Ezekiel 46:20

Then said he unto me, This [is] the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear [them] not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.

Then said {H559} he unto me, This is the place {H4725} where the priests {H3548} shall boil {H1310} the trespass offering {H817} and the sin offering {H2403}, where they shall bake {H644} the meat offering {H4503}; that they bear {H3318} them not out into the utter {H2435} court {H2691}, to sanctify {H6942} the people {H5971}.

about which he said to me, "This is the place where the cohanim will boil the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the grain offerings. In this way they won't have to bring them into the outer courtyard and risk transmitting holiness to the people."

and said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”

And he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, and where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they bring them not forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people.

Ezekiel 46:20 is part of the prophet's detailed vision of a new temple, often interpreted as a future, ideal temple or a symbolic representation of God's dwelling among His people. This verse specifically describes a designated area for the preparation of certain holy sacrifices, emphasizing the strict separation required for sacred rituals.

Context

This verse is situated within Ezekiel's extensive prophecies concerning a new temple (chapters 40-48). Following the destruction of Solomon's Temple, Ezekiel receives a vision of an elaborate and meticulously ordered temple, complete with specific dimensions, rituals, and priestly functions. Chapter 46 focuses on the ordinances for the prince and the people regarding offerings and the use of the temple courts. Verse 20 highlights the sanctity of the priests' designated areas for preparing the most holy offerings, distinct from the common areas, reinforcing the divine order for worship. This vision follows the intense focus on God's glory departing the first temple and its eventual return to the new temple.

Key Themes

  • Holiness and Separation: The primary theme is the absolute necessity of maintaining holiness and the strict separation between the sacred and the common. The designated boiling and baking rooms prevent the highly holy offerings from being carried into the outer court, which would inadvertently "sanctify" (make holy or contaminate with holiness) the common people or objects there. This echoes principles found throughout the Levitical law concerning clean and unclean.
  • Priestly Responsibility: Priests had a solemn duty to handle sacred things with utmost care and according to divine instruction. This verse underlines their specific responsibilities in preparing the offerings in a consecrated space, ensuring the integrity of the temple rituals.
  • Divine Order and Purity in Worship: The meticulous details of the temple vision, including the placement of these preparation rooms, underscore God's desire for perfect order, purity, and reverence in worship. Every aspect of the temple's function is designed to reflect God's holy character.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "meat offering" (KJV) is often translated as "grain offering" or "meal offering" (Hebrew: minchah), which was typically made of flour, oil, and frankincense, and baked. The term "sanctify" (Hebrew: qadash) here implies the imparting of holiness, or making something holy. In this context, it refers to the unintended consequence of contact with the most holy offerings: a transfer of holiness that was not regulated or desired for the common people in the outer court, thereby blurring the critical distinction between the sacred and the profane. This concept of holiness being 'transferable' was crucial to understanding ancient temple rituals.

Practical Application

While the specific temple rituals described in Ezekiel's vision are not practiced today, the underlying principles remain profoundly relevant for believers:

  • Reverence for God's Presence: We are called to approach God with reverence and respect, recognizing His holiness. Though we no longer offer animal sacrifices, the principle of setting apart sacred space, time, and resources for worship is vital.
  • Purity in Worship: This verse reminds us of the importance of purity in our worship and service. Our motives, attitudes, and actions should reflect the holiness of the God we serve.
  • Understanding Christ's Sacrifice: The detailed sacrificial system, including the sin and trespass offerings mentioned here, points forward to the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who offered Himself once for all. His sacrifice fulfills the need for atonement, making true access to God possible without the need for physical separation or intricate rituals.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Chronicles 35:13

    And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the [other] holy [offerings] sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided [them] speedily among all the people.

  • Ezekiel 44:29

    They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.

  • Ezekiel 44:19

    And when they go forth into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.

  • Leviticus 2:4

    And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, [it shall be] unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

  • Leviticus 2:7

    And if thy oblation [be] a meat offering [baken] in the fryingpan, it shall be made [of] fine flour with oil.

  • Leviticus 7:1

    ¶ Likewise this [is] the law of the trespass offering: it [is] most holy.

  • Leviticus 7:38

    Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

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