Other ordinances for the prince and for the sacrifices.
A prescription at which gate, and what sacrifices shal be offered for the prince, euerie sabbath, and first day of the moneth. 16. The prince may geue perpetual inheritance to his sonnes, but to his seruantes only til the yeare of Iubiley. 19. with description of the places, where sacrifices shal be prepared.
1Thus saith the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east, shall be shut the six days, on which work is done; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened, yea and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: La porta dell'atrio interiore, che guarda a levante, sarà chiusa pei sei giorni lavorativi: il sabato poi sarà aperta, ed aprirassi anche ne' giorni delle calende.THVS saith our Lord God: The gate of the inner court, which looketh to the East, shal be shut the six dayes, in which worke is done: but in the Sabbath day it shal be opened yea and in the day of the Calends it shal be opened.Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Porta atrii interioris quæ respicit ad orientem, erit clausa sex diebus in quibus opus fit: die autem sabbati aperietur, sed et in die calendarum aperietur. 2And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate from without, and he shall stand at the threshold of the gate: and the priests shall offer his holocaust, and his peace offerings: and he shall adore upon the threshold of the gate, and shall go out: but the gate shall not be shut till the evening.Ed entrerà il principe pel vestibolo della porta di fuori, e si fermerà sul liminare della porta, e i sacerdoti offeriranno per lui l'olocausto, e i sagrifizj di pace. Egli farà sua adorazione sul liminar della porta, e se n'andrà: e la porta non si chiuderà sino alla sera.And the prince shal enter in by the way of the entrie of the gate from without, and he shal stand in the threshold of the gate: and the priests shal make his holocaust, and his pacifiques: and he shal adore vpon the threshold of the gate, and shal goe out: but the gate shal not be shut til euening.Et intrabit princeps per viam vestibuli portæ deforis, et stabit in limine portæ: et facient sacerdotes holocaustum ejus, et pacifica ejus: et adorabit super limen portæ, et egredietur: porta autem non claudetur usque ad vesperam. 3And the people of the land shall adore at the door of that gate before the Lord on the sabbaths, and on the new moons.E il popolo farà adorazione alla soglia di quella porta i sabati, e le calende dinanzi al Signore.And the people of the land shal adore at the doore of that gate in the Sabbaths, and in the Calends before our Lord.Et adorabit populus terræ ad ostium portæ illius in sabbatis et in calendis coram Domino. 4And the holocaust that the prince shall offer to the Lord on the sabbath day, shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.E questo è l'olocausto, che il principe offerirà al Signore: il giorno di sabato sei agnelli senza macchia, e un ariete senza macchia.And this holocaust shal the prince offer to our Lord: in the Sabbath day six lambes vnspotted, and a ramme vnspotted.Holocaustum autem hoc offeret princeps Domino: in die sabbati, sex agnos immaculatos, et arietem immaculatum,
5And the sacrifice of an ephi for a ram: but for the lambs what sacrifice his hand shall allow: and a hin of oil for every ephi.E l'offerta di un ephi (di farina) coll'ariete, e cogli agnelli ne dia quanto a lui pare, e un hin di olio per ogni ephi.And sacrifice an ephi for a ramme: but in the lambes the sacrifice that his hand shal geue: and of oyle an hin for euerie ephi.et sacrificium ephi per arietem, in agnis autem sacrificium quod dederit manus ejus, et olei hin per singula ephi. 6And on the day of the new moon a calf of the herd without blemish: and the six lambs, and the rams shall be without blemish.Il dì poi delle calende, un vitella d'armento, che sia senza macchia, sei agnelli, e sei arieti senza macchia.And in the day of the Calends a calfe of the heard vnspotted: and the six lambes, and the rammes shal be vnspotted.In die autem calendarum vitulum de armento immaculatum, et sex agni et arietes immaculati erunt. 7And he shall offer in sacrifice an ephi for a calf, an ephi also for a ram: but for the lambs, as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil for every ephi.