John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 44

Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward
sanctuary
The prophet was brought by his divine guide, from the altar of burnt offerings, which stood before the house, where he has given him the dimensions of it, and the ordinances concerning it, to the temple or holy place, called the outward sanctuary, in distinction from the inward sanctuary, or holy of holies; and to one of the gates of it, which was a gate of the inner court:

and which looks toward the east: the eastern gate, and was the same he had been at before, and therefore is said to be brought back the way of it; see (Ezekiel 43:1) : and it was shut ; when he was there before, it was open; for he saw the glory of the Lord enter into the house by the way of it; but now it was shut, and for that reason, because he had entered into it; signifying, among other things, that he would never return, or remove from thence any more.

The Misnic doctors ^F4 interpret this of one of the little doors to the great gate of the temple, that had two little doors, one in the north, the other in the south; that which was in the south no man ever entered in by, and this they say is understood here; but it is not a little door, but a gate here spoken of, and that the eastern one;

of which more in the following verses.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Misna Middot, c. 4. sect. 2.

Then said the Lord unto me, this gate shall be shut In time to come, as Jarchi interprets it, in the latter day; it was shut, and it should continue to be shut: it shall not be opened any more; though it has been, yet hereafter no more: and no man shall enter in by it, into the house of the Lord, because the Lord the God of Israel has entered in by it; the same with the glory of the God of Israel, (Ezekiel 43:2Ezekiel 43:4Ezekiel 43:5): therefore it shall be shut; no one being to enter after him.

Various are the sentiments of expositors concerning this gate. Some of the ancients have interpreted it of the Virgin Mary, by whom Christ came into this world in human nature, being born of her, a virgin, who had never known man, and as is thought never did after the birth of Christ; nor were any afterwards born of her; no man might come into the world by her, by that self-same way the incarnate God did, and for that reason. This sense is approved of, not only by Papists, but by many Protestant writers.

Others understand it of the Scriptures, the word of God, which as it is a sealed book to men learned and unlearned, so a gate shut up; it cannot be opened by a mere natural man, or be understood by the light of nature; none can open it but the Lion of the tribe of Judah; who gives the spiritual knowledge of it to whom he pleases, the perfect knowledge of which is reserved to a future state; and there are some things in it which will be always shut, and ever secrets; as the modus of the subsistence of the three Persons in the Godhead; the generation of the Son, the procession of the Spirit, and the union of the two natures in Christ; see (Isaiah 29:11Isaiah 29:12) (Revelation 5:1–5) (John 3:13).

Others think that the gate of heaven, or the way to eternal glory and happiness, is meant; which was shut by the sin of man, and could never be opened again by any mere man; but Christ by his blood has opened the way into it; and has entered into it, not as a private, but public person, representing all his people; and none but those that belong to him, that are members of him, shall enter there; as none but Christ personal, so none but Christ mystical.

But I am rather of opinion, since this whole fabric, as we have seen, is an emblem of the church of Christ on earth in the latter day, the way into that is designed here; and its being shut signifies, that, as the church is a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, and is only for the use of Christ, and should be a chaste virgin to him, he should have all her heart, affection, and faith; so it should not be pervious unto others; no natural or unregenerate man should enter into it; and when the Lord shall have taken up his residence in the church in the latter day, in a more spiritual and glorious manner than ever, there shall no more come into her the uncircumcised and the unclean, (Isaiah 52:1), and especially in the New Jerusalem state nothing shall enter that defiles, or makes an abomination, or a lie, (Revelation 21:27) none but those that are Christ's, that are true members of his, and one with him.

And this sense agrees with what follows in this chapter, and receives light and confirmation thereby; in which the Lord complains of the Israel and church of God in these its present declining times, that unregenerate persons were admitted into the sanctuary of the Lord, to communicate with the saints, and officiate there, (Ezekiel 44:7–9) and commends such who are faithful ministers and members, who are established therein, (Ezekiel 44:15Ezekiel 44:16).

