Ezekiel 44:7

In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. Uncircumcised in heart - Israelites circumcised outwardly, but wanting the true circumcision of the heart (; ). Uncircumcised in flesh - not having even the outward badge of the covenant-people....

Verse Ezekiel 44:7. _THE FAT AND THE BLOOD_] These never went into common use; they were wholly offered to God. The _blood_ was poured out; the _fat_ consumed. _BECAUSE OF ALL YOUR ABOMINATIONS._] Several MSS. of _Kennicott's_ and _De Rossi's_ read _their abominations_, referring to the strangers mentioned before....

Admonition to the ministering priests, grounded upon former neglect. Ezekiel 44:4 THE NORTH GATE BEFORE THE HOUSE - The north gate of the inner court. God expostulates with His people in the seat of their former idolatries Ezekiel 8:3. Ezekiel 44:5 MARK WELL - The careful arrangements made had all been intended to keep the temple and its surroundings from profanation. Hence, attention to these particulars is enjoined. Ezekiel 44:7 STRANGERS - This refers especially to the

EXPOSITION The prophet, having finished his account of the temple, or place of worship, proceeds, in the second section of his vision (Ezekiel 44-46.), to set forth the culture, or ritual, to be performed in the temple; treating first of the several classes in the new community, and of their relation to the sanctuary (Ezekiel 44:1.); next of the regulations to be observed in the maintenance of worship (Ezekiel 45:1.); and, thirdly, of certain supplementary orders for the prince, the people, and the priests, when engaged in the solemnities of their religion (Ezekiel 46:1.). In particular, the present chapter deals (1) with the relation of the prince to the sanctuary ...

IN THAT YE HAVE BROUGHT INTO MY SANCTUARY STRANGERS,.... Unregenerate men, who are in a state of alienation and estrangement to divine and spiritual things: strangers to God; to the true knowledge of him in Christ; to the fear and love of God; to the true grace of God in conversion; and to communion with him: strangers to Christ, to his person and offices; to the way of peace, life, and salvation by him; to his righteousness; to faith in him, love of him, and fellowship with him: strangers to the Spirit; to his person, to regeneration and sanctification by him; to the graces of the Spirit, faith, hope, love, humility, self-denial, c. to the things of the Spirit, which they neither know nor savour; and to the several offices he performs, as a comforter, the Spirit of adoption, an earnest and sealer: strangers to their own hearts, and the plague of them, and sin that dwells in them: strang...

CHAPTER 44 _ 1. The outward eastern gate for the prince (Ezekiel 44:1) _ 2. The charge concerning the strangers and the rebellious tribes (Ezekiel 44:4) 3. The charge concerning the priests, the sons of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15) 4. The inheritance of the priests (Ezekiel 44:28)...

THE LEVITES. The regulations that follow are among the most important in the book, and they have played a great part in the critical rearrangement of OT literature and the consequent reconstruction of OT history (p. 129). The drastic character of the innovation about to be described is forcibly suggested by the solemn introduction in Ezekiel 44:5. In the past the menial offices of the sanctuary _had_ been discharged by aliens often probably prisoners of waruncircumcised in flesh and therefore, from Ezekiel's point of view, also uncircumcised in heart. That is an abomination, to be tolerated no more within Yahweh's holy house. But who is henceforth to discharge those duties? The Levites, Ezekiel answers; and by that he means those who had officiated at the worship of the high places, nominally no doubt a Yahweh worship, but in reality, and especially to a man like Ezekiel, idolatrous. Whe

STRANGERS. aliens. Hebrew "sons of the foreigner " UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART. Reference to Pentateuch, (Leviticus 26:41.Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 10:16), App-92. Compare Jeremiah 9:25; Jeremiah 9:26. POLLUTE. profane. OFFER. bring near. THE FAT AND THE BLOOD. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 3:16; Leviticu

into my sanctuary _strangers_ i.e. foreigners. What is reprobated is not of course allowing foreigners to present sacrifices to Jehovah, which they might do (Leviticus 17:10; Leviticus 17:12; Numbers 15:14), but allowing them to _officiate_in the offering, and in general in the ministry of the sanctuary. It is not ascertainable to what extent these uncircumcised heathen were permitted to fill the subordinate offices about the house, such as those of keepers of the gates and assistants to the priests, but just as the kings employed foreign mercenaries as guards (who were employed even in the temple, 2 Kings 11:7), it appears t

WHEN YE OFFER MY BREAD, &C.— "At the same time that ye offer sacrifices upon the altar, or that ye suffer heathens to offer at that altar, expressly against the law." By _bread_ may be understood the meat-offering made of flour: the _fat_ and _blood_ of every sacrifice were peculiarly appropriated to God. Instead of, _and they have broken,_ Houbigant reads, _and break._...