Ezek. 45 The portion of land for the sanctuary, Ezek. 45:1–5, for the city, Ezek. 45:6, and for the prince, Ezek. 45:7–8. Ordinances for the prince, Ezek. 45:9–25.

When ye, ye returned Jews, restored to your own land, shall divide by lot: it was not on the return divided by lot, as it was by Joshua, but lot and inheritance are the same many times in the Scripture, and the expression alludes to the usual way of assigning inheritances. The land; land of Canaan.

Of this whole consecrate portion of twenty-five thousand cubits long, or twelve miles and half, and ten thousand broad, or five miles and little more. For the sanctuary; for a platform for the sanctuary, both house and courts.

Of, or by, or from this cubit measure, Ezek. 45:2, shalt thou measure. So express, that indeed I wonder a dispute can arise; and this justifies the French version, which from this verse no doubt took the coudee, which they use in Ezek. 45:1.

The holy portion; the whole contents of twelve miles and half long, and five broad. For the priests; sons of Zadok, who minister to the Lord, and others with them, who, though degraded from the priestly honour, yet lived upon priestly provision.

As we render the words they are a little clouded, but as they are rendered in the French they are plainer: we read them as if the verse spake of the same twenty-five thousand long and ten thousand broad, which the priests have; but the French thus, there shall be other twenty-five thousand in…

Appoint; order and measure out. The possession; land to be a possession to the citizens of Jerusalem, and to be the contents of the city. Five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long; about two miles and half broad, and twelve miles and half long, measured by the cubit, as Ezek.

A portion; though not said how much, it is likely it was near fourfold to that of the city, sanctuary, or the priests and Levites. For the prince; the king, or supreme ruler.

In the land; either in that portion of land set out for him, or, as it is added, in Israel, i.e. in the land of Israel. My princes; who own my favour in their advancement, and my law in their government.

Princes are here in God’s name, and by advice from him he made them princes, counselled, exhorted, and commanded. Let it suffice; be content, aim not at more: he who gave no more can make this enough, and he will curse and blast what you indirectly, and by sinful, oppressive crafts, wrest from…

Ye; princes of Israel. Shall have: though they were not traders to use, yet they must have, i.e. appoint, for to them as a privilege it appertains to appoint standards for measure among their subjects.

One shall contain as much as the other, the ephah shall contain as many gallons of dry, as the bath doth contain of liquid things. An homer is commonly said to be thirty bushels, or near it.

Having laid down the standard for weight and measure in less valuable things, and that are sold for money, now the standard is set down for the current coin which passed among them, and the valuation of which was part of the prince’s prerogative.

In the daily service, the morning and evening sacrifice, there must be wheat and barley flour. Sixth part of an ephah; sixtieth part of an homer, about one half bushel, and one peck, and one quarter of a peck, and three pints, or near it; so some.

Now forasmuch as oil was always offered with the meat-offering, here is direction what quantity shall be used at each offering. The bath of oil; which contained about twenty-four gallons, or very near it.

This verse prescribes the proportion that is to he observed in bringing the lambs for daily sacrifice. They were bound to choose out of the best pastures of Israel the best and fattest lambs, one out of two hundred; so favourable was God to them in these cattle, taking so few out of so many.

The plain and summary meaning of this verse is, that this daily sacrifice should be, as for the people and the prince, so should it be provided by a common purse of prince and people, all should contribute to this charge.

The prince’s part; beside the share he gives to the daily sacrifice in the common charge, Ezek. 45:16, the prince is bound also on solemnities to give sacrifices out of his own. Burnt-offerings: see Lev. 1:0, where these are described. Meat-offerings rings: see Lev. 2:1;c. Drink-offerings: see Ex.

In the first month of the year, every new-year’s day; or the first new-year’s day after the temple is built, a kind of feast of dedication: the former better agreeth with the following verses.

The priest: had the 17th and 18th verses intended by prince the high priest, there would have been no need of changing the phrase, or of mentioning the priest, it would have been enough to have said, And he shall; but in those verses the bringing and preparing is not priestly, but ascribed to the…

The priest must offer the like sacrifice for cleansing the errors of the people, and reconciling them. The seventh day; about a week before the passover. For every one that erreth; for all the errors of all the house of Israel, in all that had erred through ignorance.

In the first month; Nisan, which is part of March and part of April with us. The fourteenth day; as was appointed of old by Moses, Ex. 12:0 at large. Ye shall have; have, and slay, for so Ex. 12:6.

Upon that day; upon the fourteenth day, on which the passover was slain. The prince; as before, Ezek. 45:17–18. Prepare for himself, to expiate his own sins. And for all the people: see Ezek. 45:17, where the same is found.

After the first day’s offering, Ezek. 45:22, or else after the fifteenth day was over, though first more likely. The prince at his own charge is to get ready day by day seven bullocks, seven rams, perfect without blemish, as the law required, and one kid each day of the seven; in all forty-nine…

And he, the prince, shall prepare a meat-offering; for the sacrifice was not entire without this, and the text proportions this also: for each bullock one ephah of fine flour, three bushels and one half with the seven bullocks of the first day; and so for the rams; that is, seven bushels every day…

The seventh month, according to their ecclesiastical account, Tisri, which answers to part of our August and September. The fifteenth day; on that day the feast of tabernacles began, and it continued seven days. Shall he, the prince, as before, Ezek.