It is for the prince: the prince shall sit in it to eat bread
before the Lord
Or, "as for the prince, the prince shall sit in it" ^F5 ; in the gate which is shut to others: not the high priest, as Jarchi, though he might have a particular seat in the temple, as Eli had in the tabernacle, (1 Samuel 1:9) , where he might eat the bread and flesh of holy things: nor the political prince, the king of Israel, though he might have a place in the temple peculiar to himself; see (2 Chronicles 6:12 2 Chronicles 6:13) (23:13) (2 Chronicles 24:31) , and the Jews say only the kings of the house of David were allowed to sit in the sanctuary: but the King Messiah, as Kimchi and Ben Melech rightly interpret it, is here meant; who before, in this prophecy, is called David a Prince, (Ezekiel 34:24) (37:25) , he who is the Prince of peace; Michael the great Prince; the Prince of life, and the Prince of the kings of the earth; the Messiah the Prince.

Such who interpret the gate of the gate of heaven understand this of Christ's sitting down there at his Father's right hand, on the same throne with him, having done his work, and being at ease, and in honour; and of his enjoyment of glory there, as the heavenly glory is sometimes signified by a feast, by sitting down at a table, and eating bread in the kingdom of God, (Matthew 8:11) (Luke 14:15) (22:30) , and so it may intend his being in the presence of God with the utmost delight and joy; having that glory he had with him before the world was, and all power in heaven and in earth; dispensing gifts and grace to men, and receiving honour and glory from them, and seeing the travail of his soul with satisfaction: but why may it not be understood, more consistent with the scope of the vision, of his sitting in his church, at his table there with his saints, eating with them, and they with him, in his word and ordinances before the Lord? see (Song of Solomon 1:12) (4:16) (5:1) (Revelation 3:20) ,

he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out
by the way of the same ;
which some explain of Christ's ascension to heaven, and descent from thence in the same way; he went up to heaven in the eastern part of the world, from the mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem; and in like manner shall he descend, and his feet shall stand on that mount, (Acts 1:11Acts 1:12) (Zechariah 14:4) , but it may be interpreted of his going in and out of his church at his will and pleasure; and affording his gracious presence and fellowship with himself in his house and ordinances,

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: (wb bvy awh ayvn ayvnh ta) "veruntamen ad principem quod attinet, princeps ipse inquam" Piscator; "quantum ad principem"; "princeps sedebit in ea", Noldius, Ebr. Part. Concord. p. 120.

Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house, &c.] The north gate of the inward court, where he was brought from the east gate, which was shut: this, and what follow, may have some respect to the churches in these our northern parts of the world, in their now declining circumstances, which are aptly represented in some following verses; but will after this be filled with the glory of the Lord, as follows: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; as he had seen at the eastern gate, (Ezekiel 43:2Ezekiel 43:4Ezekiel 43:5): and I fell upon my face; as he had done before, under a sense of the greatness and glory of the divine Majesty, and of his own vileness and unworthiness; see (Ezekiel 43:3).

And the Lord said to me, son of man
This is still the voice of the Lord speaking out of the house to the prophet, (Ezekiel 43:6): mark well; or, "set your heart" ^F6; be attentive to what is about to be said, as being of great concern and importance: and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say
to you;
heart, eyes, and ears, are all to be employed in the most diligent manner in regarding the things hereafter delivered; the same expressions exciting attention were used at the first of this vision, (Ezekiel 40:4):

concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the laws thereof; (See Gill on Ezekiel 43:11), mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the
sanctuary;
the way of entrance into the Gospel church, and the manner of exclusion from it, and the laws and rules concerning these; the prophet is bid particularly to observe these well, because it was in these things God's professing people chiefly offended, as appears by what follows; they were not so careful as they should have been in the admission of persons among them, or in the exclusion of delinquents.

FOOTNOTES:

• F6: (Kbl Myv) "pone cor tuum", V. L. Vatablus, Paguinus, Montanus; "pone ad cor tuum", Starckius.