Ezekiel 43

Translator Notes

1. The guide figure (the man with the measuring reed from 40:3) leads Ezekiel to the east gate. This is the same gate through which the glory of the LORD departed in 10:19 and 11:1. The directional specificity is theologically loaded — the east gate becomes the axis of departure and return for the divine presence.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase kavod Elohei Yisrael ('the glory of the God of Israel') matches the language of 8:4, 9:3, and 10:19, creating verbal continuity with the departure sequence. The comparison of God's voice to mayim rabbim ('many waters') echoes 1:24 at the inaugural vision by the Chebar canal. The verb he'irah ('shone, gave light') indicates the kavod is not merely present but luminous — it irradiates the earth itself.

Translator Notes

1. Ezekiel explicitly links three visions: the present return, the destruction of the city (chs. 8-11), and the inaugural throne-chariot vision at the Chebar canal (ch. 1). The threefold repetition of mar'eh ('appearance, vision') conveys the prophet struggling to process the visual — the stacked comparisons are characteristic of his visionary language. The phrase 'when he came to destroy the city' uses the infinitive construct leshahet ('to destroy'), and the subject shifts from 'I came' in some readings to 'he came' (referring to God) — the Hebrew is ambiguous; some manuscripts read bevo'i ('when I came') rather than bevo ('when he came'). We follow the reading that acknowledges Ezekiel's prophetic role as witness to the destruction, not its agent.
2. Falling facedown (va'epol el panai) is Ezekiel's characteristic response to theophany (1:28, 3:23, 9:8, 11:13, 44:4). It marks the human recognition that divine presence is overwhelming.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew bayit ('house') here means the Temple, as throughout the Temple vision. The verb ba ('came, entered') is simple and definitive — no hesitation, no stages. Unlike the departure in chapters 10-11, which occurred in agonizing steps, the return is immediate and complete.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The transport formula vatissa'eni ruach ('the Spirit lifted me up') matches 3:12, 3:14, 8:3, 11:1, and 37:1. The ruach here functions as the divine Spirit, not wind or breath — context determines the rendering. The phrase male kavod YHWH habayit ('the glory of the LORD filled the Temple') is a direct verbal echo of 1 Kings 8:11 (male kavod YHWH et bet YHWH), creating a typological link between Solomon's Temple dedication and this visionary moment.

Translator Notes

1. The voice from within the Temple is God's, though Ezekiel does not yet identify the speaker — the text reveals this in verse 7. The 'man' standing beside Ezekiel is the guide figure with the measuring reed (40:3). The scene creates a striking juxtaposition: the human guide stands beside the prophet while the divine voice speaks from within the glory-filled Temple. The participle middabber ('speaking') is the Hitpael/reflexive form, suggesting continuous or intense speech — God is not merely addressing Ezekiel but declaring.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase meqom kis'i ('the place of my throne') and meqom kappot raglai ('the place of the soles of my feet') is enthronement language — the Temple is where God sits enthroned and where his feet rest, imagery drawn from the ark as God's footstool (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:7). The word olam ('forever') carries its full weight here — this is not merely 'a long time' but a permanent divine commitment.
2. The word pigrei ('corpses, carcasses') in reference to kings is debated. Some scholars read bamotam as 'their high places' (bamot) rather than 'at their death' (bemotam). We follow the reading 'at their death' (bemotam) as the context concerns royal burial practices near the Temple precinct. The proximity of royal tombs to the Temple in Jerusalem (attested archaeologically and in 2 Kings 21:18, 26) is the specific defilement God addresses.

Translator Notes

1. This verse describes the architectural violation of Solomon's Temple complex: the royal palace was built directly adjacent to the Temple (1 Kings 7:1-12), sharing walls and thresholds. The priestly logic is that sacred space requires separation — when profane royal structures (with their idolatrous practices) abutted the Temple, the holiness of the sanctuary was compromised. The word to'evot ('detestable acts, abominations') is Ezekiel's standard term for defilement.
2. The final clause va'akhal otam be'appi ('so I consumed them in my anger') summarizes the entire history of judgment — the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE — as a single divine response to the architectural and spiritual defilement described.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The conditional structure is significant: God's permanent dwelling is contingent on the removal of defilement. The verb shakhan ('dwell, tabernacle') is the root of the later concept of Shekhinah — God's indwelling presence. The promise veshakhanti betokham le'olam ('I will dwell among them forever') echoes 37:26-28, where the same promise appears in the context of the everlasting covenant.