È un ephi (di farina) per ogni vitello; e un ephi pure offerirà per ogni ariete: quanto poi agli agnelli, darà quello, che gli parrà, e un hin d'olio per ogni ephi.And an ephi for a calfe, an ephi also for a ramme shal he make sacrifice: but the lambs, as his hand shal finde: and of oyle an hin, for euerie ephi.Et ephi per vitulum, ephi quoque per arietem faciet sacrificium: de agnis autem sicut invenerit manus ejus, et olei hin per singula ephi. 8And when the prince is to go in, let him go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and let him go out the same way.Ogni volta che il principe dee entrare, entri per la strada del vestibolo della porta (d'oriente), e ne esca per la medesima via.And when the prince is to goe in, let him goe in by the way of the entrie of the gate, and by the same way let him goe out.Cumque ingressurus est princeps, per viam vestibuli portæ ingrediatur, et per eamdem viam exeat. 9But when the people of the land shall go in before the Lord in the solemn feasts, he that goeth in by the north gate to adore, shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that goeth in 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 whereby he came in, but shall go out at that over against it.E quando il popolo della terra entrerà al cospetto del Signore nelle solennità, chi entra ad adorare per la porta settentrionale, esca per la porta di mezzodì; chi poi entra per la porta di mezzodì, esca per la porta settentrionale: non uscirà alcuno per la porta, per cui è entrato, ma per quella, che le sta dirimpetto.And when the people of the land shal enter in the sight of our Lord in the solemnities: he that goeth in by the North gate to adore, let him goe out by the way of the South gate: moreouer he that goeth in by the way of the South gate, let him goe out by the way of the North gate: he shal not returne by the way of the gate, wherby he entered, but at that ouer against it he shal goe out.Et cum intrabit populus terræ in conspectu Domini in solemnitatibus, qui ingreditur per portam aquilonis ut adoret, egrediatur per viam portæ meridianæ: porro qui ingreditur per viam portæ meridianæ, egrediatur per viam portæ aquilonis. Non revertetur per viam portæ per quam ingressus est, sed e regione illius egredietur.
10And the prince in the midst of them, shall go in when they go in, and go out when they go out.E il principe in mezzo di essi entrerà con quei che entrano, e uscirà con quegli, che escono.And the prince in the middes of them with the goers in shal goe in, and with the goers out shal goe out.Princeps autem in medio eorum cum ingredientibus indredietur, et cum egredientibus egredietur. 11And in the fairs, and in the solemnities there shall be the sacrifice of an ephi to a calf, and an ephi to a ram: and to the lambs, the sacrifice shall be as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil to every ephi.E nelle fiere, e nelle solennità si offerirà un ephi di farina per un vitello, e un ephi per un ariete: cogli agnelli poi uno darà quello, che gli parrà, e un hin di olio per ogni ephi.And in the fayres, and in the solemnities there shal be sacrifice an ephi for a calfe, and an ephi for a ramme: but of the lambes, there shal be sacrifice as his hand shal finde: and of oyle an hin for euerie ephi.Et in nundinis, et in solemnitatibus, erit sacrificium ephi per vitulum, et ephi per arietem: agnis autem erit sacrificium sicut invenerit manus ejus, et olei hin per singula ephi. 12But when the prince shall offer a voluntary holocaust, or voluntary peace offering to the Lord: the gate that looketh towards the east shall be opened to him, and he shall offer his holocaust, and his peace offerings, as it is wont to be done on the sabbath day: and he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he is gone forth.Quando poi il principe offerirà olocausto volontario, o volontario sagrifizio di pace al Signore, se gli aprirà la porta, che guarda a levante, e offerirà il suo olocausto, e il sacrifizio di pace, come suol farsi nel giorno di sabato, e se n'andrà, e, uscito lui, la porta si chiuderà.But when the prince shal make a voluntarie holocaust, or voluntarie pacifiques to our Lord: to him the gate shal be opened, that looketh to the East, and he shal make his holocaust, & his pacifiques, as it is wont to be done in the Sabbath day: and he shal goe out, & the gate shal be shut after that he is gone forth.Cum autem fecerit princeps spontaneum holocaustum, aut pacifica voluntaria Domino, aperietur ei porta quæ respicit ad orientem, et faciet holocaustum suum et pacifica sua, sicut fieri solet in die sabbati: et egredietur, claudeturque porta postquam exierit. 13And he shall offer every day for a holocaust to the Lord, a lamb of the same year without blemish: he shall offer it always in the morning.Egli offerirà ancora ogni giorno in olocausto al Signore un agnello dell'anno: lo offerirà sempre la mattina.And a lambe of the same yeare vnspotted, shal he make for holocaust dayly to our Lord: alwayes in the morning shal he make it.Et agnum ejusdem anni immaculatum faciet holocaustum quotidie Domino: semper mane faciet illud.
