Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 43:19
And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.
19. The phrase “saith the Lord” adds solemnity to the statement that only the sons of Zadok shall minister at the altar (Eze 44:15 seq.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The seed of Zadok – See Eze 40:46 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. The priests – that be of the seed of Zadok] It was this Zadok that was put in the place of Abiathar, by Solomon, 1Kg 2:35, in whose family the priesthood had continued ever since.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou shalt give; direct or command that it be given; for the prophet could not bestow such a gift on them.
The priests the Levites; explaining who were meant by the priests.
Zadok, who was put into Abiathars room. See Eze 40:46; 44:15.
To minister unto me: see Eze 42:13.
A young bullock; the sacrifice appointed, Exo 29:1,36, at the consecrating of the priests.
For a sin offering; an expiatory sacrifice, to make an atonement for errors, and to reconcile the person that brought the sacrifice. New consecration and reconciliation, needful after so long an interruption of their ministration, and for such as never were before consecrated.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites, that be of the seed of Zadok,…. Who, in Solomon’s time, was put in the room of Abiathar; see Eze 40:46, his name signifies a “righteous” one, a type he was of Jesus Christ the righteous; and here his seed signify the seed of Christ, such whom he makes priests unto the Lord; to these, in a visionary way, the prophet was to give this altar, for them to serve at, and eat of; and all the rites and ordinances to observe and keep; and the sacrifices to offer on it, after mentioned:
which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God;
[See comments on Eze 40:46]:
a young bullock for a sin offering: typical of Christ, strong and laborious, able to bear the sins of his people; to become a sin offering, and to be made sin itself for them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
THE OFFERINGS
Verses 19-27:
Verse 19 called upon the Israelites to commit to their leaders of the Levites, of the priestly family of Zadock, the charge to minister to the Lord in making a young bullock sacrifice for a sin offering, Eze 44:15. See also Isa 61:6; Eze 45:18-19; Exo 29:10; Exo 29:12; Lev 4:3; Lev 8:14-15; 2Co 5:21; Heb 7:27.
Verse 20 directs the priest shall take the blood of the young bullock of the sin offering, and put on the four horns of the top corners of the altar, and on the four settle and the entire border around the bottom of the altar, to cleanse and purge it, to indicate that it was consecrated, dedicated, or sanctified for holy service; The blood was to be put on the horn, by the smearing of it with the finger of the priest, not by the less formal sprinkling, Lev 4:7; Lev 4:18; Lev 4:25; Lev 4:30; Lev 4:34; Exo 29:12.
Verse 21 instructs that the following consecration of the altar, with the blood of the young bullock sin offering, the priest was to proceed to take the bullock and burn it in the appointed place of the house of the Lord, as prescribed Exo 29:14, which was “without the sanctuary,” symbolizing how Jesus would be offered “without the camp sanctuary,” of Israel, Heb 13:11.
Verse 22 directs that on the second day of the dedication of the restored temple, the priest was to offer a kid goat, without blemish, as a sin offering sacrifice; It was to be offered after the same order that the young bullock had been offered, indicating the various levels of sacrifices that might be offered by Israel, for purposes of consecration to Divine worship and service. Note, Jesus became a goat for us, yet, without spot or blemish, to be sacrificed for our sins of stubborness and rebellion, Heb 7:26; 2Co 5:21.
Verses 23, 24 direct that when the cleansing or sanctifying of the altar was finished, the priests were to offer a young bullock and a ram without blemish, Heb 7:26. The priests were to cast or sprinkle salt upon them, offering them as a burnt offering, acknowledging their sins and those of the people to the Lord, indicating thereafter obedience to Him, Lev 2:13. About this altar a heap of salt was kept, Mar 9:49; Col 4:6.