Translator Notes

1. The command to 'describe the Temple' (hagged et habayit) creates a wordplay between bayit as 'house' (of Israel) and bayit as 'Temple' — show the house the House. The purpose of the description is shame (yikkalemu) — when Israel sees the perfection of God's design, they will recognize how far they fell. The word tokhnit ('design, pattern, plan') echoes the tabernacle design (tavnit) that Moses received on Sinai (Exodus 25:9).

Translator Notes

1. The repetition of tzurah ('form, design') multiple times in a single verse is characteristic of Ezekiel's prose style — the accumulation emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the plan that must be conveyed. The command to 'write it down before their eyes' (ukhtov le'einehem) is significant: the Temple vision is not to remain an oral report but must become a written document — a blueprint. The conditional 'if they are ashamed' makes the revelation of the plan contingent on repentance. The interplay of chuqqot ('statutes') and torot ('instructions, laws') covers both the architectural specifications and the liturgical regulations.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase torat habayit ('the instruction/law of the Temple') frames this verse as a summary principle — the foundational rule from which all other Temple regulations flow. The designation qodesh qodashim ('most holy') for the entire mountaintop boundary — not just the inner sanctum — represents an expansion of the holiness category beyond anything in the Mosaic legislation. The repetition 'This is the instruction for the Temple' at beginning and end creates an inclusio that brackets the principle.

Translator Notes

1. The 'cubit and a handbreadth' specifies the long cubit — approximately 20.4 inches (52 cm) — as opposed to the standard cubit of approximately 18 inches (45 cm). This is the same measurement standard used throughout the Temple vision (40:5). The word heq ('bosom, gutter, base') refers to a channel or depression at the base of the altar, likely for collecting blood and drainage. A span (zeret) is approximately 9 inches (23 cm). The term gab hammizbeach ('the back/elevation of the altar') marks the beginning of the altar's stepped structure.

Translator Notes

1. The altar is a stepped structure, narrowing as it rises. The azarah ('ledge, settle, offset') is a horizontal surface at each step of the altar. The terms 'lower' (takhtonah), 'smaller' (qetannah), and 'larger' (gedolah) describe the successive ledges. The dimensions create a three-tiered structure: gutter/base, lower ledge, upper ledge, then the hearth.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Two related but distinct terms appear here: har'el ('mountain of God') and ariel ('hearth of God' or 'lion of God'). The distinction is debated — most scholars treat both as referring to the altar hearth, the top surface where sacrifices are burned. We render both as 'altar hearth' for clarity. The wordplay between har'el and ariel may reflect the altar's cosmic symbolism — it is simultaneously a mountain (connecting earth to heaven) and a hearth (where offerings are consumed). The four horns (qeranot) are projections at each corner of the altar, known from both biblical descriptions (Exodus 27:2) and archaeological evidence.

Translator Notes

1. The altar hearth forms a perfect square — twelve cubits by twelve cubits (approximately 20.4 feet / 6.2 meters per side using the long cubit). This is significantly larger than the Mosaic altar (Exodus 27:1: five cubits by five cubits) and even the Solomonic altar (2 Chronicles 4:1: twenty cubits by twenty cubits, though this measures the entire altar platform). The perfect square suggests completeness and order.

Translator Notes

1. The ledge (azarah) surrounding the altar hearth extends one cubit beyond the hearth on each side (twelve-cubit hearth within a fourteen-cubit ledge). The steps facing east orient worshipers toward the same direction from which the glory entered — the east gate. In the Mosaic system, the altar had no steps (Exodus 20:26 prohibited them to prevent indecent exposure). Ezekiel's altar has steps, suggesting a different conception of priestly garments (addressed in 44:17-18) that resolves the earlier prohibition.

