Ezekiel 40:45
in Ezekiel 40Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house;
KJV
And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.
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This verse in Ezekiel 40
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The priests, whose chambers (L) are here provided, were those whose business it was to exercise this oversight which had devolved upon them as descendants of Aaron Num 3:32.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And he said to me: This is the treasury that faces the southern way of the priests, who keep watch in the temple's guardrooms. Furthermore, the treasury that faces the way of the north will be for the priests who serve at the altar: these are the sons of Zadok who come near from the sons of Levi to the Lord, to minister to Him."
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistHomilies on Ezekiel, Book 2, Homily 10 · Written before 604.
proposed
In these words of the prophet we must first inquire who are the priests of the greater order, whether those who keep watch in the guardianships of the temple, or those who serve at the ministry of the altar. But because shortly afterward it is added: "The altar was before the face of the temple," it is clearly shown that those are priests of the greater order who keep watch in the guardianships of the temple, because indeed they minister at the altar which is within. But those who keep watch at the altar which is before the face of the temple are inferior by as much as they minister in the outer areas. Therefore we must inquire who the priests are who guard the temple, and who are said to keep watch for the ministry of the altar. The teacher of the Gentiles, writing to the faithful, says: "The temple of God is holy, which you are." Who then are the priests who guard the temple of God, if not those who by praying, by preaching, by keeping watch in spiritual activities, defend the holy Church from the assaults of malignant spirits, from the persuasions of the wicked, from the errors of heretics? Was he not a guardian of the temple who, enumerating the labors of his suffering, says: "In labor and hardship, in many watchings, in hunger and thirst, in many fastings, in cold and nakedness"? And immediately he adds: "Besides those things which are from without, my daily urgency, the care of all the churches." Consider, I ask, with how great solicitude the guardian of the temple keeps watch. For behold, he suffers inestimable things in himself, and he shares the solicitude of his heart with others. Of what virtue, I ask, is it to think more about the welfare of one's neighbors than about one's own affliction? Who can worthily estimate this? Who can worthily weigh it? […]
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he said unto me,....
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר | vaydaber | and he spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלָ֑י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| זֹ֣ה | zoh | this | H2090 → | |
| הַלִּשְׁכָּ֗ה | halishkah | the room | H3957 → | 47 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| פָּנֶ֙יהָ֙ | paneiha | face its | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | [is] [the] direction | H1870 → | 707 times |
| הַדָּר֔וֹם | hadarom | the south | H1864 → | 17 times |
| לַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים | lakohanim | [is] for the priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| שֹׁמְרֵ֖י | shomerei | [who] keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת | mishmeret | <of> [the] charge of | H4931 → | 78 times |
| הַבָּֽיִת׃ | habayit | the house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
וַיְדַבֵּ֖רand he spoke
vaydaberH1696 →1141 times
אֵלָ֑יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
זֹ֣הthis
zohH2090 →
הַלִּשְׁכָּ֗הthe room
halishkahH3957 →47 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
פָּנֶ֙יהָ֙face its
paneihaH6440 →2123 times
דֶּ֣רֶךְ[is] [the] direction
derekhH1870 →707 times
הַדָּר֔וֹםthe south
hadaromH1864 →17 times
לַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים[is] for the priests
lakohanimH3548 →750 times
שֹׁמְרֵ֖י[who] keep
shomereiH8104 →468 times
מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת<of> [the] charge of
mishmeretH4931 →78 times
הַבָּֽיִת׃the house
habayitH1004 →2046 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 134:1Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD!
it leads to
- Psalms 120:1
In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
- Psalms 135:1–2
Hallelujah! Praise the name of the LORD. Give praise, O servants of the LORD,
- 1 Chronicles 9:33
Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night.
- Revelation 19:5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!”
- 2 Chronicles 29:11
Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”
- Psalms 120:1
Through
1 Chronicles 6:49But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the Most Holy Place. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense to make atonement for…
it leads to
- Leviticus 4:20
He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.
- Leviticus 4:20
Through
Leviticus 8:35You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 11:1
You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.
- 1 Kings 2:3
And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you…
- Deuteronomy 11:1
Where this verse is studied
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 2, Homily 10; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).