Ezekiel 45 Bible Commentary

John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes

(Read all of Ezekiel 45)

Verse 2

[2] Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.

Of this — Whole portion of twenty five thousand cubits long, or twelve miles and half, and ten thousand broad, or five miles and a little more.

For the sanctuary — For a platform for the sanctuary, both house and court.

Verse 3

[3] And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.

And in it — In the center of this.

Verse 6

[6] And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.

The possession — Land to be a possession to the citizens of Jerusalem, and to be the content of the city.

Broad — About two miles and half broad, and twelve miles and half long.

Long — This must run along parallel in length with the holy portion, though but half its breadth.

For the whole house — As the capital city, to which the tribe's resort, it must be large enough to entertain them.

Verse 7

[7] And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.

The prince — The king.

Our side — One half of the prince's portion lay on the west side of those three already set out.

The other side — The other half lay on the east-side thereof, so the portion of the city, Levites and priests, lay in the middle.

The holy portion — Of priests, and Levites, and sanctuary.

Before — It lay parallel as broad as these three were broad, and so run on both sides in its breadth from north to south, and had its length as the other, from east to west.

Over against — What is called now over-against, or by the side, is called before three times together. So now you have an exact square of twenty-five thousand cubits laid out for God, the Levites and city, which appears thus in the breadth. 10000 For the priests. 10000 For the Levites. 5000 For the city. And the length of each, twenty-five thousand, that is twelve miles and half square.

Verse 9

[9] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.

Let it suffice — Be content, aim not at more.

Verse 11

[11] The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.

Of one measure — One shall contain as much as the other, the ephah shall contain as many gallons of dry, as the bath of liquid things.

An homer — Thirty bushels. So the ephah will be three bushels in dry things, and the bath eight gallons in liquid things.

Verse 12

[12] And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.

Twenty gerahs — A gerah was one penny half-penny, the shekel then was two shillings and six-pence, twenty shekels was two pounds ten shillings, fifteen shekels was one pound seventeen shillings and six-pence, and twenty five was three pound two shillings and six-pence.

Maneh — It seems there was the small, the middle, and the great Maneh.

Verse 13

[13] This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:

Offer — In the daily service, the morning and evening sacrifice.

Verse 14

[14] Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:

Bath — Which contained about twenty-four gallons.

The cor — Or homer; these were two names of the same measure.

Verse 16

[16] All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel.

With the prince — By a common purse of prince and people.

Verse 18

[18] Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary:

Thou shalt take — Procure, this the prince must do.

Verse 20

[20] And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.

For every one that erreth — For all the errors of all the house of Israel, through ignorance.

For him that is simple — That is half-witted, or a fool.

Reconcile — Cleanse, as verse 18, which legally was defiled by those errors done in the city, or courts of the house, whither these persons might come.

Verse 21

[21] In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

In the first month — Nisan, which is part of March, and part of April with us.

Verse 22

[22] And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.

Upon that day — Upon the fourteenth day, on which the passover was slain.

Verse 24

[24] And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah.

An hin — This was about one gallon and three quarters of a pint.

Verse 25

[25] In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.

In the seventh month — According to their ecclesiastical account, which is Tisri, and answers to part of our August and September.

In the fifteenth day — On that day the feast of tabernacles began, and continued seven days.

He — The prince.

In the feast of the seven days — Hence we also may learn the necessity of frequently repeating the same religious exercises. Indeed the sacrifice of atonement was offered once for all. But the sacrifice of acknowledgement, that of a broken heart, that of a thankful heart, must be offered every day. And these spiritual sacrifices are always acceptable to God through Christ Jesus.