Ezekiel 44:17

Ezekiel 44:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house.
• New Living Translation (NLT)“When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard, they must wear only linen clothing. They must wear no wool while on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple itself.

Context of Ezekiel 44:17

15“ ‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards. “ ‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire. 19When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments.

Ezekiel 44:17 word by word

וְהָיָ֗ה בְּבוֹאָם֙ אֶֽל־שַׁעֲרֵי֙ הֶחָצֵ֣ר הַפְּנִימִ֔ית בִּגְדֵ֥י פִשְׁתִּ֖ים יִלְבָּ֑שׁוּ וְלֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֤ה עֲלֵיהֶם֙ צֶ֔מֶר בְּשָֽׁרְתָ֗ם בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֛י הֶחָצֵ֥ר הַפְּנִימִ֖ית וָבָֽיְתָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• when they enterבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• in at the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• of the innerפְּנִימִיpenîymîy · innerH6442
• courtחָצֵרchâtsêr · courtH2691
• they shall be clothedלָבֵשׁlâbash lâbêsh · to clotheH3847
• with linenפֵּ֫שֶׁתpishteh · flaxH6593
• garmentsבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• and no woolצֶ֫מֶרtsemer · woolH6785
• shall comeעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• upon them, whiles they ministerשָׁרַתshârath · to ministerH8334
• and withinבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: insideH1004

Cross-references for Ezekiel 44:17

• Exodus 28:39“Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer.
• Exodus 39:27For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver—
• Leviticus 16:4He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.
• Revelation 4:4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
• Revelation 19:8Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 44:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17No wool shall come upon them - The reason is plain; wool is more apt than linen to contract dirt and breed insects; linen breeds none; besides, this is a vegetable, and the other an animal substance. It was an ancient maxim, that whatever was taken from a dead body was impure in matters of religion, and should not be permitted to enter into the temple. The Egyptian priests always wore linen on their bodies, and shoes of matting or rushes on their feet…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-31Verses 17-31 Regulations as to the priests‘ services. The garments of the priests are defined and various rules prescribed in the Law are repeated with some additions in order to denote additional care to avoid uncleanness. Ezekiel 44:18 The material of which the four vestments of the ordinary priest were made was “linen,” or, more accurately, “byssus,” the cotton stuff of Egypt. The two special qualities of the byssus - white and shining - are…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19The priests had special access to God. Because of this privilege, they also had greater responsibility to live in holiness. Their behavior was more restricted than that of the people. They had to wear linen clothing instead of wool. This helped prevent sweat, which would make them ritually unclean (see study note on Ezekiel 36:17). They also had to keep separate garments that were used only for sacred service. transmit holiness to the people with their…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. linen--symbolical of purity. Wool soon induces perspiration in the sultry East and so becomes uncleanly.Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 44:17

• Priest
• Wool

In the dictionaries

• Breeches
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Desire of All Nations
• Ezekiel
• Flax
• Leviticus
• Linen
• Priests and Levites
• Temple

Commentaries on Ezekiel 44

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings