American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Ezekiel 43
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.
Reference
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 river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
Reference
4
And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
Reference
References Lord
Ezekiel 44:2
5
So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
Reference
6
And I heard him speaking to me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 40:3
7
And he said to me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the middle of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their prostitution, nor by the carcasses of their kings in 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
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: why I have consumed them in my anger.
Reference
9
Now let them put away their prostitution, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the middle of them for ever.
Reference
10
You son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
Reference
11
And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
Reference
12
This is the law of the house; On the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
Reference
13
And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.
Reference
14
And from the bottom on the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
16
And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 27:1
17
And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.
Reference
18
And he said to me, Son of man, thus said the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 40:29
19
And you shall give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach to me, to minister to me, said the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.
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
And you shall take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and on the border round about: thus shall you cleanse and purge it.
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
21
You shall take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
Reference
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 did cleanse it with the bullock.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 43:20
23
When you have made an end of cleansing it, you shall offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:1
24
And you shall offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt on them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering to the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 4:6
Matthew 5:13
References Lord
2 Chronicles 13:5
Sacrifice
Leviticus 2:13
Numbers 18:19
25
Seven days shall you prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 8:33
26
Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27
And when these days are expired, it shall be, that on the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, said the Lord GOD.
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.