Ezekiel 43:18-27

2. The dedication of the altar (43:18-27)

TRANSLATION

(18) And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. (19) You shall give to the priests the Levites that are of the seed of Zadok who are near unto Me, to minister unto Me, (oracle of the Lord GOD), a young bullock for a sin-offering. (20) And you shall take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the ledge, and upon the border round about: and thus shall you cleanse it and make atonement for it. (21) You shall also take the bullock of the sin-offering, and it shall be burnt in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. (22) And on the second day you shall offer a he-goat without blemish for a sin-offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock. (23) When you have made an end of cleansing it, you shall offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish. (24) And you shall bring them near before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt-offering unto the LORD. (25) Seven days you shall 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. (26) Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they consecrate it. (27) And when they have accomplished the days it shall be that upon the eighth day, and forward, the priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you, (oracle of the Lord GOD).

COMMENTS

In the Old Testament worship system the altar was used two ways: (1) burnt offerings were offered on it; and (2) blood was smeared on it (Ezekiel 43:18). The altar would need to be consecrated in order to make it suitable for these two important functions.

Ezekiel is told to assign the various consecration functions to the Levitical priests[513] who were descendants of Zadok.[514] Non-Zadokites were debarred from priestly ministry for reasons which will be stated in the following chapter (Ezekiel 44:10).

[513] All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests.
[514] Zadok was the first high priest in Solomon's Temple.

On the first day of the dedicatory rites, Ezekiel was to give to the Zadokites a bullock to be used as a sin-offering (Ezekiel 43:19). The blood of that sacrificial beast was to be smeared on the four horns and also on the four corners of the (greater) ledge and the rim or border which surrounded the greater ledge. This shed blood would cleanse the altar and make atonement for it (Ezekiel 43:20). The remainder of the sacrificial bullock was to be burned in another, unspecified spot within the wall of the Temple mount (Ezekiel 43:21).

A he-goat was to be sacrificed on the second day of the dedicatory rites. The blood of the he-goat was to be sprinkled on the altar in the same manner as was done with the blood of the bullock. Thus the altar would be purified a second time (Ezekiel 43:22). Whole burnt offerings of a bullock and a ram were then to be offered on the purified altar. The whole burnt offering symbolized complete consecration in the Mosaic dispensation. Salt was to be sprinkled upon these burned offerings[515] by the priests (Ezekiel 43:23). This preservative may symbolize the everlasting covenant between God and His people.[516] These three sacrifices the goat, bullock and ram were to be repeated six more times during the dedicatory week (Ezekiel 43:25). By this means the new altar would be set apart for its sacred function[517] (Ezekiel 43:26). After these rites have been performed then the regular sacrificial service could begin. Burnt-offerings and peace-offerings[518] had as their primary aim acceptance by God. The devout and obedient worshipers of the new Temple era would find that acceptance with God (Ezekiel 43:27).

[515] Cf. Leviticus 2:13; Mark 9:49.

[516] Fisch, SBB, p. 300,

[517] The altar of the Tabernacle was consecrated by anointing (Exodus 30:28; Exodus 40:10) as well as with sacrificial blood (Leviticus 8:14 ff). The altar in Solomon's Temple was consecrated by a seven day feast of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings (2 Chronicles 7:19).

[518] The peace-offering symbolized fellowship with God.