14And he shall offer the sacrifice for it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephi: and the third part of a hin of oil to be mingled with the fine flour: a sacrifice to the Lord by ordinance continual and everlasting.E darà con questo mattina per mattina la sesta parte d'un ephi (di farina), e di olio la terza parte d'un hin per essere mescolato colla farina: sagrifizio al Signore legittimo, perpetuo, d'ogni giorno.And he shal make sacrifice vpon it morning by morning the sixt part of an ephi: and of oyle the third part of an hin, that it may be mingled with the floure: a sacrifice to our Lord by ordinance, continual and euerlasting.Et faciet sacrificium super eo cata mane mane sextam partem ephi, et de oleo tertiam partem hin, ut misceatur similæ: sacrificium Domino legitimum, juge atque perpetuum. 15He shall offer the lamb, and the sacrifice, and the oil morning by morning: an everlasting holocaust.Offerirà l'agnello, e la farina, e l'olio ogni giorno: olocausto sempiterno.He shal make the lambe, & the sacrifice, and the oyle morning by morning: an euerlasting holocaust.Faciet agnum, et sacrificium, et oleum cata mane mane, holocaustum sempiternum. 16Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons: the inheritance of it shall go to his children, they shall possess it by inheritance.Queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Se il principe donerà qualche cosa ad alcuno de' suoi figliuoli, questa passerà in eredità di questo, e de' suoi figli, e la possederanno per gius ereditario.Thus saith our Lord God: If the prince shal geue a gift to anie of his sonnes: his inheritance shal be to his sonnes, they shal possesse it by inheritance.Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Si dederit princeps donum alicui de filiis suis, hæreditas ejus filiorum suorum erit: possidebunt eam hæreditarie. 17But if he give a legacy out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of release, and it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall go to his sons.Che se egli fa del suo un legato a uno de' suoi servi, questi ne sarà padrone fino all'anno del giubileo, e allora la cosa legata tornerà al principe, il dominio poi de' suoi beni sarà de' suoi figliuoli.But if he geue a legacie of his inheritance to one of his seruants, it shal be his vntil the yeare of remission, and it shal returne to the prince: and his inheritance shal be to his sonnes.Si autem dederit legatum de hæreditate sua uni servorum suorum, erit illius usque ad annum remissionis, et revertetur ad principem: hæreditas autem ejus filiis ejus erit.
18And the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by violence, nor of their possession: but out of his own possession he shall give an inheritance to his sons: that my people be not dispersed every man from his possession.Il principe non prenderà per forza alcuna cosa dell'eredità del Popolo, e di quello, che questi possiederà del suo un'eredità a' propri figliuoli, affinchè nissuno del mio popolo sia discacciato dalle sue possessioni.And the prince shal not take of the peoples inheritance by violence, and of their possession: & of his owne possession he shal geue the inheritance to his sonnes: that my people be not dispersed euerie one from his possession.Et non accipiet princeps de hæreditate populi per violentiam, et de possessione eorum: sed de possessione sua hæreditatem dabit filiis suis, ut non dispergatur populus meus unusquisque a possessione sua. 19And he brought me in by the entry that was at the side of the gate, into the chambers of the sanctuary that were for the priests, which looked toward the north. And there was a place bending to the west.E quegli per un ingresso, che era accanto alla porta, mi introdusse nelle camere del santuario, che spettano ai sacerdoti, e guardavano a settentrione, ed ivi era un luogo, che guardava a ponente.And he brought me in by the entrie, that was on the side of the gate, into the celles of the sanctuarie to the priests, which looked to the North. And there was a place bending to the West.Et introduxit me per ingressum qui erat ex latere portæ, in gazophylacia sanctuarii ad sacerdotes, quæ respiciebant ad aquilonem: et erat ibi locus vergens ad occidentem. 20And he said to me: This is the place where the priests shall boil the sin offering, and the trespass offering: where they shall dress the sacrifice, that they may not bring it out into the outward court, and the people be sanctified.Ed ei mi disse: Quest'è il luogo, dove i sacerdoti cuoceranno le vittime offerte per il peccato, e pel delitto, dove cuoceranno quel, che si sagrifica, affinché non le portino nell'atrio esteriore, e il popolo ne resti santificato.And he said to me: This is the place where the priests shal seeth that for sinne, and that for offence: where they shal dresse the sacrifice, that they bring it not out into the vtter court, and the people be sanctified.Et dixit ad me: Iste est locus ubi coquent sacerdotes pro peccato et pro delicto: ubi coquent sacrificium, ut non efferant in atrium exterius, et sanctificetur populus. 21And he brought me into the outward court, and he led me about by the four corners of the court: and behold there was a little court in the corner of the court, to every corner of the court there was a little court.E mi condusse fuori nell'atrio esteriore, e menommi ai quattro angoli dell'atrio; e vidi, che un piccol recinto era ad ogni angolo dell'atrio: un piccol portico ad ogni angolo dell'atrio.And he brought me into the vtter court, and he led me about by the foure corners of the court: and behold there was a litle court in the corner of the court, to euerie corner of the court a litle court.Et eduxit me in atrium exterius, et circumduxit me per quatuor angulos atrii: et ecce atriolum erat in angulo atrii, atriola singula per angulos atrii.
