Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 43:6
And I heard [him] speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
6. heard him speaking ] One speaking.
and the man ] Possibly: and a man. No doubt the same man is meant as before. The prophet was transported into the inner court by the spirit, not led as in other instances by the man, who, however, reappears at his side. The man is merely the divine voice and word personified and interposed between the Lord and the prophet, hence though Ezekiel appears to hear one speaking from the house, the voice immediately takes the shape of a man beside him.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The man – A man. Probably an angel different from the man who had hitherto accompanied the seer. That angel guided, measured, and explained; this is present only to guide.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
I heard, distinctly, intelligibly, so that I am sure it was no delusion.
Him; the Lord, who was in that glory.
Speaking; what was spoken appears in the next two verses.
Out of the house; God speaks to his out of his temple.
The man; Christ, Mediator.
Stood by, to encourage, inform, and strengthen him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. the manwho had beenmeasuring the buildings (Eze 40:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house,…. The holy place, the prophet being in the inward court: this is Jehovah the Father, the God of Israel, whose glory entered into it; who utters his voice out of Zion; who speaks in his church by his word, and the ministers of it; and which is to be heard and regarded, not as the word of man, but as the word of God:
and the man stood by me: whom he saw at first with a measuring line in his hand, Eze 40:3, and with whom he had been all along, and had seen him measure the house, and all belonging to it: he stood by him as the Mediator between God and him; as the medium of communion with him; as the advocate with the Father: he stood by him to interpret what was said to him; to guide him further into the knowledge of divine things; to assist him, protect and defend him, to continue him in fellowship with God, and to preserve him in grace to glory. Here is an appearance of the three Persons in the Godhead; the Father speaking to the prophet out of the house; the Son in human form standing by him; and the Spirit of the Lord, who had took him up from the ground, and had brought him into the inner court.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) I heard him speaking.Although the pronoun is not expressed in the original, there can be no question that God Himself spoke directly to the prophet, as in Eze. 44:2; Eze. 44:5; Eze. 44:9, &c. The man is without the article in the Hebrew, which leaves it uncertain whether the same being is meant who had hitherto guided the prophet; but as measurements were also made by this guide (Eze. 47:3-5), he was probably the same.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6-9. The prophet is here addressed by one speaking from within, while “the man” or “a man” probably the man with the measuring reed (Eze 40:3) stood by his side. This voice from the divine glory was that of Jehovah, who addressed the prophet by his well-known title (see note Eze 2:1) and declared, This is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever, etc. (Compare Isa 60:13; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7.) This abiding presence of Jehovah is due to the holiness of his people, who will “no more defile my sacred name with their idolatry and with the corpses of their kings,” etc. Expositors here differ as to whether “kings” refers to the idols which had such dominion over them, or to the bodies of the Hebrew kings or princes which were buried not far from the temple (1Ki 2:10; 1Ki 11:43). But as Ezekiel in no other place indicated that the bones of the kings ought to be removed from their long resting place at the restoration, and as he is constantly using figures of speech fitted to arouse attention and comparison, the former seems to be the better view. The images which they had brought into their places of worship had already been broken down (Eze 6:4-6; Eze 6:13; Eze 8:10; Eze 8:18) and the princes and rulers of Israel had been slain and their carcasses left where they had fallen (Eze 8:16; Eze 9:6-7). Their idolatry and every vestige of such idolatry would now be removed.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And I heard one speaking to me out of the house, and a man stood by me.’
As Ezekiel watched, with the heavenly visitant beside him, he heard from the sanctuary the voice of One Who was speaking to him. The main reason for mention of the man is so that we would not think it was he who spoke from the temple. The voice was that of God Himself, not of an intermediary
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 43:6 And I heard [him] speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
Ver. 6. And I heard him speaking unto me. ] The man Christ Jesus, standing by. Here, then, is a meeting and the mystery of the blessed Trinity; yea, here is a double mystery to be taken notice of, viz., those two wonderful unions of three persons in one God, and of Christ’s two natures in one person.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 43:6-9
6Then I heard one speaking to me from the house, while a man was standing beside me. 7He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, 8by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger. 9Now let them put away their harlotry and the corpses of their kings far from Me; and I will dwell among them forever.
Eze 43:6 I heard one speaking to me from the house From the next three verses we know it was YHWH Himself who had just returned from Babylon. This seems to imply that Ezekiel thought this message was for the post-exilic community. Surely YHWH does not stay in Babylon until the eschaton.
while a man was standing beside me This refers to one of the angel guides (cf. Eze 40:3-4).
