Ezekiel 44:21
in Ezekiel 44No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
KJV
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
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This verse in Ezekiel 44
Commentary
4 notes on this verseDrink wine - Or any other strong liquor, when they go either to trim the lamps or set the shew-bread in order, or to offer incense in the temple, or when they go to the altar to offer a sacrifice, which stood in the inner court.
This site's exposition
shave their heads, nor suffer their locks
on Ezekiel 44:20-27
The priests neither shave their heads nor let their locks grow long, but poll them, a middle course between the shaved heads of pagan mourning rites and unkempt hair, and they drink no wine when they enter the inner court, the same caution Leviticus 10 already tied to Nadab and Abihu's death before the Lord. Marriage is restricted to a maiden of Israel or a widow who had a priest before, and the priests' teaching office is stated plainly, to teach the difference between the holy and the profane and to judge Israel's controversies by the Lord's own statutes. Corpse defilement is avoided except for the closest kin, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or an unmarried sister, and even then seven days and an offering restore the priest to his ministry, the same structure of controlled contact and required cleansing that has governed the whole chapter.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 17 onwards) And when they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments (or robes); they shall not wear anything made of wool (or they shall not wear garments made of wool) when they minister at the gates of the inner court and inside. Linen turbans shall be on their heads (or they shall have linen turbans on their heads) and linen undergarments shall be around their waists, and they shall not be bound in sweat (or forced).
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Neither shall any priest drink wine,....
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיַ֥יִן | veyayin | and wine | H3196 → | |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשְׁתּ֖וּ | yishtu | they will drink | H8354 → | 217 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| כֹּהֵ֑ן | kohen | priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| בְּבוֹאָ֖ם | bevoam | when come they | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הֶחָצֵ֥ר | hechatzer | the courtyard | H2691 → | 191 times |
| הַפְּנִימִֽית׃ | hapenimit | <the> inner | H6442 → | 32 times |
וְיַ֥יִןand wine
veyayinH3196 →
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִשְׁתּ֖וּthey will drink
yishtuH8354 →217 times
כָּל־any
kol-H3605 →5413 times
כֹּהֵ֑ןpriest
kohenH3548 →750 times
בְּבוֹאָ֖םwhen come they
bevoamH935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הֶחָצֵ֥רthe courtyard
hechatzerH2691 →191 times
הַפְּנִימִֽית׃<the> inner
hapenimitH6442 →32 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
Leviticus 10:9“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 3:3
not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Luke 1:15
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
- 1 Timothy 3:3
Through
Luke 1:15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- Numbers 6:2–4
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
- Luke 7:33
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
- Galatians 1:15
But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
- Ephesians 5:18
Through
1 Timothy 3:8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.
it leads to
- Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
- Philippians 1:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.