The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 415

EXPOSITION. reach his ste.tion at the threshold of the CHAPTER XLVL inner gate, by the way of the porch of that This chapter falls into three divisions. (or, the) gate without; but whether this The first (vers. 1-15) gives supplementary signified the.t he should pass through the eastern ge.te of the outer court, e.nd so directions for the prince and the people of advance towards the inner east gate, as the land when engaged in solemn acts of Ewald, Keil, Kliefoth, and Plnmptre as- worship; the second (vers. 16-18) furnishes sume, or, as Hengstenberg, Schroder, and the prince with instructions e.s to how he Smend suppose, the.t he should enter the may dispose of his portion or inheritanoe; inner gate by the way of the porch of the gate, i.e. from the outside, from the outer the third (vers. 19-2-1) adds particulars court into which he he.d previously entered a.bout the se.crificie.l kitchens for the priests through either the north or the south outer e.nd for the people. gates, cannot be decided. In favour of the Vere. 1-15.-The supplementary direc- former me.y be urged the considere.tion that tions contained in these verses relate to the it seems more natnre.l to apply y\-iZ? to the worship of the prince and the people on the outer ge.te than to the outer court, since no sabba.ths and the new moons (vers. 1-7) one could enter the inner gate except from the outer court, unless he were already in e.nd e.t the appointed feasts generally (vers. the inner court; bnt in fe.vour of the latter 8-15). is (1) the stringent character of the language Ver. 1.-Like the preceding sections in eh. xliv. 1-3, which expressly declares which introduced distinctly new enactments the.t the outer east gate should not be in Ezekiel's Torah (see oh. xliv. 9; xiv. 9, opened, e.nd that no man should enter in by 18), this properly opens with e. Thus B8.ith it, thus scarcely admitting of o.n exception; the Lord God, since it refers to the worship and (2) the statement in vers. 9, 10 of the that should be celebrated e.t the gate of the present chapter, that in the "appointed inner court which looketh toward the east. feasts" the prince and the people alike Ewe.Id, e.fter the LXX. (ii 1NJl\11 ii ;v Tfi a.vl\ff should enter the outer court either by the Tfi iuwT<pCf), ohanges the text so as to read north or the south gate, siuoe, if e.ny of the outer court gate, and understands the these "fee.sts" fell upon a sabhatb, this statement here me.de to be a qualification regulation would not be practicable, if the of that oonte.ined in oh. xliv. 1-3. It is, prince and the people were required to however, tlle inner eo.st gate to whioh the enter by different doors. Tue question, present cle.use alludes, e.nd the e.nnonnoe- however, in itself is immaterial. The points ment me.de oonoerning it is that, like the of importance are tho.t the prince should outer east gate, it should be shut on the six worship in the porch of the inner gate, e.nd working de.ye; literally, the Biz day8 of the that, on finishing his worship, he should business ( oomp. 1 Se.m. xx. 19); but that, retire, and the.t the ge.te should not be al.tut unlike the outer oe.st ge.te, it should be until the evening. opened on the sabbe.th (literally, in the day Ver. 8.-Likewise (or, and) to the people of the 8abbath) e.nd in the day of the new of the le.nd should be e.ocorded permission moon, both of which days he.d been me.rked to worship at this inner gate, only not like under the Law, and should in future con- the prince, in its porch, but at its door, yet tinue to be marked, by speoial saori.floial on the same oocas1ons as he, in the ae.bbatha celebrations. and in the new moons. Kliefoth, who to.kea Ver. 2.-The reason for the opening of "this gate" to signify the outer gate, through this inner east gate should be that the which, according to his interpretation of prince might enter it e.s far as its threshold, ver. 2 (see e.bovo), the prince should pass and stand there worshipping by the posts so as to reach the inner east gate, concoives of the gate, while his burnt offerings e.nd the import of the present verse to be the.t, his peace offerings were being prepared by while the prince should be permitted on the the priests, who, rather than the prince, sabhaths and now moons to po.as through were the proper ministers for conducting the eastern gate, the people "should remain the se.ori.ficial ceremony. The prince should ste.nding in front of the outer oust gate,  48C THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [on. XLVI. 1-24.