22In the four corners of the court were little courts disposed, forty cubits long, and thirty broad, all the four were of one measure.Questi piccoli portici eran disposti nei quattro angoli, in lunghezza di quaranta cubiti, e trenta in larghezza. La stessa misura aveva ognuno dei quattro.In the foure corners of the court were litle courts disposed, of fourtie cubits in length, and thirtie in bredth: the foure were of one measure.In quatuor angulis atrii atriola disposita, quadraginta cubitorum per longum, et triginta per latum: mensuræ unius quatuor erant. 23And there was a wall round about compassing the four little courts, and there were kitchens built under the rows round about.E v'era una muraglia, che cingeva intorno i quattro piccoli portici, e sotto i portici erano fabbricate cucine all'intorno.And a wal round about compassing the foure litle courts: and there were kichins builded vnder the porches round about.Et paries per circuitum ambiens quatuor atriola: et culinæ fabricatæ erant subter porticus per gyrum. 24And he said to me: This is the house of the kitchens wherein the ministers of the house of the Lord shall boil the victims of the people.E quegli mi disse: Questa è la casa delle cucine, nella quale i ministri della casa del Signore cuoceranno le vittime del popolo.And he said to me: This is the house of kichins wherin the ministers of the house of our Lord shal seeth the victimes of the people.Et dixit ad me: Hæc est domus culinarum, in qua coquent ministri domus Domini victimas populi.
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Worthington
Prince. After the captivity, although the race of David continued in Salathiel, Zorobabel, etc., yet they had not the state of kings. Hence Christians, R. David and other Jews, understand this of the Messias and the rites of his Church, with a literal allusion to the old law. (Worthington)
Without, not proceeding into the court of the priests, Ezechiel 44:2.
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Calmet
Calf. Moses orders two, and seven lambs, Numbers 28:11. (Calmet)
Haydock
The rams. Hebrew, "a ram. They shall," etc. (Haydock)
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Haydock
It, perhaps to avoid confusion, (Menochius) and turning the back on the temple, (Calmet) or to exercise their obedience. As many might enter by one gate as by another, and thus the concourse would not be diminished. (Haydock)
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Out. The prince went in and out by the same gate, (ver. 8.) and might order that on the east to be opened when he had to offer a voluntary sacrifice. In other respects he was like a simple Israelite, and was to attend the temple and use the same gates as the rest. Before, the kings had a gate on the west leading to their palace. But this was no longer to subsist, and the palace was to be far removed, Ezechiel 48:21.
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Calmet
Solemnities. Hebrew, "on feasts and on days of meeting." (Calmet)
Haydock
Sacrifice: mincha, ver. 7., and Ezechiel 45:24. (Haydock)
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Morning. That for the evening had the same ceremonies, Leviticus 6:9.
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Haydock
By. Cata seems to be taken (Calmet) from the Greek kata, "according to," or by, ver. 15. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Sons. If any portion of his land was made over to them, it still remained in the family; but if any other had a present of it, the land must revert to the royal family, agreeably to the law, Leviticus 25:10. (Calmet)
Worthington
This insinuates that works done by the true children of God, in the state of grace, merit an eternal reward, while moral good works performed in the state of sin, can only have a temporal one. (Worthington)
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Gate, on the north, Ezechiel 44:4.