Eze 43:7 the place of My throne Normally YHWH’s throne is in heaven, but since the vision of chapters 1 and 10 (YHWH’s portable Throne Chariot, cf. Eze 1:26; Eze 10:1), the new temple is both His throne (cf. Jer 3:17; Jer 14:21; Jer 17:12) and His footstool (i.e., the space between the Cherubim on the Ark, cf. 1Ch 28:2; Psalms 132; Psalms 7 : Isa 66:1; Lam 2:1). Obviously this is metaphorical of power and majesty and not meant to be turned into God, the eternal Spirit, actually sitting on a chair/throne! Even Psa 45:6 probably refers to the coming Davidic descendant (i.e., Messiah, cf. 2 Samuel 7), not God (see Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 270-271).
the place of the soles of My feet Although YHWH lived in heaven, His feet were between the Cherubim (i.e., Jerusalem, Mt. Moriah, cf. Exo 25:22; Isa 37:16) above the Ark of the Covenant in the holy of holies (cf. 1Ch 28:2; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7; Isa 60:13). This dedication service is very similar to Solomon’s in 1 Kings 8 (cf. Isa 66:1).
where I will dwell among the sons of Israel The VERB (BDB 1014, KB 1496, Qal IMPERFECT) is used so often in Deuteronomy of the place God will cause His name to dwell (cf. Deu 12:11; Deu 14:23; Deu 16:2; Deu 16:6; Deu 16:11; Deu 26:2). This promise is also found in Eze 37:26-27. It goes back to Exo 25:8 (YHWH gave them a detailed pattern of the tabernacle, also Exo 25:9); Eze. 29:45-46. This same covenant language is continued when the coming Messiah is called Emmanuel (i.e., God with us) in Isa 7:14 (cf. Mat 1:23). This is another way of showing that the covenant has been reestablished (cf. Eze 16:60-63; Eze 37:24-28).
forever See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam) .
Israel will not defile My holy name This is a recurrent issue in Ezekiel. YHWH wants His name revealed to the nations, not profaned among them (cf. Eze 20:9; Eze 20:14; Eze 20:22; Eze 20:39; Eze 36:21-22; Eze 39:7; Eze 43:7-8)! Israel was meant to be a kingdom of priests, but they turned into a kingdom of idolaters! This will change; a new day is coming! The nations themselves will witness to Israel (cf. Romans 9-11)! There will be no distinction between Jew and Gentile anymore (cf. Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13). Joe 2:28 has been realized (cf. Act 2:14-21).
the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name This reflects the new covenant discussed in Eze 36:22-36. A new day of obedience is coming. Obedience is possible because of YHWH providing a new heart and a new spirit. This new covenant not only involves forgiveness, but godly living! Notice the stated condition in Eze 43:9; Eze 43:11.
the corpses This term (BDB 803, KB 910) has several possible meanings.
1. the bodies of dead kings in their tombs/monuments in the vicinity of the temple (cf. Lev 26:30)
2. the offering of dead bodies to Molech (same consonants as king)
3. the place and practice of idolatry (cf. Eze 43:8; Eze 8:3; Eze 8:16)
The parallelism suggests #3.
NASBwhen they die
NKJVon their high places
NRSV, JPSOAat their death
TEV, NJB,
PESHITTAby burying the corpses of their dead kings
REVwith the monuments raised to dead kings
LXXthe murders of their princes in the midst of them
The only difference between the two options is the vowel points of the MT scholars. The Hebrew consonants are the same. The question is, Does the context refer to idolatry (cf. Eze 5:11; Eze 23:36-45) or the monuments (stele) of dead sinful kings?
Eze 43:8 So I have consumed them in My anger See Special Topic: God Described As Human (anthropomorphism) .
Eze 43:9-11 There is a series of commands.
1. put away harlotry, Eze 43:9, BDB 934, KB 1221, Piel IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
2. describe/declare, Eze 43:10, BDB 616, KB 665, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
3. be ashamed of iniquities, Eze 43:10, BDB 483, KB 480, Niphal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
4. make known to them, Eze 43:11, BDB 393, KB 390, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
5. write, Eze 43:11, BDB 507, KB 503, Qal IMPERATIVE
6. observe, Eze 43:11, BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
Eze 43:9 Now let them Eze 43:9; Eze 43:11 show the conditional nature of Ezekiel’s covenant, as all covenants in the OT were conditional on mankind’s appropriate response to God in repentance, faith, and obedience.
and I will dwell among them forever See note at Eze 43:7.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
I heard: Lev 1:1, Isa 66:6, Rev 16:1
the man: Eze 40:3
Reciprocal: Eze 9:1 – cried Rev 1:12 – see
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 43:6. Ezekiel has reference to both the Lord and the man who has been doing the measuring. The latter stood by him and the Lord did the speaking.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 43:6. I heard him speaking unto me, &c. The prophet now receives instructions more immediately from the glory of the Lord, as Moses did when God had taken possession of the tabernacle, Lev 1:1. When Gods glory shines in the church, we must from thence expect to receive divine oracles. And the man stood by me We could not bear to hear the voice of God, any more than to see the face of God, if Jesus Christ did not stand by us as a Mediator. Or, if this was a created angel, it is observable, that when God began to speak to the prophet, he stood by, and gave way, having no more to say. Nay, he stood by the prophet as a learner with him; for to the principalities and powers, to the angels themselves, who desire to look into these things, is made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Eph 3:10.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The significance of the vision 43:6-12
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The prophet heard someone speaking to him from the temple, and there was a man, probably Ezekiel’s guide, standing beside him (cf. Eze 1:16).