds the same order of firstfruits in regard to animals: that one of the flock of two hundred rams should be commanded to be offered, which nourishes Israel, as a sacrifice and burnt offering, and peace offering, to make atonement for the people of Israel, says the Lord God. What we have interpreted, regarding what nourishes Israel, is written in Hebrew as Memmasce(), which Aquila and Symmachus interpret as 'from the waters', and the Septuagint and Theodotion interpret as 'from the reservoirs'. The former refers to irrigation, while the latter refers to canals or pools, indicating that the firstfruits of the prince should only be nourished in irrigation systems. And just as we read in previous passages that a sixtieth part should be offered to the prince from what is attached and subject to measurement, now a two-hundredth part of animals is commanded to be offered. And by such commands of the law, the entire people are subject to offering to the leader or prince, so that through him, burnt offerings, sacrifices, and libations may be offered for the people and the house of God may be exonerated. From which it must be noted that just as the people owe the offering of first fruits to the ruler, so the ruler owes the offering of victims to the people, whom, according to the trope, we can understand to be none other than the Lord Savior. It is he who receives a ram for the two hundred animals, or as the Hebrew word more significantly indicates, the sustenance that can be referred not specifically to the ram but to all animals, and he receives the animal or ram that has been nourished in fertile places, namely the holy Scriptures, and he can say, 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he has set me in a place of pasture, he has nourished me by the waters of refreshment' (Psalm 22:1-2). These were the irrigated, or rather, these were the canals, to which Jacob led his livestock, so that they could drink and conceive in them, and according to the color of the rods, they would produce offspring for the Lord (Gen. 30). As for sacrifice, that is θυσία in Greek, Aquila and Symmachus interpret it as gift: which in Hebrew is called Manaa (), and properly does not pertain to the offering, but to those things which are offered in sacrifice, such as flour, porridge, and oil. But a Holocaust is what is entirely offered to God and is consumed by sacred fire. Pacifica, when we are reconciled to God; and the Apostle speaks for us: We beseech you in Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). And in another place: God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (ibid., 19). Now this ruler, to whom the first fruits are offered, is also a king: as is demonstrated on the title of the cross with Hebrew, Greek, and Latin letters. And when the Jews insisted that the triumphal title be removed, the crowd of the Gentiles responded to Pilate: What I have written, I have written (John 19:22). Under the prince, he says, they will be. The dignity of the priesthood should be bestowed beautifully, to which it is subject; so that it knows that it must offer sacrifices and libations that are offered from wine ((or smoke)) for the people in all solemnities: both on the kalends, that is, the first day of the month, and on the sabbaths: when darkness covers everything, the beginning of the lunar light is: and on the rest of the sabbaths: so that it may indeed make atonement for sin, to cleanse the house of Israel, which is the Church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of truth. For this is the house of the living God, and the house of Israel, which is in need of the expiation of its sins.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 45:17 delineates the specific responsibilities of "the prince" within the visionary temple and land described by the prophet. This verse highlights the prince's crucial role in providing the necessary sacrificial offerings—burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings—for the prescribed festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths. His primary duty is to ensure the continuous and proper functioning of the worship system, thereby facilitating reconciliation for the entire house of Israel, underscoring the communal nature of atonement and the leader's integral part in upholding divine ordinances.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 45:17 employs several literary devices to convey its message. Prescriptive Language is evident throughout, as the verse uses declarative statements ("it shall be," "he shall prepare") to lay down clear, non-negotiable duties for the prince, reflecting the authoritative nature of divine law and the structured order of the envisioned temple. Repetition of the various offerings (burnt, meat/grain) emphasizes their importance and the prince's comprehensive responsibility. The phrase "house of Israel" is repeated, underscoring that the benefits of these sacrifices and the prince's role extend to the entire community, highlighting the Communal aspect of worship and atonement. Furthermore, the entire passage functions as Symbolism, where the meticulously detailed temple vision, including the prince's role and the sacrificial system, symbolizes God's desire for perfect holiness, restored relationship, and ordered worship in a future, ideal state. This vision serves as a powerful Foreshadowing of ultimate reconciliation and perfect leadership, even if its immediate fulfillment is not literal.