Translator Notes

1. The locked formula ko amar Adonai YHWH is rendered 'This is what the Lord GOD says.' The verb lizroq ('to dash, to splash') describes the priestly action of throwing blood against the sides of the altar — not a delicate sprinkling but a vigorous dashing. This matches the Levitical procedure (Leviticus 1:5, 11). The phrase beyom he'asoto ('on the day it is constructed') indicates that the consecration process begins immediately upon the altar's completion.

Translator Notes

1. The restriction to Zadokite priests (mizera Tsadoq, 'from the seed of Zadok') is a defining feature of Ezekiel's priestly legislation. Zadok was the priest who remained loyal to David during Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15:24-29) and to Solomon during Adonijah's attempted usurpation (1 Kings 1:32-40). Ezekiel privileges the Zadokite line over other Levitical families — a distinction developed further in chapter 44. The phrase haqqerovim elai ('those who draw near to me') is technical priestly language for authorized approach to the divine presence.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Two verbs describe the consecration process: chiteta ('purify, de-sin') and kippartahu ('make atonement for, cover over'). The first removes defilement; the second covers or ransoms the altar so that it is fit for sacred use. Blood applied to the horns, corners, and rim consecrates every part of the altar's surface. The procedure parallels Exodus 29:36 and Leviticus 8:15.

Translator Notes

1. The mifqad ('designated area, appointed place') is a specific location within the Temple compound but outside the sanctuary proper where sin-offering remains are burned. The term mifqad appears in Nehemiah 3:31 as a place name ('the Muster Gate'), suggesting an area for assembly or accounting. Burning the sin offering outside the sanctuary follows the Levitical precedent of Leviticus 4:12, 21 — the entire bull is consumed by fire outside the camp/sanctuary because it has absorbed the sin being atoned for.

Translator Notes

1. The shift from bull (day one) to male goat (day two) mirrors the Day of Atonement sequence where both animals play roles in the purification process (Leviticus 16:3, 5). The word tamim ('without defect, blameless, whole') is the standard requirement for all sacrificial animals — no blemish, no injury, no disease. The plural verb chitte'u ('they shall purify') shifts from the singular 'you' to a plural subject, indicating that the priests collectively perform the purification.

Translator Notes

1. After the sin offering (purification) is complete, the consecration shifts to burnt offerings — a bull and a ram. This sequence follows the ordination pattern of Exodus 29:1, where both a bull and rams are required for the consecration of the altar and the priests. The distinction matters: the sin offering purifies; the burnt offering consecrates and dedicates.

Translator Notes

1. The requirement to salt the offerings echoes Leviticus 2:13: 'You shall not let the salt of the covenant of your God be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.' Salt preserves, purifies, and symbolizes the permanence of the covenant — a 'covenant of salt' (Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5) is an unbreakable agreement. The verb hishlikhu ('throw, cast') indicates that salt is thrown onto the offering, not delicately sprinkled.

Translator Notes

1. The seven-day consecration period matches the Mosaic ordination sequence exactly (Exodus 29:35, Leviticus 8:33). Seven days is the standard period for major ritual transitions in the priestly system — seven days for priestly ordination, seven days for purification from corpse defilement (Numbers 19:11-12), seven days for the consecration of the Tabernacle. The number signifies completeness.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase umile'u yadav ('fill its hands') is the technical Hebrew idiom for ordination or consecration — literally 'filling the hands' of the altar, as priests' hands are 'filled' at their ordination (Exodus 28:41, 29:9). The idiom likely originates from placing offerings into the hands of the one being consecrated. Applied to the altar, it means the altar is formally authorized and empowered for its sacrificial function. We rendered the idiom as 'consecrate' with this note explaining the literal Hebrew.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The eighth day marks the transition from consecration to regular sacrificial service — the same pattern as the Tabernacle inauguration, where the eighth day saw the first regular offerings and the glory of the LORD appeared (Leviticus 9:1-24). The word shelameikhem ('your fellowship offerings, your peace offerings') refers to shelamim, offerings that culminate in a communal meal shared between God (the fat portions), the priests, and the worshiper. The divine promise veratsiti etkhem ('I will accept you') is the theological conclusion of the entire chapter: the altar consecration is not merely ritual procedure but the restoration of the relationship between God and Israel. Acceptance by God is the goal of all sacrifice.
2. The locked formula ne'um Adonai YHWH is rendered 'declares the Lord GOD.'