New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezekiel 43
2
There I saw the glory of the God of Israel. He was coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters. His glory made the land shine brightly.
Reference
3
The vision I saw was like the one I had when he came to destroy the city. It was also like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River. I fell with my face toward the ground.
Reference
4
The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the east gate.
Reference
References Lord
Ezekiel 44:2
5
Then the Spirit lifted me up. He brought me into the inner courtyard. The glory of the Lord filled the temple.
Reference
6
The man was standing beside me. I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 40:3
7
He said, "Son of man, this is the place where my throne is. The stool for my feet is also here. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. They will never again treat my name as if it were not holy. They and their kings will not serve other gods anymore. The people will no longer worship the lifeless gods of their kings at their high places.
Reference
Holy
Ezekiel 20:39
Kingdom
Ezekiel 43:9
Psalm 47:8
Psalm 99:1
1 Chronicles 28:2
Parallel theme
Leviticus 26:30
Revelation 22:3
Ezekiel 1:26
8
"The people of Israel placed their own doorway next to my holy doorway. They put their doorposts right beside mine. Nothing but a thin wall separated us. They treated my name as if it were not holy. I hated it when they did that. So I became angry with them and destroyed them.
Reference
9
Now let them stop serving other gods. Let them quit worshiping the lifeless gods of their kings. If they obey me, I will live among them forever.
Reference
10
"Son of man, tell the people of Israel about the temple. Then they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them think carefully about the plan of the temple.
Reference
11
What if they are ashamed of everything they have done? Then show them all of the plans of the temple. Explain to them how it is laid out. Tell them about its exits and entrances. Show them exactly what it will look like. Give them all of its rules and laws. Write everything down so they can see it. Then they will be faithful to its plan. And they will obey all of its rules.
Reference
12
"Here is the law of the temple. The whole area on top of Mount Zion will be very holy. That is the law of the temple."
Reference
13
The man said, "Here is the size of the altar. The standard measurement I am using is 21 inches. The base of the altar is 21 inches high. The base has a ledge that is 21 inches wide. It also has a rim that is nine inches wide around the edge. Here is how high the altar is.
Reference
14
The lower part is three and a half feet high. It has a ledge that is 21 inches wide. The middle part is seven feet high. It has a ledge that is 21 inches wide.
15
"The top part is where the sacrifices are burned. It is seven feet high. A horn sticks out from each of its upper four corners.
Reference
16
The top part of the altar is square. It is 21 feet long and 21 feet wide.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 27:1
17
The middle part is also square. It is 24 and a half feet long. It is 24 and a half feet wide. Its rim is ten and a half inches wide. The base of the altar is 21 inches high all the way around. The steps leading up to the top of the altar face east."
Reference
18
Then the man said to me, "Son of man, the Lord and King speaks. He says, 'Here are the rules for the altar when it is built. Follow them when you sacrifice burnt offerings and sprinkle blood on it.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 40:29
19
Give a young bull to the priests as a sin offering. They are Levites from the family of Zadok. They approach me to serve me,' announces the Lord and King.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 2:35
References God
Ezekiel 44:15
References Lord
Numbers 16:40
Numbers 16:5
Sacrifice
Ezekiel 40:46
Sin
Hebrews 7:27
20
'Get some of the bull's blood. Put it on the four horns. Also put it on the four corners of the middle part of the altar and all around the rim. That will make the altar pure and clean.
Reference
Blood
Leviticus 8:15
Leviticus 16:19
Exodus 29:12
Leviticus 9:9
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:36
Ezekiel 43:22
Ezekiel 43:26
22
" 'On the second day offer a male goat. It must not have any flaws. It is a sin offering to make the altar pure and clean. So do as you did with the bull.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 43:20
23
When you finish making the altar pure, offer a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must not have any flaws.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:1
24
Offer them to me. The priests must sprinkle salt on them. Then they must sacrifice them as a burnt offering to me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 4:6
Matthew 5:13
References Lord
2 Chronicles 13:5
Sacrifice
Leviticus 2:13
Numbers 18:19
25
" 'Provide a male goat each day for seven days. It is a sin offering. Also provide a young bull and a ram from the flock. They must not have any flaws.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 8:33
26
For seven days the priests must make the altar pure and clean. That is how they will set it apart to me.