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 45:17, with its emphasis on a leader providing for a sacrificial system to achieve reconciliation, stands as a pivotal Old Testament text connecting the Mosaic covenant's ritual requirements to future hope. It underscores the enduring biblical truth that human sin necessitates divine intervention for atonement. The meticulously detailed provisions for various offerings highlight God's holiness and the seriousness of sin, while simultaneously revealing His gracious provision for forgiveness. This vision, given during exile, speaks to God's faithfulness to restore His people and dwell among them, albeit under new, purified conditions. The prince's role, though distinct from the priesthood, signifies that leadership, whether civic or spiritual, is fundamentally about facilitating the people's access to God and their reconciliation with Him. This Old Testament pattern of a mediating figure and sacrificial system points forward to a greater reality.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 45:17, while describing a visionary temple and an ancient system of worship, offers profound principles for contemporary faith and practice. It reminds us that true worship is never haphazard but is meant to be intentional, ordered, and focused on God's holiness. The prince's role underscores the vital responsibility of leaders—in the church, home, or community—to facilitate environments where spiritual growth and reconciliation with God can flourish. This isn't about performing rituals, but about humbly serving to remove obstacles, provide resources, and set an example that encourages others toward deeper devotion. Moreover, the persistent need for "reconciliation" in this idealized vision powerfully echoes our own ongoing need for God's grace. Even as believers, we continually rely on the finished work of Christ for our standing with God, and we are called to live lives that reflect this reconciliation, offering spiritual sacrifices of praise, service, and obedience. This verse challenges us to consider how we, as individuals and as a community, contribute to fostering a culture of worship and reconciliation in a world desperately in need of God's covering grace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is 'the prince' in Ezekiel's vision, and is he a king?
Answer: The "prince" (Hebrew: nâsîyʼ, H5387) in Ezekiel's vision (e.g., Ezekiel 44:3 and Ezekiel 45:7) is a civic leader, distinct from the priestly class. He is not referred to as a "king" (melek), which is significant. This distinction suggests a different form of governance in the restored community, one where the prince's authority is subordinate to God's ultimate sovereignty and focused on facilitating the temple cult. His role is to provide for the sacrifices and ensure the proper functioning of the worship system, rather than to rule as a monarch in the traditional sense. This vision might reflect a more theocratic ideal, where God is the true King, and the human leader serves as His appointed steward.
Why are so many different offerings mentioned, and what do they signify?
Answer: Ezekiel 45:17 lists several types of offerings: burnt offerings, grain (meat) offerings, drink offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. These correspond to the major categories of sacrifices detailed in the Mosaic Law, primarily in Leviticus 1-7. Each type carried specific theological significance:
The inclusion of these various offerings underscores the comprehensive nature of worship and the multifaceted ways in which Israel was to approach God, acknowledging sin, expressing gratitude, and seeking fellowship.
Is Ezekiel's temple vision meant to be taken literally, or is it symbolic?
Answer: The interpretation of Ezekiel's temple vision (Ezekiel 40-48) is a subject of ongoing theological debate. Some interpret it literally, believing it describes a future, physical temple that will be built during a millennial reign of Christ. Others view it as primarily symbolic, representing the spiritual reality of God's presence among His people, the purity of worship, and the order of the new covenant community. A third view suggests a partial fulfillment in the post-exilic temple (Second Temple) and a greater, ultimate fulfillment in Christ and the Church, with eschatological dimensions. Given the highly idealized and often impractical dimensions described (e.g., the river flowing from the temple in Ezekiel 47:1-12), many scholars lean towards a symbolic or typological interpretation, where the vision communicates profound spiritual truths about God's holiness, His desire for pure worship, and His ultimate reconciliation with His people, fulfilled perfectly in Jesus Christ.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 45:17, with its emphasis on a prince providing sacrifices for the reconciliation of Israel, finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament prince's role was to facilitate a temporary, ritualistic covering for sin through animal sacrifices, Christ is the true and eternal Prince of Peace, who not only provides the sacrifice but is the sacrifice himself. The myriad offerings listed in Ezekiel—burnt, grain, sin, and peace offerings—all pointed forward to the singular, all-sufficient offering of Jesus on the cross. His sacrifice was not a mere provision of materials, but the giving of His own life, a perfect and once-for-all atonement that truly takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). As our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), Jesus entered the true, heavenly sanctuary, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with His own blood, securing an eternal redemption. The reconciliation that the prince in Ezekiel's vision sought to achieve for the "house of Israel" is fully realized in Christ for all who believe, forming a new "house of God" composed of believers from every nation (1 Peter 2:5). He is the true leader who has perfectly fulfilled all sacrificial requirements, making complete and lasting reconciliation between God and humanity possible, not through repeated rituals, but through His finished work.