Ezekiel 45 23

Ezekiel 45:23 kjv

And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 45:23 nkjv

On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 45:23 niv

Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams without defect as a burnt offering to the LORD, and a male goat for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 45:23 esv

And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the LORD seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 45:23 nlt

On each of the seven days of the feast he will prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, consisting of seven young bulls and seven rams without defects. A male goat will also be given each day for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 45 verses

Ezekiel 45 23 meaning

Ezekiel 45:23 outlines specific daily offerings required from "the prince" during the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the future temple vision. This includes a substantial burnt offering to the Lord—seven young bulls and seven rams, all unblemished—alongside a male goat daily as a sin offering. The verse emphasizes the systematic, daily repetition of costly and perfect sacrifices, underscoring continuous atonement and dedication required from the restored community. It speaks to an idealized system of worship and purification for a covenant-keeping people.

Ezekiel 45 23 Context

Ezekiel 45:23 is part of Ezekiel's detailed vision (chapters 40-48) describing a new temple, a reorganized priesthood, a redistributed land, and a revived worship system for a restored Israel. This specific chapter focuses on the holy district for the temple and priests, the prince's portion, and the prince's duties regarding the sacrificial cult and the annual feasts. Verses 21-25 elaborate on the observances for the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles, outlining the prince's responsibility to provide specific offerings during these solemn assemblies. The immediate context of verse 23 is the provision for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, following the Passover observance, which emphasized purity and deliverance. Historically, this prophecy was given to Jewish exiles in Babylon, offering hope of a future spiritual and national restoration and a return to ideal worship.

Ezekiel 45 23 Word analysis

• And seven days (wə-šiv‘at yāmîm וְשִׁבְעַת יָמִים):
  • Significance: The number "seven" consistently denotes completeness, perfection, or sacredness in the Bible. Here, it marks the full duration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, emphasizing its mandated, complete observance.
• of the feast (he-ḥāḡ הֶֽחָג):
  • Significance: Refers specifically to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which follows Passover, as mentioned in v.21). ḥāḡ denotes a pilgrimage festival or religious celebration, requiring the assembly of the people.
• he shall prepare (ya‘ăśeh יַֽעֲשֶׂה):
  • Analysis: From the verb ʿāśâ, "to do, to make, to prepare." In this context, it emphasizes the Prince's (nāsî’) active and specific responsibility to furnish these sacrifices, highlighting his role as the primary provider and orchestrator of public worship in this future system (as indicated in Eze 45:17).
• a burnt offering (‘ōlāh עוֹלָה):
  • Significance: A ‘ōlâ is an offering that is entirely consumed by fire on the altar, ascending to God as a "sweet savor." It symbolized total dedication to God and made general atonement for unintentional sins, or the person bringing it sought to fully commit themselves to God.
• to the LORD (laYHWH לַיהְוָה):
  • Significance: Designates God (YHWH, the covenant name) as the sole and rightful recipient of the offerings. This underscores that worship is directed exclusively towards the sovereign God of Israel.
• seven bullocks (šiv‘at bāqār שִׁבְעַת־בָּקָ֥ר):
  • Significance: Bullocks (young cattle) were expensive and substantial animals for sacrifice, indicating the costly nature and magnitude of the offerings. The number "seven" again reinforces completeness and the lavish scale of dedication.
• and seven rams (wə-šiv‘ah ’êlîm וְשִׁבְעָה֙ אֵילִ֔ים):
  • Significance: Rams, also valuable, further amplify the considerable expense and the profuseness of the offerings, ensuring a bountiful provision for atonement and worship.
• without blemish (təmîmîm תְּמִימִֽים):
  • Analysis: From tāmîm, meaning "whole, complete, sound, perfect, blameless."
  • Significance: A crucial requirement for all sacrificial animals. It ensured the offerings were acceptable to a holy God, symbolizing purity and perfection. It foreshadows Christ, the Lamb "without spot or blemish."
• daily (layôm לַיּוֹם):
  • Significance: Emphasizes the continuous, unceasing nature of these offerings throughout the entire seven-day festival. It implies a constant need for atonement and a perpetual dedication to God.
• the seven days (šiv‘at hayyāmîm שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִ֑ים):
  • Significance: Reinforces the sustained period over which these daily sacrifices are to be made, stressing the totality of the feast's observance.
• and a kid of the goats (ūśə‘îr ‘izzîm וּשְׂעִיר עִזִּ֖ים):
  • Significance: A male goat was typically specified for the sin offering, particularly for corporate or individual purification from ritual uncleanness and unintentional sins.
• daily (layôm לַיּוֹם):
  • Significance: Reiteration highlights that the sin offering, just like the burnt offering, was a necessary daily component of the feast's spiritual observances.
• for a sin offering (lə-ḥaṭṭā’t לְחַטָּאתֹֽ):
  • Analysis: From ḥaṭṭāʾt, "sin" or "sin offering" (often translated as "purification offering" to emphasize its role in cleansing ritual impurity and making atonement for specific sins).
  • Significance: A sacrifice distinct from the burnt offering, specifically aimed at atonement for sin and the cleansing of the worshipper and the sanctuary from defilement. Its daily requirement underscores the persistent human condition of sin and the need for God's forgiveness and purification.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "And seven days of the feast he shall prepare": This phrase underlines the prescribed nature of worship and the prince's integral role in facilitating the holy calendar. It emphasizes obedience to divine directives.
• "a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days": This section showcases the lavishness, perfection, and persistence required in offering burnt offerings. The combined elements highlight the total devotion and the great value placed on general atonement in this future worship system. It contrasts sharply with casual or minimalist approaches to worship.
• "and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering": This indicates the constant awareness of human sin and the necessity of ongoing purification. Even in an idealized state, the need for atonement for specific transgressions and ceremonial defilement is present, illustrating that true worship requires facing and dealing with sin.