27
" 'From the eighth day on, the priests must bring your burnt offerings and friendship offerings. They must sacrifice them on the altar. Then I will accept you,' announces the Lord and King."
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 9:1
Summary of Ezekiel 43
Ezekiel 43 describes the dramatic return of God's glory to the restored temple, reversing the earlier departure of His presence from Jerusalem, and then explains that the sanctuary must remain completely holy and free from idolatry while the altar is purified and dedicated through a seven-day process so that regular sacrifices can once again be offered in a properly consecrated place where God will dwell among His people.
The chapter begins at the eastern gate, where Ezekiel witnesses God's glory approaching the temple from the east.
The sound accompanying the appearance is compared to the roar of many waters, while the land itself shines with the glory of God.
This is one of the most important moments in Ezekiel's entire vision because the glory that once departed from Jerusalem is now returning.
Earlier in Ezekiel's prophetic ministry, God's glory had gradually moved away from the polluted temple before Jerusalem was destroyed.
Now the direction is reversed.
Instead of leaving the sanctuary, God's glory enters it.
This creates a powerful picture of restoration because the restored temple is not important merely because it has walls, gates, courts, priests, and an altar.
Its true significance comes from the fact that God's presence is there.
God declares that the temple will become the place of His throne and the place where He will dwell among Israel forever.
However, this promise of divine presence comes with a serious requirement: Israel must no longer defile God's holy name through idolatry and rebellion.
God reminds the people that their former leaders had brought impurity into the sanctuary by placing their own structures and idols near God's dwelling place.
The problem was therefore not simply that Israel had committed sins somewhere outside the temple.
Their rebellion had entered the very place that was supposed to represent God's holiness.
God therefore commands them to remove their idols and abandon the practices that had previously polluted the sanctuary.
The temple vision is intended to produce repentance and shame over former sins.
Ezekiel is told to describe the temple carefully so that the people can study its design and understand the laws governing it.
The architectural details therefore have a spiritual purpose.
The people are supposed to recognize the holiness represented by the sanctuary and understand that their restored relationship with God cannot be separated from obedience and purity.
The chapter then turns to the altar, which stands at the center of sacrificial worship.
Its dimensions and structure are carefully described, just as the gates and chambers were measured in the previous chapters.
The altar is large, symmetrical, and carefully constructed, reflecting the same sense of divine order found throughout the temple.
But before the altar can be used for regular worship, it must itself be purified and consecrated.
God provides a seven-day process involving purification offerings and burnt offerings.
A young bull and a male goat are used in the purification process, while a bull and ram without defect are offered as burnt offerings.
Blood is applied to specific parts of the altar, symbolically cleansing and setting it apart for sacred use.
The repeated requirement for animals without defect reinforces the importance of approaching God with offerings that meet His prescribed standard.
The seven-day dedication period represents a complete process of consecration.
Only after the altar has been properly purified and dedicated can regular burnt offerings and fellowship offerings begin.
The chapter therefore moves through a clear sequence: God's glory returns, the people must reject their former impurity, the temple's holiness is explained, the altar is purified, and regular worship is restored.
The final statement is especially hopeful because God declares that He will accept His people after the dedication has been completed.
The restoration of worship therefore becomes a sign of restored relationship between God and Israel.
