Ezekiel 46: Worship at the Open Gate
God appoints the prince's offerings and the people's worship at the Sabbath and new moon, with continual offerings and rules for inheritance.
Ezekiel 46 (WEB)
1 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2 The prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate outside, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
3 The people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Yahweh on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
4 The burnt offering that the prince shall offer to Yahweh shall be on the Sabbath day six lambs without defect and a ram without defect;
5 and the meal offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
6 On the day of the new moon it shall be a young bull without defect, and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without defect:
7 and he shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for the bull, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
8 When the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go out by its way.
9 But when the people of the land shall come before Yahweh in the appointed feasts, he who enters by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he who enters by the way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate by which he came in, but shall go out straight before him.
10 The prince, when they go in, shall go in with of them; and when they go out, he shall go out.
11 In the feasts and in the solemnities the meal offering shall be an ephah for a bull, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
12 When the prince shall prepare a freewill offering, a burnt offering or peace offerings as a freewill offering to Yahweh, one shall open for him the gate that looks toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he does on the Sabbath day: then he shall go out; and after his going out one shall shut the gate.
13 You shall prepare a lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering to Yahweh daily: morning by morning you shall prepare it.
14 You shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal offering to Yahweh continually by a perpetual ordinance.
15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering.
16 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.
17 But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.
18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people not be scattered every man from his possession.
19 Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy rooms for the priests, which looked toward the north: and behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward.
20 He said to me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the meal offering; that they not bring them out into the outer court, to sanctify the people.
21 Then he brought me out into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
22 In the four corners of the court there were courts enclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four in the corners were of one measure.
23 There was a wall around in them, around the four, and boiling places were made under the walls all around.
24 Then he said to me, These are the boiling houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Ezekiel 46 (KJV)
1 Thus saith the Lord God; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
4 And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lord in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
5 And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.
7 And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
8 And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
9 But when the people of the land shall come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.
10 And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.
11 And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
12 Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
13 Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.
14 And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the Lord.
15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering.
16 Thus saith the Lord God; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons’; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
17 But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons’ for them.
18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
19 After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
20 Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
21 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
22 In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.
23 And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.
24 Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Ezekiel 46 (ASV)
1 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
3 And the people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Jehovah on the sabbaths and on the new moons.
4 And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto Jehovah shall be on the sabbath day six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish;
5 and the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
6 And on the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish:
7 and he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
8 And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
9 But when the people of the land shall come before Jehovah in the appointed feasts, he that entereth by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth straight before him.
10 And the prince, when they go in, shall go in in the midst of them; and when they go forth, they shall go forth together.
11 And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meal-offering shall be an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
12 And when the prince shall prepare a freewill-offering, a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a freewill-offering unto Jehovah, one shall open for him the gate that looketh toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he doth on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
13 And thou shalt prepare a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah daily: morning by morning shalt thou prepare it.
14 And thou shalt prepare a meal-offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal-offering unto Jehovah continually by a perpetual ordinance.
15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt-offering.
16 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.
17 But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.
18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
19 Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward.
20 And he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, and where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they bring them not forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people.
21 Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
22 In the four corners of the court there were courts inclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four in the corners were of one measure.
23 And there was a wall round about in them, round about the four, and boiling-places were made under the walls round about.
24 Then said he unto me, These are the boiling-houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Summary
God gives ordinances for worship at the inner east gate, which stays shut on the six working days but is opened on the Sabbath and the new moon. On those days the prince enters by the porch of the gate, stands by its post while the priests prepare his burnt and peace offerings, and worships at the threshold before going out, while the gate stays open until evening. The people of the land worship at the door of that gate on Sabbaths and new moons. God specifies the lambs, ram, and bull and the grain offerings of flour and oil for each occasion. When the prince enters with the people he goes in and out with them, and at the appointed feasts whoever enters by the north gate must go out by the south, and the reverse, never turning back the way they came, but going straight ahead. A continual daily burnt offering is appointed, a year-old lamb every morning with its grain and oil, a perpetual ordinance. God also regulates the prince's gifts of inheritance, so that he gives from his own possession and does not seize the people's land. Finally the guide shows Ezekiel the kitchens where the priests boil the offerings and where the ministers boil the people's sacrifices, keeping the holy from spilling carelessly into the outer court. Orderly, regular, joyful worship is woven into the rhythm of the people's days and seasons.
Key Figures
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who appoints the times, gates, and offerings of worship, weaving regular devotion into Sabbaths, new moons, and daily life.
- The prince — The leader who worships at the open gate on Sabbath and new moon, provides the offerings, and gives inheritance from his own possession.
- The people of the land — The worshipers who gather at the gate on appointed days and pass through in orderly procession, going straight ahead and not turning back.
- The priests and ministers — Those who prepare the prince’s offerings and boil the sacrifices in the appointed kitchens, guarding the holy from the common.
Key Verse
Ezekiel 46:9 (WEB)
But when the people of the land shall come before Yahweh in the appointed feasts, he who enters by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he who enters by the way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate by which he came in, but shall go out straight before him.
Lessons Learned
- God builds worship into the rhythm of his people's weeks and months, on Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts.
- The prince leads by worshiping among the people, going in and out with them rather than above them.
- The daily burnt offering, morning by morning, pictures steady, continual devotion to God.
- Worship is to be orderly and reverent, with even the cooking of offerings carefully arranged.
- God appoints rhythms of worship. The gate opens “on the Sabbath day…and on the day of the new moon” (Ezekiel 46:1, WEB); regular, appointed worship shapes the life of God’s people.
- Leaders worship among the people. The prince, “when they go in, shall go in with of them; and when they go out, he shall go out” (Ezekiel 46:10, WEB), leading by sharing in worship rather than standing apart.
- Devotion is to be continual. “morning by morning you shall prepare it” (Ezekiel 46:13, WEB); the daily offering teaches steady, faithful devotion rather than fitful religion.
- Worship moves us forward. Worshipers go out “straight before him” (Ezekiel 46:9, WEB), not back the way they came; meeting God sends us onward changed, not back to where we began.
- Why does God tie worship to the rhythms of Sabbath, new moon, and feast (46:1-3)?
- The prince goes in and out with the people (46:10). What kind of leadership does this picture?
- A lamb is offered “morning by morning” as a continual offering (46:13). What does this daily rhythm teach about devotion to God?
- Worshipers must go out by a different gate, “straight before him,” and not turn back (46:9). What might this picture about how meeting God changes us?
- How might building regular, daily rhythms of worship strengthen your own walk with God?
- Tying worship to set times keeps God at the center of the calendar and forms habits of devotion. Help the group see that appointed rhythms guard us from drifting and keep meeting with God woven into ordinary life.
- By worshiping among the people rather than above them, the prince models humble, participatory leadership. Encourage reflection on leaders who lead by joining in worship and obedience rather than standing aloof.
- The morning-by-morning offering pictures faithfulness that is steady and renewed daily, not sporadic. Invite the group to value the quiet consistency of daily devotion over occasional bursts of zeal.
- Leaving by another gate suggests that an encounter with God sends us out transformed, facing forward, not circling back to our old way. Worship is meant to move us onward in obedience.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider one regular rhythm—morning prayer, weekly gathering—they could establish or renew. As leader, keep the focus on grace-shaped habits, not legalism.