Ezekiel 43 15

Ezekiel 43:15 kjv

So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.

Ezekiel 43:15 nkjv

The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four horns extending upward from the hearth.

Ezekiel 43:15 niv

Above that, the altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth.

Ezekiel 43:15 esv

and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns.

Ezekiel 43:15 nlt

The top of the altar, the hearth, rises another 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners.

Ezekiel 43 verses

Ezekiel 43 15 meaning

Ezekiel 43:15 describes a specific component of the visionary temple altar, focusing on the "altar hearth," which is also called the "Ariel." This part of the altar is to be "four cubits high" and characterized by "four horns projecting upward" from its surface. This meticulous detail emphasizes the divine blueprint and the precise requirements for sacred worship in the restored temple vision.

Ezekiel 43 15 Context

Ezekiel 43:15 is found within the latter part of Ezekiel's prophetic book, specifically within the extensive vision of the new temple (chapters 40-48). Following the devastating destruction of the first temple and the exile of the people, God reveals to Ezekiel an elaborate and detailed blueprint for a future, ideal temple. Chapter 43 marks a crucial moment where the glory of the LORD returns to this new temple, signifying God's renewed presence among His people, conditional on their obedience. This verse, therefore, focuses on the specifications for the temple's altar for burnt offerings. These precise dimensions and features of the altar, along with other elements, emphasize the holiness required for divine dwelling and proper worship, contrasting sharply with the defilement and idolatry that led to the earlier temple's destruction and God's departure. The entire section is a powerful message of hope for restoration, emphasizing meticulous divine order and sanctity.

Ezekiel 43 15 Word analysis

• "The altar hearth" (וְהָאֲרִיאֵל - vehā'ărî'êl):
  • ’Ărî’ēl is a unique term in this context. While often transliterated as "Ariel," it signifies the altar hearth, the part of the altar where the fire consumed the sacrifice.
  • Etymologically, it is often interpreted as "lion of God" (from 'ărayāh "lion" and 'ēl "God"). This powerful imagery suggests the fierce, consuming fire of God's judgment and presence, like a lion devouring its prey, signifying the altar's role in consuming sacrifices for atonement or expressing divine wrath.
  • The term also appears as a poetic name for Jerusalem in Isaiah 29, linking the city where God's altar stood to this potent symbolism of judgment and salvation.
  • Significance: It underscores the altar's function as a place where divine justice and acceptance meet, marked by fiery consumption and strength.
• "shall be four cubits high" (אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת - 'arba' 'ammôt):
  • 'arba' ("four"): A number frequently used in biblical texts, often connoting universality, completeness, or stability (e.g., four cardinal directions). In the context of the temple, it contributes to the overarching sense of precise, divinely ordered design.
  • 'ammôt ("cubits"): A standard ancient unit of length, roughly equivalent to the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (approx. 18-22 inches).
  • Significance: This specific measurement is part of God's exact blueprint for the altar, leaving no room for human interpretation or error in its construction. It points to divine perfection and absolute standards for worship.
• "with four horns" (קַרְנֵי - qar'nê):
  • qeren ("horn"): In ancient Near Eastern and biblical cultures, horns are potent symbols of power, strength, dignity, and sovereignty. On altars, they held deep ritual significance.
  • Significance: Altar horns were crucial for applying the blood of sin offerings as part of the atonement process (Exo 29:12). They also served as a traditional place of asylum for those seeking sanctuary from vengeance (1 Kgs 1:50). Their presence emphasizes the altar's role as a source of protection, consecration, and reconciliation through sacrifice.
• "projecting upward" (מִמַּעַל - mimmá'al):
  • mimmá'al ("from above," "upward"): Indicates the direction and prominence of the horns, rising from the structure itself.
  • Significance: Emphasizes that these horns are integral, structural features extending Heavenward, possibly signifying a lifting of offerings or prayers to God, or an expression of divine power emanating upwards.
• "from the hearth" (וּמֵהָאֲרִיאֵל - u-meha'ari'el):
  • Reinforces that the horns are not external additions but arise directly from the "Ariel" or the main part of the altar where sacrifices were consumed.
  • Significance: This connection strengthens the link between the consuming fire (Ariel) and the instruments of atonement and refuge (horns), ensuring their unified symbolic and ritual function within God's divinely ordered system of worship.

Ezekiel 43 15 Bonus section

• The increased size of the entire altar in Ezekiel's vision compared to earlier Tabernacle and Temple altars often points to an enlarged scope of God's redemptive plan and the more expansive outpouring of His glory and presence.
• The exactness of all measurements throughout Ezekiel 40-48 serve as a polemic against the corrupt practices and defiled altars that characterized the prior eras (cf. Ezek 8). This vision mandates a pristine standard for all future worship, utterly distinct from pagan altars lacking divine sanction.
• The progression in Ezekiel's vision, from the entry of God's glory in 43:1-5 to the immediate detailed instructions for the altar in 43:13-17, highlights that atonement through sacrifice is indispensable for the sustained presence of God in His sanctuary.
• While detailed, these dimensions are given as divine revelation, emphasizing that true worship structures are not products of human ingenuity but God's specific decree, pointing towards a spiritual reality shaped by divine principles rather than human traditions.

Ezekiel 43 15 Commentary

Ezekiel 43:15 details a crucial architectural feature of the visionary altar: the "altar hearth," or "Ariel," being four cubits high and crowned with four projecting horns. The designation "Ariel" itself—perhaps "lion of God"—evokes powerful imagery of the altar as a site of intense divine action, where fire consumes and mediates atonement. The meticulous four-cubit height, consistent with divine precision seen throughout the temple blueprint, underscores God's demand for absolute adherence to His design for sacred space. The four horns, critical to ritual anointing with blood and functioning as symbols of power and refuge, connect this visionary altar to established Israelite sacrificial practices, yet elevated to an ideal, pure form. This passage asserts the unblemished nature and perfect function of the future altar, contrasting past idolatries and signaling hope for a restored, pure relationship with God, ultimately foreshadowing the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice of Christ that secures eternal atonement and provides ultimate spiritual refuge.