The central message is that Ezekiel 43 presents the return of God's glory to the restored temple as the defining event of the entire vision, because the magnificent architecture described in the surrounding chapters has meaning only when God's presence fills the sanctuary, and this return of divine glory is accompanied by a strong demand that Israel abandon the idolatry and rebellion that previously polluted God's dwelling place, while the detailed purification and seven-day dedication of the altar demonstrate that restored worship must be holy, ordered, and properly prepared before regular sacrifices can begin, so that the chapter ultimately moves from the overwhelming appearance of God's glory to the cleansing of the sanctuary and the restoration of acceptable worship, ending with the hopeful declaration that once the altar has been properly consecrated, Israel's offerings will again be accepted and God's relationship with His restored people will be renewed.
The chapter begins at the eastern gate, where Ezekiel witnesses God's glory approaching the temple from the east.
The sound accompanying the appearance is compared to the roar of many waters, while the land itself shines with the glory of God.
This is one of the most important moments in Ezekiel's entire vision because the glory that once departed from Jerusalem is now returning.
Earlier in Ezekiel's prophetic ministry, God's glory had gradually moved away from the polluted temple before Jerusalem was destroyed.
Now the direction is reversed.
Instead of leaving the sanctuary, God's glory enters it.
This creates a powerful picture of restoration because the restored temple is not important merely because it has walls, gates, courts, priests, and an altar.
Its true significance comes from the fact that God's presence is there.
God declares that the temple will become the place of His throne and the place where He will dwell among Israel forever.
However, this promise of divine presence comes with a serious requirement: Israel must no longer defile God's holy name through idolatry and rebellion.
God reminds the people that their former leaders had brought impurity into the sanctuary by placing their own structures and idols near God's dwelling place.
The problem was therefore not simply that Israel had committed sins somewhere outside the temple.
Their rebellion had entered the very place that was supposed to represent God's holiness.
God therefore commands them to remove their idols and abandon the practices that had previously polluted the sanctuary.
The temple vision is intended to produce repentance and shame over former sins.
Ezekiel is told to describe the temple carefully so that the people can study its design and understand the laws governing it.
The architectural details therefore have a spiritual purpose.
The people are supposed to recognize the holiness represented by the sanctuary and understand that their restored relationship with God cannot be separated from obedience and purity.
The chapter then turns to the altar, which stands at the center of sacrificial worship.
Its dimensions and structure are carefully described, just as the gates and chambers were measured in the previous chapters.
The altar is large, symmetrical, and carefully constructed, reflecting the same sense of divine order found throughout the temple.
But before the altar can be used for regular worship, it must itself be purified and consecrated.
God provides a seven-day process involving purification offerings and burnt offerings.
A young bull and a male goat are used in the purification process, while a bull and ram without defect are offered as burnt offerings.
Blood is applied to specific parts of the altar, symbolically cleansing and setting it apart for sacred use.
The repeated requirement for animals without defect reinforces the importance of approaching God with offerings that meet His prescribed standard.
The seven-day dedication period represents a complete process of consecration.
Only after the altar has been properly purified and dedicated can regular burnt offerings and fellowship offerings begin.
The chapter therefore moves through a clear sequence: God's glory returns, the people must reject their former impurity, the temple's holiness is explained, the altar is purified, and regular worship is restored.
The final statement is especially hopeful because God declares that He will accept His people after the dedication has been completed.
The restoration of worship therefore becomes a sign of restored relationship between God and Israel.
The central message is that Ezekiel 43 presents the return of God's glory to the restored temple as the defining event of the entire vision, because the magnificent architecture described in the surrounding chapters has meaning only when God's presence fills the sanctuary, and this return of divine glory is accompanied by a strong demand that Israel abandon the idolatry and rebellion that previously polluted God's dwelling place, while the detailed purification and seven-day dedication of the altar demonstrate that restored worship must be holy, ordered, and properly prepared before regular sacrifices can begin, so that the chapter ultimately moves from the overwhelming appearance of God's glory to the cleansing of the sanctuary and the restoration of acceptable worship, ending with the hopeful declaration that once the altar has been properly consecrated, Israel's offerings will again be accepted and God's relationship with His restored people will be renewed.