Ez 46:1-15

Back to Ezekiel~

Back to Contents

Offerings and festivals (Eze 45:13-46:15)

All the people had a part in providing the offerings for national religious festivals. The offerings were collected by the king, who then offered them in sacrifice on behalf of his people (Eze 45:13-17).

At the beginning and end of the first week of the new year, sacrifices were offered for the cleansing of the temple (Eze 45:18-20).

The two main annual festivals to be celebrated at the temple were the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread at the beginning of the year (Eze 45:21-24; cf. Lev 23:4-8), and the Feast of Tabernacles (GNB: Festival of Shelters) half way through the year (Eze 45:25; cf. Lev 23:34-36).

The east gate leading from the outer court to the inner court was closed every day except the weekly Sabbath and the monthly day of the new moon, when the king presented sacrifices on behalf of the nation. On these days the king, and he alone, could enter the vestibule of the gate and watch the priests carry out the sacrificial rituals inside, but he could not pass through the gate (Eze 446:1-2; see also Eze 45:8.

Only priests and Levites were allowed into the inner court). The people were to gather in the outer court in front of the gate (Eze 45:3).

The weekly and monthly sacrifices were to be according to the laws laid down (Eze 45:4-8).

Certain rules aimed at maintaining order when people crowded the outer court during the annual festivals. Upon entering the gate, people were to keep moving in one direction and exit through the gate on the opposite side (Eze 45:9-10).

If the king offered a voluntary offering, he could watch the ritual connected with it by standing in the east gate as mentioned previously (Eze 45:11-12).

In addition to the nation’s weekly, monthly and annual sacrifices, there was a daily sacrifice (Eze 45:13-15).