Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 44:19
And when they go forth into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
19. The sacred garments shall be worn only in the inner court, and in service. Before going out into the outer court the priests shall put them off and deposit them in the sacred cells, Eze 42:13-14.
sanctify the people ] i.e. by bringing that which is holy in contact with them. The enactment is not a precaution against defilement of the holy garments, at least in form, though it may be a precaution against confusion of the sacred and the common. Cf. Eze 46:20; Exo 29:37; Exo 30:29; Lev 6:27. The words “even into the utter court ” are probably an accidental repetition. LXX. omits.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See Eze 42:14, where this verse is explained, yet here are two things that verse hath not, of which a word. The utter court: this tells us in which court stood the chambers, wherein the priests did attire themselves, into which also they retired to unclothe themselves of the priestly garments. The chambers were in the court next to the court of the people, as Eze 42:14. They shall not sanctify: by the law, common things touching holy things became consecrate, and to be no more for common use. If the priests consecrated clothes touched the peoples, they must part with them, this would be inconvenient; so some. Or lost the people should think themselves the holier for such contact, and grow proud of it; so others. The Chaldee paraphrast frames it to the last clause of the 14th verse of the 42nd chapter, they in holy vests shall not intermix with the people; this would be a profaning the holy vests. Or else thus, they shall not come out to bless the people in their priestly garments, but, having finished the sacrifice and all belonging thereto, they should change garments, and in their ordinary garments come out to the people, and bless them in that form, Num 6:23,24.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. not sanctify the people withtheir garmentsnamely, those peculiarly priestly vestments inwhich they ministered in the sanctuary.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when they go forth into the utter court,…. Out of the inner court where they minister, when they have done their service:
even into the utter court to the people; out of the church into the world, where the people are, doing their business, whether good men or bad:
they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers; the north and south chambers;
[See comments on Eze 42:13],
[See comments on Eze 42:14]:
and they shall put on other garments; which are their outward conversation garments, which are proper to appear in before men, for the honour of religion; though not sufficient to appear in before God, and render acceptable unto him:
and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments; the garments of the priesthood were reckoned holy, whatsoever was holy, that which it touched accounted holy also; and therefore, to preserve a difference between the priests and the common people, they were not to wear their holy garments but in the time of service; or lest any superstitious notion should obtain among the people, that they were sanctified by touching their clothes; as the Papists give out, that if a man is buried in a monk’s cowl, he shall be saved: or the sense is, that they should not possess the minds of the people with a notion of any real sanctity in their garments; or that their conversation garments, or good works, can be of any service to them: this may be opposed to works of supererogation.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(19) They shall put off their garments.The requirement that the priests shall wear their official dress only when engaged in official duty, putting it on when they entered the inner court, and putting it off when they went out, which is only implied in Exodus and Leviticus, is here expressly enjoined. Utter here, as elsewhere, means outer.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“And when they go out into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they will put on other garments, lest they sanctify the people with their garments.”
The linen garments they wore were holy, for they came into contact with holy things. They could not therefore be allowed to come into contact with the mundane. They had to be kept in holy chambers. Nor must they come in contact with the people, or they could do them harm. Here being ‘sanctified’ was not something to be desired. It would bring them into an anomalous position, the mundane being made holy (see Exo 19:21-24; Exo 29:37; Exo 30:29; Lev 6:27). Once being ‘made holy’ they may well have had to be put to death, or at least be required to serve permanently in the temple, so that God’s holiness would not be profaned.
The purpose behind all these distinctions was to bring home to the people the uniqueness and ‘otherness’ of God, and as a reminder of their own unworthiness and sinfulness.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 44:19. They shall not sanctify, &c. By approaching them in these habits, by touching them when clad in their dress of ceremony; this would sanctify the people, and incapacitate them from discharging their ordinary occupations. The touching of holy things defiles those who touch them unworthily, and sanctifies those who approach them in a manner conformably to the laws. The sacred habits were only for the ministers of the Lord; the laity who touched them were obliged to purify themselves; to expiate their offence. Whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy, says Moses, Exo 30:29. To sanctify or be holy is put here in a contrary sense, for to defile.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 44:19 And when they go forth into the utter court, [even] into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
Ver. 19. They shall put off their garments. ] See Eze 42:14 .
They shall not sanctify the people with their garments,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
utter = outer.
chambers = storerooms. Hebrew. lishkah. See note on Eze 40:17. Same word as Eze 41:10; but not elsewhere in Eze 41.
and they shall. Hebrew text of some codices reads “they shall”; and margin “and shall”. Compare Eze 42:14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
they shall put: Eze 42:13, Eze 42:14, Lev 6:10, Lev 6:11
sanctify: Eze 46:20, Exo 29:37, Exo 30:29, Lev 6:27, Mat 23:17-19, 1Co 3:5, 1Co 3:6
Reciprocal: Lev 16:23 – General 2Ki 21:5 – in the two courts Hag 2:12 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 44:19. This verse corresponds with verses 13 and 14 in chapter 42.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
When the priests went into the outer court they would first have to change their clothes in the rooms designated for that purpose (Eze 42:1-14) so they would not transmit what was holy to what was common (cf. Lev 6:11). Contact with holy things consecrated those things and brought them under the restrictions governing holy things (cf. Exo 29:37; Exo 30:29; Lev 6:27; Hag 2:12). They were also to keep their hair trimmed, not let it grow long or shave it all off. Long hair signified mourning, and pagan, idolatrous priests used to shave all their hair off as a sign of mourning (cf. Lev 10:6; Lev 21:5-6; Lev 21:10).