The returning of the glory of God into the temple, 1-6. The sin of Israel hindered God's presence, 7-9. The prophet exhorts them to repentance and observation of the law of the house, 10-12. The measures, 13-17, and the ordinances of the altar, 18-27.
1 Afterward, he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east, 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. And his voice was like a noise of many waters. And the earth shined with his glory. 3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision that I saw by the Kebar River. And I fell upon my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5 So the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
6 And I heard him speaking to me out of the house, and the man stood by me. 7 And he 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 in the midst of the children of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name—neither they, nor their kings—by their lewd deeds, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places. 8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed; therefore, I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their lewd deeds and the carcasses of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever.
10 "Son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. And let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, its fashion, its exits, its entrances, all its forms, all its ordinances, all its forms, and all its laws, and write it in their sight, so that they may keep its whole form and all its ordinances, and do them. 12 This is the law of the house. Upon the top of the mountain, its whole limit around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
13 "And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits (the cubit is a cubit and a hand-breadth): The bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and its border by its edge around shall be a span. And this shall be the higher place of the altar. 14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit, and from the lower ledge even to the upper ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. 15 Thus the altar shall be four cubits. And from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in its four sides. 17 And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in its four sides, the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its bottom shall be a cubit all around. And its stairs shall look toward the east."
18 And he said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: 'These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they make it, to offer burnt-offerings upon it and to sprinkle blood upon it. 19 And you shall give to the priests the Levites who are of the offspring of Zadok, who approach to me to minister to me,' says the Lord GOD, 'a young bull for a sin-offering. 20 And you shall take some of his blood and put it on its four horns, on the four corners of the ledge, and upon the border around. Thus you shall cleanse and purge it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin-offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house outside the sanctuary.
22 'And on the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin-offering. And they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have made an end of cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram out of the flock without blemish. 24 And you shall offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them for a burnt-offering to the LORD. 25 Seven days you shall prepare every day a goat for a sin-offering. They shall also prepare a young bull and a ram out of the flock without blemish. 26 Seven days they shall purge the altar and purify it. Thus they shall consecrate themselves. 27 And when these days have expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings upon the altar. Then I will accept you,' says the Lord GOD."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Ezekiel, Chapter 43[➚]
John Gill's Chapter Summary:
The temple or house of God being measured, the worship of God in it is pointed out and observed in this and the following chapter; and which, though evangelical, is expressed in the language of the Old Testament. An account is given of the glory of the Lord returning to the house, and the way he did and his taking possession of it, which the prophet was favored with a view of (Ezekiel 43:1-5); a promise is made of his continuance there, provided his people behaved as they should (Ezekiel 43:6-9); an order is given to the prophet to show them the form and fashion, the laws, orders, and ordinances of the house to them to be observed by them (Ezekiel 43:10-12); then follows the measuring of the altar of burnt offerings; which, though measured before in chapter forty, the dimensions are here given (Ezekiel 43:13-17); and the chapter is concluded with directions about the consecration of it (Ezekiel 43:18-27).