Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 46:1-15
Whether the rules for public worship here laid down were designed to be observed, even in those things wherein they differed from the law of Moses, and were so observed under the second temple, is not certain; we find not in the history of that latter part of the Jewish church that they governed themselves in their worship by these ordinances, as one would think they should have done, but only by law of Moses, looking upon this then in the next age after as mystical, and not literal. We may observe, in these verses,
I. That the place of worship was fixed, and rules were given concerning that, both to prince and people.
1. The east gate, which was kept shut at other times, was to be opened on…
Read the whole note in the consoleJohn Gill on Ezekiel 46:2
And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without,.... That is, by the way of the porch of the eastern gate, even the outermost gate of the porch; for, as every gate had a porch, so every porch had two gates, one at one end, and the other at the other; now this was the outermost gate of the porch, which looked to the outward court, and not that which led into the inner:
and shall stand by the post of the gate; this denotes the presence of Christ, the Prince with his people waiting at Wisdom's gate, and watching at the posts of her door. The allusion seems to be to the king's pillar in the temple, where he used to stand, 2 Chronicles 23:13. Some understand this of Chris…
Read the whole note in the consoleTyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 46:2
The prince would have the unique privilege of going through the eastern gateway to the inner courtyard as far as the entry room to worship. This symbolized that God regarded him as more significant than the common people, but that he was still not fit to stand in God’s presence apart from mediation by the priests.
Rashi on Ezekiel 46:2
by way of the vestibule of the gate without as he states above (40:31): “And its halls were to the Outer Court.” By way of the vestibule of the Gate of the Court, i.e., he shall enter by way of the Eastern Gate, which serves for entry and exit, and come to that wicket.
and he shall stand at the doorpost of the gate That small gate is the wicket.
his burnt offering and his peace offering The burnt offering for appearing in the Temple and the peace offering for celebrating the festivals; this verse refers to the festivals.
and he shall stand at the doorposts of the gate The inner gate; this is the wicket, as the master stated (Taanith 4:2): “Is it possible for a person’s sacrifice to be off…