Verses 25, 26 direct that for seven successive days, following the cleansing of the house of God, the priests were to offer a sin offering of a goat, a young bullock, and a ram of the flock, each without blemish, upon the altar. These two were revealed to be for two purposes: 1) First, for the purging and purifying of the altar, and 2) second, for the consecration of the priests to Divine service, on behalf of the people, as directed Exo 29:24-25; Exo 29:35-36; Lev 8:27; Lev 8:33.
Verse 27 concludes, directs, and pledges that when these seven days of cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying of the house of God and her priests has been concluded, beginning on the eighth day, continuing thereafter the priests should make burnt offerings and peace offerings for the people, which He pledged to accept, Lev 9:1; Joh 1:8. He would not only receive their offerings, but also their person, Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:10.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(19) Thou shalt give.Ezekiel is not actually to do this, like Moses, as the appointed consecrator; but, as frequently in prophecy, he is told to do that which he foretells is to be done.
Of the seed of Zadok.See Note on Eze. 40:46. (Comp. also Eze. 44:15.)
A young bullock.In the case of the altar of the Tabernacle, the consecration began with anointing with oil (Lev. 8:11), and this was a prominent feature of the service; but is here wholly omitted. The service began with the offering of a sin offering, which was always, according to the law, to be first offered when several kinds of sacrifice were to occur together. The propriety of this is manifest, since the first act of mans approach to God must always consist of the confession of his sin.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“You will give to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who are near to me, to minister to me,” says the Lord Yahweh, “a young bullock for a sin offering, and you will take of its blood, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and on the border round about. Thus you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. You will also take the bullock of the sin offering, and he will burn it in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.”
Once again we have confirmed the fact that the sons of Zadok now have a privileged position before God. This confirms that we are here dealing with a situation immediately after the exile when such ‘sons of Zadok’ could be identified. There would be no grounds for such special privilege in any supposed millennium, for the sons of Zadok were equally responsible for the crucifixion of Christ (see further on Eze 44:15 onwards). The partial rejection of a large part of the priesthood from the central sacred tasks was a preparation for the time which would later result in the rejection of the whole of the priesthood when it was replaced by Jesus Christ, God’s own High Priest. After that there are no grounds for any restoration of a levitical priesthood. God’s people are His priests, and their offering is one of praise, thanksgiving, dedication and good lives, ‘spiritual sacrifices’ (1Pe 2:5; Heb 13:15; Rom 12:1; Php 2:17; Heb 13:16)
Their responsibility here was to officiate in the overall sacrificial ordinances of Israel, which would begin here by offering a young bullock provided by Ezekiel (or his representative) as a sin offering. The fact that the offering was a sin offering stresses the defilement brought on the earth by the past failure of Israel. The first step to restoration of worship was admission of the depths of their sin, and the need for it to be atoned for.
The blood of the sin offering was then to be applied to the horns of the altar (with the finger) and the corners of the higher settle, together with its surround. The place in which future sacrifices were to be offered must be freed from all taint of sin. For the procedures see Lev 16:18-19 where the altar had to be cleansed on the Day of Atonement. Compare also procedures in Exo 29:12; Lev 4:7; Lev 4:18; Lev 4:25; Lev 4:30; Lev 4:34; Lev 8:15; Lev 9:9.
‘Thus you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. You will also take the bullock of the sin offering, and he will burn it in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.’ Thus cleansing and atonement (the ‘covering’ of sin) was made. The altar was now pure. The burning of the remains outside the sanctuary was because the remains were now fully tainted with sin. Had it been because of their holiness they would have been burned in the sanctuary. This was done previously for major sin offerings which were for the whole people or for the priests and those offered on the Day of Atonement (Lev 4:12; Lev 4:21; Lev 16:27 see also Eze 8:17). This emphasis on this severe treatment militates against any suggestion of a memorial offering. The reference to ‘the house’ does not necessarily refer to a specific temple, but to whatever place housed the sanctuary and the altar (compare Gen 28:22; Jdg 20:18; Jdg 21:2 ; 1Sa 1:7; 1Sa 3:15 and contrast 2Sa 7:6).