Ezekiel 45 23 Bonus section

The existence of daily sacrifices for sin in Ezekiel's temple vision during what many consider the Millennial reign poses an interpretive challenge concerning the finality of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice (Heb 9:28, 10:10-14). Some scholarly interpretations suggest these sacrifices would be memorial in nature, akin to Communion in the New Testament, looking back at Christ's accomplished work rather than providing propitiation. Others propose they are didactic, serving to educate future generations or gentile nations about the gravity of sin and the necessity of blood atonement. A third view suggests the "sin offering" may be primarily for ceremonial defilement rather than moral guilt, allowing access to God's presence, rather than needing to atone for true moral sins again. The numbers and types of animals prescribed in Ezekiel often differ from those in the Pentateuch, suggesting this is a unique prophetic vision with its own theological emphasis on restoration and God's renewed dwelling among His people in a perfect earthly setting.

Ezekiel 45 23 Commentary

Ezekiel 45:23 describes the significant daily offerings for the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Ezekiel’s vision of a future temple. This verse, with its precise instructions for the prince, points to an elevated and rigorous system of worship, differing in some specifics from the Mosaic Law. The lavish and daily provision of seven unblemished bullocks and rams as a burnt offering signifies a comprehensive, complete, and unceasing dedication to the Lord. These burnt offerings symbolize total consecration and general atonement. Concurrently, the daily kid of the goats for a sin offering underscores the persistent need for specific purification from sin and ritual impurity, even within a restored, righteous community. The unblemished animals prefigure Christ, the perfect sacrifice (1 Pet 1:19), and while some view these future sacrifices as commemorative or didactic, they deeply rooted in the principle that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22). The "Prince" is tasked with providing these, emphasizing his role in leading the people in covenant faithfulness and sustaining pure worship. This entire structure underscores the sanctity of God and the seriousness of sin, preparing the heart for the true, ultimate sacrifice of Christ that renders these literal daily sacrifices spiritually complete.