The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 456

Two strips of equal area on either side of reaching the see. should render its watera the teramah, one extending westw11rd to salubrious, so that living creatures and the Mediterranean and another ee.etwe.rd fishes of every kind should swarm therein. to the Jordan, should be handed over ae a The quetJtion, therefore, which remains is portion for the prince, out of which he -What significance should be attached to should provide burnt, meat, and drink this temple-vision? The answer will de- offerings in the feaste, new moons, sabbaths, pend on whether the principle of interpre- and other solemnities of the house of Israel tation applied to it is literal or metaphorical, (eh. xlv. 17). Tho remainder of the land historical or typical, actual or symbolical. they ahould partition among themselves, Round these two methods of interpretation allotting to each tribe an equal portion, the different views that have been enter- which should extend from east to west tained of this temple-vision may with across the entire breadth of the territory im.flicient accuracy be grouped. between the river am! the sea, and be I. VIEWS WllIOH GROUND THEMSELVES Oll' parallel to the holy oblation, but locating A MORE OR LES.~ LITERAL lNTERPRETATIOll' OF seven tribes north and five south of the THE VISION. The only point which all the tern.mah. views in this class have in common is that 2. On returning to their own land, they they regard Ezekiel as having furnished the should find that Jehovah had age.in, sketch of a new constitution for Israel, ci vii according to promise, established 11mongst as well as, but chiefly, religions, to be them his sanctuary ( eh. xxxvii 26, 27), a actually put in force at some time in the description of which the prophet gives. It future, either immediately subsequent to is noticeable that no indication is furnished the exile or afterwo.rds, by the erection of e. by the prophet that the people should erect temple, the institution of a worship and e. an edifice after the pattern and according to division of the land in accordance with the the measurements of the honse shown, but specifications furnished by Ezekiel. simply a statement made that such should 1. That the "temple-vision" wo.s designed, be the sanctuary in which they should in whole or in po.rt, to provide a new consti- worsl,ip. tution for the eziles who should return from 8. On finding themselves once more in Babylon when the seventy years of coptivity possession of the land which had been given had run their course, is a view which bas to their fa.there, and of a sanctnnry prepared always commo.nded support. (1) It was for them by Jehovah, the people of Israel favoured by Villolpo.ndus, who so.w in should thenceforward serve him in accord- Ezeldel's "house" only a reminisoenco or ance with the ordinances prescribed in the the Solomonio temple whiob the prophet, new Tomb (eh. xliv.-xlri.); should appear having conjured up before bis in111ginntion, before him in the yearly feasts of the Pass- placed on paper that it might servo 11s a over and To.bernacles, in the monthly feasts model for the future shrine wbioh the home- of the new moon,.in the weekly feasts of returning Isro.elites should erect; but ino.s- the sabbath, and in the daily ritual of much as Ezekiel's" house," while exhibiting so.orifice; should devolve upon the Zadokite not o. few correspondences with Solomon's (i.e. upon faithful) priests the duty of temple, at the same time discovered too mnny ministering'at the e.lto.r, upon the Levites, to differences from that edifice to o.dmit ol which rank the apostate (or unfoithful) being regarded os its exact trn.uscript, critics priests of the monarchy should be reduced, soon perceived tho.t the explan11tion of Vil- thot of attending to the sanctuary, or of lalpandus would require to bo modified. serving the priests ; and upon the prince (2) Accordingly, Grotius substituted for the that of providing the requisito sacrificial temple as first constructed by Solomon, the victims for the public festive.ls; the people same edifice ns it existed iu Nebuohad- for this purpose p11ying liim the sixtieth nezzar's time immedio.tcly beforo tho de- part of their corn, the hundredth part of struction of Jeruso.lem. This, that soholar their oil, 11nd the two-hundredth head of thought, would oocount for the vo.riations their flocks annually as o bee.ve offering. from Solomon's temple whioh were per- 4. When Israel, thus revived and regene- ceptible in Ezekio1'11 " house ; " but, 1111 rated, restored and reunited, should serve Kliefoth properly observes, while chnnges Jehovah with o pure cultus, faithfully per- must undoubtedly have posscd upon the forming his commandments and walking in templo (both upon the building and in its his ways, there should flow from the temple, rituo.l) between the do.tea of its erection as the habitation of J ehove.h and the central ond of its demolition, these were little likely institution of the land, down to the Jordo.n to be of snob a ehe.rooter as to ronder it the valley and into the Dead Sea, a miraculously harmonious ond symmetrico.l structure it increasing river, which should clothe the appears in Ezokicl's vision. (8) A third banks along its course with never-fa.ding suggestion was thon advnnced by Eichhorn, beouty and never-foiling fertility, and on. Do.the, o.nd Herder, and adopted by Hitzig,  THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL [olt. xLvtu.1-35,