Ezekiel 45
45
Sacred Arrangements
1 # 45:1 Ezekiel 45–48 constitutes panel A1—the final one in the chiastic structure of the book. These chapters contain the visionary description of the division of the land and the renewal of the historical boundaries, implying renewed conquest (note especially 48:8–35, a description of the sacred city, the dwelling place of Yahweh: “Yahweh-Lives-There”). These chapters then serve as the climactic, consummate contrasting parallel with chs. 1–7 (panel A) that open the book of Ezekiel, focusing on the desecration of the land and temple (note the vision of the heavenly throne room). “When you apportion the land as an inheritance to each tribe, you must set aside a sacred portion for Yahweh. It is to be 25,000 cubits # 45:1 About 8.29 miles (13.25 kilometers). Also vv. 3, 5, 6. long and 20,000 cubits # 45:1 About 6.63 miles (10.6 kilometers), as translated from the Septuagint. The Hebrew is “ten thousand cubits wide.” wide. The entire area of this land will be sacred. 2And inside this area, a square plot of land 500 cubits by 500 cubits # 45:2 About 875 feet long by 875 feet wide (265 meters long by 265 meters wide). must be set apart for the temple compound. All around the temple compound there will be a strip of open land that is 50 cubits # 45:2 About 87.5 feet (26.5 meters). wide on each side. 3Within this sacred portion you must mark off an area that is 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits # 45:3 About 3.31 miles (5.3 kilometers). Also v. 5. wide. This is the area set apart for the temple, the Holy of Holies.
4“This dedicated part of the land will be for the priests who minister before Yahweh in his sanctuary. It will be for the priests’ houses and for the holy precincts of the temple. 5The other half of the area, a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide, will be owned by the Levites who minister at the temple, with towns for them to live in. # 45:5 As translated from the Septuagint. The Hebrew is “as their possession, twenty chambers.” 6You must assign an area 25,000 cubits long by 5,000 cubits # 45:6 About 1.66 miles (2.65 kilometers). wide, adjacent to the land belonging to my sanctuary. This will belong to all the people of Israel.”
The Portion for the Prince
7“The prince # 45:7 See Ezek. 44:3 and the first footnote there. will have land on both sides of the holy area and the city. West of the holy area and the city, his land will reach to the Mediterranean Sea. East of the holy area and the city, his land will reach to the eastern border of the country. It will correspond in length to the land given to each tribe. 8This will be the prince’s property in Israel. Then my leaders will no longer bully and oppress my people. They will permit the people of Israel to live peacefully and possess the rest of the country for its tribes.” # 45:8 Or “occupy the land in line with its tribal allocations.”
Rules for the Rulers
9Lord Yahweh says this: “You have overstepped your bounds, you leaders of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression and start practicing justice and righteousness. I, Lord Yahweh, say to you: Do what is right and just, and stop forcing people from their homes so that you can take their property. 10You must have accurate scales and a true standard of measurement for grains (known as an ephah) # 45:10 The dry measurement of an ephah is a little over half a bushel or eighteen liters. and for liquids (known as a bath). # 45:10 The liquid measurement of a bath is slightly over five gallons or nineteen liters. 11The measurement of an ephah and bath must be equal, and each will be one-tenth of a homer, # 45:11 A homer (homer literally means “a donkey load”) is about 50 gallons or 220 liters. the bath and the ephah one-tenth of a homer. The standard for measuring will be based on the homer. 12A shekel is to consist of twenty gerahs. A mina is to consist of sixty shekels.” # 45:12 Or “twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels.” A mina was a little over a pound (a little over half a kilogram). The shekel, gerah, and mina were all weights used in Israel for measuring scales. These weights were usually stones of a specified weight. The shekel was about 20 gerahs in weight and roughly 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams. A gerah was a bean, most likely from the carob tree, that amounted to one-twentieth of a shekel (see Ex. 30:13). God was telling Israel that the weights they use for measurements on their scales must be accurate.
Worship Offerings
13“These are the things you must bring as an offering to God:
“One-sixtieth of your wheat, # 45:13 Or “an ephah for every homer of wheat,” which is one-sixtieth of their wheat harvest.
One-sixtieth of your barley, # 45:13 Or “and the sixth of an ephah for every homer of barley,” which is equal to one-sixtieth of their barley harvest.
14One-hundredth of your olive oil, using the standard measurement known by all, # 45:14 Or “one bath of oil out of every ten baths or out of every kor [which is equal to ten baths or one homer, since ten baths equal one homer],” which equals one-hundredth of the olive oil.
15Then, one sheep (or goat) is to be taken from every flock of two hundred livestock from the well-watered pastures of Israel.
“I, Lord Yahweh, declare that these offerings will be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, # 45:15 Or “fellowship offerings.” to make atonement # 45:15 The word atonement is taken from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “making at one,” hence “at-one-ment.” It is the act of loving reconciliation between God and fallen man. Atonement presupposes a separation from God that needs to be overcome if we are to know him and have fellowship with him. Making atonement is the act by which God and man are brought together in personal relationship. See v. 17. for the people.
16“All the people of the land will be required to give these offerings to the prince of Israel. 17The prince will be responsible to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings for feasts, new moons, # 45:17 See Num. 28:11–14. Sabbaths, and all the appointed feasts of the people of Israel. # 45:17 These feasts were not secular celebrations, but the three major feasts of the Jewish calendar of Israel, which included Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (also called Pentecost or Feast of Harvest), and the Feast of Tabernacles. These were called pilgrim festivals because every Israelite was expected to come together in Jerusalem for them. See Ex. 23:14–17; Lev. 23:5–22; 33–34; Deut. 16:16. The prince must provide the sacrifice for sin, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offerings to make atonement for the people of Israel.” # 45:17 Indeed, our Prince, the Lord Jesus, provided himself as the atoning sacrifice for sin. He is the fulfillment of all the offerings and sacrifices of the Old Testament.
The Feast of the Passover
18Lord Yahweh says: “On the first day of each new year, # 45:18 This was not January 1 but the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar (late March–early April). you must select a perfect young bull without blemish to sacrifice to purify the sanctuary. 19The priest must take the blood of the sin offering and smear it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate to the inner courtyard. 20You must do the same seven days later, on behalf of anyone who has sinned unintentionally or through ignorance. In this way you will purify # 45:20 Or “make atonement for.” the temple.
21“Then seven days later, on the fourteenth day of the first month, you will observe the Passover Feast # 45:21 Or “it will be Passover for you.” Passover was a Hebrew festival to commemorate the night Yahweh “passed over” the Hebrew homes and rescued them from their slavery in Egypt. See Ex. 12. Many years later, it was at the time of the Passover Feast that Jesus was crucified as the Passover Lamb. See Matt. 26:2; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1–2; John 13:1; 1 Cor. 5:7–8. for seven days. During that time everyone must eat bread made without yeast. 22On the first day of the feast, the prince must offer a bull as a sacrifice for sin, for himself and all the sins of the people of the land. 23And on each of the seven days of the festival the prince will offer Yahweh a burnt offering of seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish or defect. And every day he will also offer a male goat to take away the sins of the people. 24The prince must also offer one ephah of grain # 45:24 See v. 10 and first footnote there. for each bull and each ram sacrificed. And he will also offer one hin # 45:24 A hin is one-sixteenth of a bath (a bath is slightly over five gallons, or nineteen liters). of oil for each ephah.”
The Feast of Tabernacles
25“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month # 45:25 This was late September or early October, the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar. and on each of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the prince must supply the provisions for the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the oil.”
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Ezekiel 45: TPT
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