Ezekiel 44:16

Ezekiel 44:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
• New International Version (NIV)They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.

Context of Ezekiel 44:16

14They are to serve as the Temple caretakers, taking charge of the maintenance work and performing general duties. 15“However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign Lord. They alone will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They will fulfill all my requirements. 17“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. 18They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire.

Ezekiel 44:16 word by word

הֵ֜מָּה יָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־מִקְדָּשִׁ֗י וְהֵ֛מָּה יִקְרְב֥וּ אֶל־שֻׁלְחָנִ֖י לְשָׁרְתֵ֑נִי וְשָׁמְר֖וּ אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They shall enterבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into my sanctuaryמִקְדָּשׁmiqdâsh miqqedâsh · sanctuaryH4720
• and they shall come nearקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
• to my tableשֻׁלְחָןshûlchân · tableH7979
• to ministerשָׁרַתshârath · to ministerH8334
• unto me, and they shall keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
• my chargeמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931

Cross-references for Ezekiel 44:16

• Revelation 1:6He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
• Ezekiel 41:22There was an altar made of wood, 5-1/4 feet high and 3-1/2 feet across. Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. “This,” the man told me, “is the table that stands in the Lord’s presence.”
• Malachi 1:7“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. “Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’ “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect.
• Numbers 18:7But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
• Deuteronomy 33:8Moses said this about the tribe of Levi: “O Lord, you have given your Thummim and Urim—the sacred lots— to your faithful servants the Levites. You put them to the test at Massah and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 44:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Come near to my table - To place the shew-bread there, and to burn incense on the golden altar in the holy of holies.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-16Verses 4-16 Admonition to the ministering priests, grounded upon former neglect. Ezekiel 44:4 The north gate before the house - The north gate of the inner court. God expostulates with His people in the seat of their former idolatries Ezekiel 8:3. Ezekiel 44:5 Mark well - The careful arrangements made had all been intended to keep the temple and its surroundings from profanation. Hence, attention to these particulars is enjoined. Ezekiel 44:7 Strangers…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16Unlike the Levites and others who turned to idols, the Levitical priests from Zadok's family stayed loyal to the Lord. Zadok was the high priest during Solomon's time. His family was rewarded with access to the inner courtyard to perform important sacrifices closer to God. These chapters often highlight that those who were faithful in the past would be rewarded with closer access to God and more privileges, while the unfaithful would remain farther away.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-312. shut ... not be opened--(Job 12:14; Is 22:22; Re 3:7). "Shut" to the people (Ex 19:21, 22), but open to "the prince" (Eze 44:3), he holding the place of God in political concerns, as the priests do in spiritual. As a mark of respect to an Eastern monarch, the gate by which he enters is thenceforth shut to all other persons (compare Ex 19:24).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Desire of All Nations
• Ezekiel
• Leviticus
• Priests and Levites
• Table
• 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