Calmet
West. At this corner was the kitchen for victims, which could only be eaten in the inner court. If they had been brought into that without, the people would have become unclean; as it is equally wrong to touch holy or impure things when they are forbidden, Ezechiel 44:19. There were four other kitchens for the people who might choose to eat their peace-offerings, ver. 24. (Calmet)
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Calmet
Little. Hebrew, "courts joined;" (Protestants) or marginal note, "made with chimneys," (Haydock) or "smoked," as no chimneys were used. Septuagint, "little courts," as they have read differently. (Calmet)
Haydock
Vulgate unites both meanings. (Haydock)
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Haydock
Kitchens. Septuagint, "porticoes," or rather (Calmet) "boiling places;" (Protestants) and ver. 24. (Haydock)
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After the captiuitie albeit king Dauids progenie continued in Salathiel, Zorobabel and others, yet they had not the state of kinges or temporal princes; and therfore not only Christian Doctors, but also Rabbi Dauid & other Hebrewes vnderstand this prophecie of Christ the true Messias, and of the sacrifices & rites of his Church: the letter neuertheles alluding to the forme of the old lavv.
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Al vvorkes done by the true children of God, that is to say, done in the state of grace, do merite eternal reward.
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But other moral good vvorkes done in state of mortal sinne are only revvarded temporally in this vvorld, and not in life euerlasting.
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 1.28
Ezek. xlvi. 20 . The sacrifice of Ezekiel’s restored temple.
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1. THE GATE OF THE INNER COURT, — that is of the court of the priests. This is the closed gate, of which he spoke cap. XLIV, vers. 2 and 3. He commands here that it be opened for the prince on Sabbaths and Calends. Mystically St. Jerome: "On the six days," he says, "in which we labor in the world, the Eastern gate of the inner court is closed to us. But after we have come to the seventh day, that is to the day of the Sabbath, in which there is eternal rest: or to the day of the Calends, when after the blind night and horrible darkness the beginning of light is, the Eastern gate is opened to us: if any of us through the merits of virtues shall have obtained the name and dignity of a leader, through the way of the vestibule of the outer gate, that is the labors of this world and the gate of the Church, which is still placed in earthly bounds, he shall enter, not the inner court (for this is written in the present place), but to the threshold of the inner gate, and shall stand in it."
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2. THE PRINCE SHALL ENTER BY THE WAY OF THE VESTIBULE OF THE GATE (that is, the outer gate, as the Chaldean and Zurich versions translate it, which was namely in the court of the laity): AND HE SHALL STAND IN THE THRESHOLD OF THE GATE,—the inner gate, says St. Jerome, which was namely in the court of the priests, that is to say, the prince shall enter by the gate of the court of the laity, and shall proceed as far as the gate of the court of the priests, so that from there he may behold the sacrifices which he offers through the priests in their court. For just as no layman, so neither could the prince enter the court of the priests, but only the priests themselves: yet the prince approached near to it, and so stood in the gate of the court of the priests, and there had a royal seat, in which he might sit if he wished, or stand near it, if he preferred: for "shall stand" signifies presence and position, not the quality of posture: he shall stand therefore, that is, he shall remain and dwell in that place, whether standing, or sitting, or kneeling. Adrichomius graphically represents this seat of the king near the court of the priests in the image of Jerusalem and the temple, no. 95. In a similar manner, Christian kings of old were prohibited from entering the choir of the priests, and were compelled to stand before the choir in the temple with the people, as St. Ambrose compelled Theodosius to stand. The Greeks still observe the same practice, who have the choir in which they celebrate Mass enclosed on all sides, and accessible to none except the priest and his ministers. Let princes learn here from the ordinance of God how much modesty they ought to display in the temple, and how much they ought to venerate the priests, as it were the ministers of God. AND THE GATE SHALL NOT BE SHUT UNTIL THE EVENING.—St. Jerome gives the reason: "So that after the prince, all the people of the land may worship at the entrance of that gate; and they worship on the Sabbaths and on the Calends, when the gate is opened." AND THEY SHALL MAKE,—that is, they shall offer, they shall sacrifice.
