<< Ezekiel XLIV >>

 1 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
 2 And Jehovah said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.
 3 As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
 4 Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah: and I fell upon my face.
 5 And Jehovah said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of Jehovah, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every egress of the sanctuary.
 6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
 7 in that ye have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, to add unto all your abominations.
 8 And ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
 9 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among the children of Israel.
 10 But the Levites that went far from me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.
 11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
 12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and became a stumblingblock of iniquity unto the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord Jehovah, and they shall bear their iniquity.
 13 And they shall not come near unto me, to execute the office of priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, unto the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
 14 Yet will I make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

 15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me; and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Jehovah:
 16 they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
 17 And it shall be 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, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
 18 They shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat.
 19 And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments.
 20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads.
 21 Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
 22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest.
 23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
 24 And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to mine ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
 25 And they shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
 26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
 27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 28 And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.
 29 They shall eat the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.
 30 And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every oblation of everything, of all your oblations, shall be for the priest: ye shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.
 31 The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.

1 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.

1, 2. See Chapter XLIII., 1, 2. A. 1250.
    The Lord alone enters into heaven through the good of love, and the good of love from the Lord fills heaven and makes it. A. 9668.
    By the gate which looks toward the east is meant introduction into heaven and the church by the Lord, through the good of love proceeding from Him. This is understood by the east, and that this is from the Lord, by Jehovah, the God of Israel entering by that gate. That introduction is effected by the worsbip of the Lord from that good is signified by the gate being open on the sabbath day. When there is not worship from that good, no introduction is effected. This is signified by that gate being shut during the six days of labor. E. 422.
1-3. See Chapter XL., 6-49. A. 2851.
    Every good of the church and of worship is from the Lord. P. P.
1-3, 17. See Chapter XLIII., 1-4. E. 208.
1, 9, 10, 19, 20. Quarters signify states of good and truth in the Lord's kingdom. A. 3708.

2 And Jehovah said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.

2. The God of Israel and the Holy One of Israel is the Lord as to the Divine Human. A. 7091.
    That the Lord is called the God of Israel. L. 39.
    That Jehovah and the Holy One of Israel are the same. T. 93.

3 As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

3. The prince who with his possessions in the New Jerusalem and in the new earth is described in Ezekiel, signifies in general the truth which is from the Lord's Divine; for by the New Jerusalem and the new earth, and the new temple, the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth are meant. A. 5044.

4 Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah: and I fell upon my face.

4-8. The Jewish nation destroyed the church. P. P.

5 And Jehovah said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of Jehovah, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every egress of the sanctuary.
6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

5. See Chapter XXXII., 2, 18. L. 28.

7 in that ye have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, to add unto all your abominations.
8 And ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

7, 9. Strangers are those who are not born within the church, and who are thus not in the truths of faith, and the goods of faith, because they are not in the knowledges of them. Also those who are in external worship.
    See also Chapter XXXI., 18. A. 2049.
   To be uncircumcised is to be impure, and as everything impure is from impure loves, which are the loves of the world and of self, by uncircumcised is understood that which impedes the influx of good and truth.  A. 7225.

9 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among the children of Israel.
10 But the Levites that went far from me, when Israel went astray, that went astray from me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.
11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall slay the burnt-offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and became a stumblingblock of iniquity unto the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord Jehovah, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13 And they shall not come near unto me, to execute the office of priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, unto the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14 Yet will I make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

9. By an uncircumcised person is meant one who is not purified from the evils of love merely natural, and who is not in charity. F. 54.
    See Chapter XXVIII., 10. E. 817.
9-14. The Jewish nation will not be in that church. P. P.

15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me; and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Jehovah:

15. See Chapter XL., 46. E. 444.

16 they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

16-31. But others, of whom the new church will consist, who will acknowledge the Lord, concerning which church, and its life, doctrine, worship and ministry.
P. P.
16, 16, 17, 19. The new temple is here described, by which is signified the new church, by the priests, the Levites, those who are in truths from good, by the linen garments truths of faith, by means of which is purification and regenerazion. Not to be girded with sweat means that the holy things of worship were not to be commixed with the proprium of man, for sweat means man's proprium, which is nothing but evil arid falsity. A. 9959.

17 And it shall be 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, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
 
17, 18. Linen signified the truth of the exterior natural, and the exterior natural clothes the interiors. Therefore that truth was represented by the linen garments with which angels were clothed. A. 7601.
Linen signifies spiritual truth, which is truth of the good of faith, but wool signifies celestial truth, which is the truth of the good of love. They who are in the latter truth cannot be in the former truth, for the two differ as light from the sun and light from the stars. A. 9470.

    By linen in many places in the Word is meant nothing else than truth. R. 671.
The reason why they put on linen garments when they ministered holy things, was, because all holy administration is effected by Divine truth. E. 951.

18 They shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat.

18. Linen signifies truth in a man's natural, and so a nitre (linen bonnet) of linen is natural in telligence. A. 9827.

19 And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments.

19. See Chapter XLII., 14. A. 4545.
19, 20. This is said of the new temple and the new priesthood, that is, of the new church. The putting on other garments signifies holy truths. Not shaving their heads, nor suffering their locks to grow long, but only polling their heads means not rejecting the natural, but accommodating it so that it may be in accord, thus making it subordinate. A. 5247.

20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads.
21 Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

20. That the priests the Levites, where the new temple is treated of, should not shave their heads, nor let their hair grow long, to the end that they might represent the Divine natural of the Lord as to truth, which is from good, and is called the truth of good. A. 3301.
  Since Aaron and his sons represented the Lord as to Divine good and truth, and since by a shaven head and ripped garments was signified the deprivation of these, the signification is that the representative of the Lord as to Divine good and truth would perish, and thus the representative of the church. A. 9960.
To cut off the beard was ignominious with the people of the Israel. E. 66.

22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that is the widow of a priest.
23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And in a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to mine ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

22. From the things contained in this verse it may be evident how pure the Word is in the internal sense, though it appear otherwise in the letter. A. 2362.
    Here the holy city new Jerusalem and the heavenly Canaan are treated of, and that these are the Lord's kingdom and His church is evident. The degrees and laws of marriage derive their origin from the laws of truth and good of the heavenly marriage. A. 4434.
The virgins whom the Levites were to marry, represented and thence signified affection for truth, and the widow of a priest affection for truth from good, for a priest in the representative sense is the good of the church. A. 4844.
    On account of a virgin signifying the affection for the genuine truth of the church, which altogether agrees with the good of love, it was commanded that the high priest should not take to wife a widow, or a woman divorced, or a corrupt harlot, but a virgin from his people. E. 863.

25 And they shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
26 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.
27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Jehovah.
28 And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.
29 They shall eat the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.
30 And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every oblation of everything, of all your oblations, shall be for the priest: ye shall also give unto the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.

25. Because death signified damnation, therefore it was forbidden those who were of the representative church to touch the dead, and if they touched they were unclean, and were to be purified. A. 6119.
     By the dead those are signified who are destitute of the life of heaven, consequently who are in evils and thence in falsities. On account of this signification of the dead, the priests, the Levites were prohibited from touching any dead body. E. 186.

31 The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.

31. See Chapter IV., 14. A. 4171.

Author: Emanuel Swedenborg (Compiled by Robert S. Fischer 1925)