Ezekiel 43 25

Ezekiel 43:25 kjv

Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.

Ezekiel 43:25 nkjv

Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish.

Ezekiel 43:25 niv

"For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.

Ezekiel 43:25 esv

For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided.

Ezekiel 43:25 nlt

"Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind.

Ezekiel 43 verses

Ezekiel 43 25 meaning

This verse outlines a crucial aspect of the seven-day purification and consecration ceremony for the altar within Ezekiel's visionary temple. It specifies the daily animal sacrifices required: a goat for a sin offering and a young bull for a burnt offering, along with a ram from the flock for each day. This rigorous ritual ensures the altar is thoroughly cleansed from any previous defilement and sanctified, making it fit for divine service and for God's holy presence to dwell within the temple. It underscores the immense holiness of God and the exacting standards for approaching Him in worship.

Ezekiel 43 25 Context

Ezekiel 43 initiates a section detailing the dimensions and instructions for the visionary temple and its worship practices after God's glory has returned to it. Verses 1-12 describe the return of the Lord's glory, God’s intention to dwell among His people, and a call for Israel to turn from their defilements. Verses 13-17 provide the precise measurements of the new altar. This sets the stage for the altar's consecration, outlined in verses 18-27. Ezekiel 43:25 specifically details the continuation of the daily purification rites for the altar, immediately following initial sacrifices (verses 18-24). Given during the Babylonian exile, this elaborate vision served as both a theological blueprint for future, ideal worship and a powerful reassurance to the exiles that God's presence and their restored relationship would necessitate profound holiness and purification, contrasting with the past defilements that led to exile.

Ezekiel 43 25 Word analysis

• Seven days (שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, shiv'at yamim):
  • Word: "Seven" carries significant symbolic weight in Scripture, denoting completeness, perfection, or consecration.
  • Significance: This specified duration is a biblical pattern for intense dedication or purification rituals, found in creation (Gen 2:2), priestly ordination (Ex 29:30), and Tabernacle consecration (Lev 8:33). It signifies a thorough and complete cleansing and sanctification process.
• you shall prepare (תַעֲשֶׂה, ta'aseh):
  • Word: Imperative form of עָשָׂה (‘asah), meaning to do, make, or perform. Here it implies offering or presenting.
  • Significance: This is a direct divine command, instructing the priests on their sacred duty. It signifies an active, commanded involvement in the cultic worship.
• a goat (שְׂעִיר עִזִּים, se'ir izzim):
  • Word: Specifically refers to a young male goat, or a "he-goat."
  • Significance: This is a prescribed animal for the sin offering (chattat), consistently appearing in Levitical law (Lev 4; Num 28). It emphasizes adherence to established sacrificial types.
• for a sin offering (לְחַטָּאת, le'chattat):
  • Word: From the root חָטָא (hata), "to miss the mark," this term refers not directly to moral sin itself, but to the "offering for sin."
  • Significance: Its primary purpose is purification and expiation, often removing ritual impurity or dealing with unintentional sins, and in this context, purifying the altar itself to make it holy for God.
• each day (לַיּוֹם, la'yom):
  • Word: Denotes a daily occurrence.
  • Significance: The repetition stresses the intensity and ongoing necessity of the cleansing and atoning process over the full seven days. It’s not a one-time act, but a sustained period of purification.
• a young bull (וּפַר בֶּן-בָּקָר, u'par ben-baqar):
  • Word: A calf, bullock, or young ox.
  • Significance: This is a significant and costly offering, often associated with sacrifices for priests, leaders, or the entire community (Lev 4). Its inclusion alongside the goat elevates the solemnity and importance of the purification ritual.
• for a burnt offering (לְעוֹלָה, le'olah):
  • Word: From the root עָלָה (‘alah), "to ascend." This sacrifice is entirely consumed by fire on the altar, its smoke "ascending" to God.
  • Significance: Symbolizes complete dedication, devotion, and propitiation. It signifies acceptance by God after the necessary purification from the sin offering.
• and a ram (וְאֵיל, v'ayil):
  • Word: Refers to a male sheep, a ram.
  • Significance: Another standard offering animal in Mosaic law, frequently used in consecration and peace offerings (Ex 29; Lev 9). Its inclusion complements the bull, showing a complete range of sacrificial offerings.
• from the flock (מִן-הַצֹּאן, min-hatsso'n):
  • Word: Specifies the source of the ram.
  • Significance: Ensures that the ram is a ritually clean and acceptable domestic animal, reinforcing the purity standards for all offerings.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Seven days you shall prepare... each day": This phrase sets the intensive, continuous, and divine imperative for a week-long ritual. It highlights the sustained effort and command required for a complete sanctification, ensuring no lingering impurity.
• "a goat for a sin offering... and a young bull for a burnt offering": This juxtaposition presents two essential sacrificial types being offered daily together. The sin offering first purifies and makes expiation, and then the burnt offering represents total consecration and devoted acceptance. This sequence indicates a progression from cleansing to wholehearted devotion.

Ezekiel 43 25 Bonus section

• The ceremonial requirements in Ezekiel’s vision, including these seven-day offerings, bear strong resemblances to the Mosaic Law's regulations for the Tabernacle and its priesthood (e.g., Ex 29, Lev 8). This link reinforces the continuity of God's demands for holiness across different periods, even while revealing a more idealized, future expression of it.
• The severity of these prescribed purifications for the altar emphasizes a theological reality: God's perfect holiness necessitates profound measures to bridge the gap created by human sin. The daily nature of the offerings highlights that a sacred space, before it can facilitate offerings for the people, must first itself be wholly given over and consecrated to God.

Ezekiel 43 25 Commentary

Ezekiel 43:25 outlines the critical daily rituals for a seven-day purification of the new temple's altar. This intense regimen of both sin offerings (for cleansing) and burnt offerings (for complete dedication) signifies the absolute holiness of God and the meticulous, sustained purification required to establish a space where His presence can properly dwell. It moves beyond a one-time cleansing to an enduring consecration, reflecting the deep defilement needing expiation and the profound reverence necessary for worship. This precise, divinely commanded sequence underscores that all approach to God must first be met with cleansing and then with total surrender, foreshadowing the perfect, singular cleansing and access achieved through Christ's ultimate sacrifice.