‘The seed of Zadok.’ This refers primarily to those descended from Zadok (1Ch 6:8), and the high priesthood would in future be Zadokite. However, ‘seed of’ does not necessarily demand a blood relationship. It could include priests who had opted to be one with the Zadokites in their faithfulness to Yahweh, and exclude those who by their blatant misbehaviour had shown themselves not ‘true’ Zadokites. In the same way Israel were the ‘seed of Jacob’ (Psa 22:23; Isa 45:19; Jer 33:26) but the large proportion of them were not directly descended from Jacob, they were his ‘seed’ by opting in and by adoption.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Sanctifying and Cleansing of the Altar and Reinstitution Of Sacrificial Worship ( Eze 43:19-27 ).
This process would take seven days. This was unlike the case of the sanctifying of the tabernacle, accomplished through the anointing oil (Exo 30:22-29; Exo 40:10), but like the sanctifying of the temple of Solomon, although there the offerings were whole burnt offerings and peace-offerings (2Ch 7:1-9), and therefore not having the same significance.
However, the consecration of the priesthood did take seven days (Lev 8:33) and required sin offerings. The idea here might be that the altar had been defiled by Israel’s previous behaviour and treatment of it. Or more likely it may have in mind its special function as the ‘entry’ to the heavenly temple, needing therefore to be totally purified, just as the priesthood who provided access to God had had to be totally purified.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 43:19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.
Ver. 19. And thou shalt give to the priests. ] All this is to be understood spiritually, as being figuratively spoken.
A young bullock.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
thou. Testifying to the share of Ezekiel “in the day when”, &c.
the priests the Levites. Referring to the distinction between the Levitical priests and all other priests (heathen, Israelitish, or tribal). See note on Deu 17:9.
saith the Lord GOD = [is] Jehovah’s oracle.
bullock. See note on “ordinances”, Eze 43:14.
sin offering. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 29:14). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and thou shalt
Doubtless these offerings will be memorial, looking back to the cross, as the offerings under the old covenant were anticipatory, looking forward to the cross. In neither case have animal sacrifices power to put away sin. Heb 10:4; Rom 3:25.
For Another Point of View: See Topic 301246
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
the priests: Eze 40:46, Eze 44:15, Eze 48:11, 1Sa 2:35, 1Sa 2:36, 1Ki 2:27, 1Ki 2:35, Isa 61:6, Isa 66:22, Jer 33:18-22, 1Pe 2:5, 1Pe 2:9
which approach: Num 16:5, Num 16:40, Num 18:5
a young: Eze 45:18, Eze 45:19, Exo 29:10, Exo 29:11, Lev 4:3-35, Lev 8:14, Lev 8:15, 2Co 5:21, Heb 7:27
Reciprocal: Lev 16:6 – for himself Eze 45:4 – which
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 43:19. Priests, Levites; that is to be understood from the fact that while all priests were Levites, not ail Levites were priests. At the time of which the prophet was writing they were restricted to the line of Levites coming down from Zadok (1Ch 24:3). The kind of animals that might be offered was the same as the law of Moses had designated (Exo 29:10).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Ezekiel was to give to one of the priests that would serve in this sanctuary, a priest from the honored line of Zadok (cf. Eze 40:46; Eze 44:15; 1Ki 2:35), a young bull for a sin offering. He was to smear some of the bull’s blood on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of its second tier (cf. Exo 29:12). This would cleanse the altar and make atonement for it (i.e., purify it). [Note: See J. Milgrom, "Sin-Offering or Purification-Offering?" Vetus Testamentum 21 (1971):237-39.] Similar ceremonies had taken place to cleanse the tabernacle and Solomonic temple altars (cf. Exo 29:36-37; Lev 8:14-17; 2Ch 7:9). Ezekiel was to burn the remainder of this bull outside the inner court (cf. Lev 8:17).
"Cleansing was needed because everything associated with man partook of sin and therefore needed to be cleansed, especially if it was to be used in the worship of the Lord." [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 971.]