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3. AND THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND SHALL WORSHIP AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE GATE,—namely outside after the prince: for the prince stood and worshipped in the very threshold of the gate.
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5. AND THE SACRIFICE.—In Hebrew, mincha, that is, a sacrifice, or a libation of fine flour shall be the measure of an ephah. AND AS FOR THE SACRIFICE WHICH HE SHALL GIVE WITH HIS HAND IN THE LAMBS,—that is to say, I do not prescribe the libation and measure of fine flour for the lambs which the prince shall immolate: let him give as much as he wishes; yet so that he add and mix one hin of oil for each ephah of fine flour which he wishes to give. For in all animal victims there were to be added fine flour, oil, salt and frankincense, as it were libations and seasonings of the sacrifice, as I have said often in Leviticus. ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF A COR SHALL BE THE EQUAL DIVISION,—that is, an equal division by weight and accommodation to the cor, that is to say, both shall be required according to the measure of a cor, namely so that the ephah and the bath shall be a tenth part of a cor. Thus Vatablus.
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6. A CALF FROM THE HERD.—In Hebrew בן בקר ben bacar, that is, a son of cattle, or of a cow, that is, a young and tender calf, which still follows its mother, namely a cow.
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7. AND AN EPHAH (OF FLOUR) FOR THE RAM HE SHALL MAKE A SACRIFICE.—In Hebrew, mincha, that is to say, for each ram he shall offer an ephah of fine flour as a mincha, that is, a sacrifice, or a farinaceous libation. Throughout this passage, as also in Leviticus II, the sacrifice; the Hebrew mincha, is called an oblation and libation of flour. AS HIS HAND SHALL FIND,—as much as he shall be able to give and shall wish to give. See what is said at verse 5.
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8. AND WHEN THE PRINCE SHALL ENTER, BY THE WAY OF THE VESTIBULE OF THE GATE — The Eastern gate, as he said in verse 2. Two things are here ordained, and a twofold distinction is established between the prince and the people. First, that the prince alone shall enter through the Eastern gate, and that gate being otherwise closed, shall be opened for him entering, and shall be closed after he has gone out in the evening: but the people shall enter and go out through the Southern and Northern gates, as is said in the following verse. Second, that the prince shall enter and go out through the same gate: but the people, having entered through one, shall go out through another and opposite one, as is ordained in verse 10. Thus St. Jerome, Vilalpando, Maldonatus and others. THEY SHALL GIVE THE LAND. — That is to say, they shall distribute the remaining land of the people. They think it was as great as was the portion of the priests and Levites: but the Hebrews, whom St. Jerome favors, think that the third portion of the laity was divided into thirteen equal parts; from which one went to the prince, and the remaining twelve were distributed to as many tribes of Israel. Hence Vilalpando rightly infers, page 396, at the end, that it was permitted to the priests serving at the altar and in the temple by much greater right what was permitted to the prince. For from the priests greater holiness, wisdom, observance of divine worship, and religion was required than from a secular prince, to whom it was given as a privilege of the greatest kind, that he should enter up to the inner threshold (or post) to adore, but was altogether prohibited from going further: the violation of which law King Ozias paid for with the most severe penalties, being struck with leprosy by God, II Paralipomenon XXVI, verses 16 and 19. The moral reason was, that it might be signified that the prince, equally as the priests, ought to follow another way, that is, a life and morals, than the people, namely peculiar and holier ones. Otherwise Rabbi Solomon, Rabbi David, and the Hebrews: for they think that here a law is established only concerning the Sabbaths and Calends, namely that on these feasts both the prince and the people should enter through one gate and go out through another: and they think this is ordained in verses 9 and 10. But the former opinion is the truer one.
