Ezekiel 46:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 46:21
Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
by
וַיַּ֣עֲבִירֵ֔נִיvai.Ya.'a.vi.Re.ni
H5674
to cross over · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix
four
אַרְבַּ֖עַת'ar.Ba.'at
H702
four · cardinal number, both genders singular construct
corners
מִקְצוֹעֵ֣יmik.tzo.'Ei
H4740
an angle or recess · noun, common masculine plural construct
court
הֶחָצֵ֑רhe.cha.Tzer
H2691
a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
every
בְּמִקְצֹ֣עַbe.mik.Tzo.a'
H4740
an angle or recess · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
corner
בְּמִקְצֹ֥עַbe.mik.Tzo.a'
H4740
an angle or recess · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
court
חָצֵר֙cha.Tzer
H2691
a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
court
הֶחָצֵ֔רhe.cha.Tzer
H2691
a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 46:19–end
We have here a further discovery of buildings about the temple, which we did not observe before, and those were places to boil the flesh of the offerings in, Eze 46:20. He that kept such a plentiful table at his altar needed large kitchens; and a wise builder will provide conveniences of that kind. Observe, 1. Where those boiling-places were situated. There were some at the entry into the inner court (Eze 46:19) and others under the rows, in the four corners of the outer court, Eze 46:21-23. These were the places where, it is likely, there was most room to spare for this purpose; and this purpose was found for the spare room, that none might be lost. It is a pity that holy ground should be w…
Due regard is to be had for the sanctity of the officiating priests' food, by cooking courts being provided close to their chambers. One set of apartments for cooking was to be at the corners of the inner court, reserved for the flesh of the sin offerings, to be eaten only by the priests whose perquisite it was (Lev 6:25; Lev 7:7), before coming forth to mingle again with the people; another set at the corners of the outer court, for cooking the flesh of the peace offerings, of which the people partook along with the priests. All this implies that no longer are the common and unclean to be confounded with the sacred and divine, but that in even the least things, as eating and drinking, the g…
The trespass-offering - Part of this, and of the sin-offering, and the flour-offering was the portion of the priests. See Num 18:9, Num 18:10.
John Gill on Ezekiel 46:21
Then he brought me forth into the utter court,.... From the holy chambers of the priests, and from viewing the place where they boiled the sacrifices, and baked the meat offering:
and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; in each of the four corners of the outward court there was another court; signifying that there will be courts or churches in the several parts of the world in the latter day.
The Church Fathers
(Verses 21-22) And he led me into the outer courtyard, and he led me around the four corners of the courtyard. And behold, there was a smaller courtyard in the corner of the courtyard, with a smaller courtyard in each corner of the courtyard. In the four corners of the courtyard, the smaller courtyards were arranged, forty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width. The measurements of each were the same: and a wall surrounded the four smaller courtyards in a circle. After this, it is written, 'And he led me into the outer court and led me around the four corners of the court. And behold, there was a small courtyard in the corner of the court, with small courtyards placed in each corner of the court, arranged in the four corners of the court.' That man, whom he often mentions, led him out from the place of the priests, which faced north or was separate, where the priests cook for transgressions, sins, or ignorance, and led him into the outer court. From this we understand that the court from which he went out was inside, and there were many courts in the Holy Scriptures, about which we read, 'You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.' And in John, 'And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and it is necessary that I bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one fold and one shepherd.' For this in Greek is called αὐλὴ, which the simple Latin translation rendered as a sheepfold. But when he says, 'of this fold,' he shows that there is another one, which is either demonstrated in the multitude of the nations for the distinction from Israel or in heaven for the separation of the earthly fold. And according to the quality of merits, each office is assigned to a particular court, about which we have spoken more fully earlier. But this court that is now being discussed had small courtyards at each of its four corners, which the Seventy call minor, and we have called them small courtyards for the sake of easier understanding. They were forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. Concerning these numbers, I remember that I have discussed in this same work that one refers to tribulations and narrowness, the other to perfect age. For forty days, Moses, Elijah, the Lord and Savior fasted in the wilderness, and they reach the priestly office not after the twenty-fifth year of age, but after the thirtieth.…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Cooking · In the temple — In the temple
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 46:19-24
The vision of the Temple proper (chs 40–46) concludes with a return to the point at which the tour began. The prophet began his tour in the outer court, and having traveled to the center and back out again twice, he completed it at the edges of the outer court, in the kitchens where the various sacrifices offered by the people were to be cooked. Some sacrifices were burned whole on the altar, while others were only partially burned, with portions being returned so that the worshiper could feast with his family in the Lord’s presence.
Rashi on Ezekiel 46:21
corners [Heb. מִקְצוֹעֵי,] angles in French, corners.