46:9
9. WHEN THE PEOPLE SHALL ENTER. — It is here ordained that the people, entering through a gate, not the Eastern, but the Southern one, shall go out through the Northern; but entering through the Northern gate, shall go out through the opposite one, namely the Southern. The Hebrews give this reason: lest, when the prayer which was made in the middle of the Eastern court before the Lord was finished, he who was adoring should turn against the temple, returning to the same gate, and thus turn his back to the temple: which would have been rustic and uncivil. But the turning was equal, namely lateral, whether one went out through the same or through a different gate; and he turned his back, or rather his side, equally whether entering through one gate and going out through another, as whether entering and going out through one and the same gate. Therefore the truer reason seems to have been, that in such a crowd of people the passage might be easier. For if they had gone out through the same gate by which they had entered, they would have met those coming and entering, and thus would have hindered one another in the passage, while these wished to enter and those to go out, which is avoided if those who enter through one gate go out through another. We experience this here in Rome in the Basilicas of the Apostles and Martyrs, when there are solemn stations. Tropologically, it is signified that in the way and worship of God one should not go back, but go forward, so that with the Apostle, forgetting the things that are behind, we stretch forth to those that are before, as St. Jerome says.
46:10
10. BUT THE PRINCE IN THE MIDST OF THEM, — that is, the prince shall enter through the gate which is in the middle between the Southern and Northern gates, through which the people enter: for thus, as it were in the midst of the people, with both sides entering, the prince entered. WHEN THOSE ENTERING SHALL ENTER, — that is, at the same time that others enter, in the midst of them, as I have already said, he himself shall enter; and at the same time that others go out, he himself shall go out.
46:11
11. AT THE FAIRS. — In Hebrew בחגים bechaggim, that is, at the feasts.
46:12
12. AND WHEN THE PRINCE SHALL MAKE, — when he shall offer through the priests, as he said in verse 2. A VOLUNTARY HOLOCAUST, — or voluntary victims of peace, or Eucharistic ones, that is to say, the prince, when besides the sacrifices which are here prescribed to him at the feasts, he shall wish on other days to offer a sacrifice of his own will, the Eastern gate shall be opened to him, as at the feasts. Thus the Hebrew, Maldonatus and others. AND EVERY VOW. — In Hebrew כל חרם col cherem, that is, as Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion render it, every anathema. See what is said concerning cherem and anathema at Leviticus XXVII, 28.
46:14
14. EVERY MORNING MORNING, — that is, every day in the morning. It is a Grecism: for κατὰ in Greek means the same as according to, by: and the doubling signifies universal distribution, that is to say, through each morning.
46:16
16. HIS INHERITANCE (of the prince's son) SHALL BE TO HIS SONS, — that is to say, the son shall transmit to his posterity this portion of inheritance, received as a gift from his father the prince. He speaks of the portion of royal goods, as is evident from the following verse.
46:17
17. A GIFT (in Hebrew מתנה mattana, that is a gift, as was said before) UNTIL THE YEAR OF REMISSION,—namely of the jubilee, concerning which I have spoken, Leviticus XXV, 13; for in that year possessions that had been sold returned to their original sellers, or owners. A distinction is established here between gifts which a prince gives to his sons, and those which he gives to servants, namely, that gifts given to servants, that is to subjects, return to the prince in the Jubilee, but gifts given to sons do not return. This is what he means by: "But his inheritance shall be his sons'," which the Hebrew text states more clearly: "Verily his inheritance shall be his sons' (that is, what is given to his sons by him as a gift) shall be theirs." From this St. Jerome teaches (who understands by the prince the pontiff) that priests ought not to leave ecclesiastical goods to their sons, but only hereditary goods: "He rebukes," he says, "not only the priests and princes of that time, but also ours, who become richer priests by their dignity, and besides those things which are owed to them by the Lord's arrangement, they take from the poor by violence; or under the pretext of honor they despoil the rich, so that they ought to leave nothing even to their own sons, to whom paternal inheritance is owed, except what was left to them by their parents. Therefore whoever is a richer priest than when he came to the priesthood, whatever more he has, he ought not to give to his sons, but to the poor, and to holy brethren, and to the household of the faith, who surpass the merits of children: so that he may return those things which are the Lord's to his Lord, who speaks in the Gospel: Whatsoever you did to one of these, you did to me. For he himself is received in the poor by hospitality, visited in prison, covered when naked, drinks when thirsty, is satisfied when hungry. THAT MY PEOPLE MAY NOT BE SCATTERED: Therefore he scatters the people of God, and takes from it the possession of eternal faith, whoever leaves alien gifts, or goods, or plunder, or flattery, or blandishments, or under the pretext of religion to sons, brothers and kinsmen." Thus St. Jerome. See what is said at chapter XLIV, 23.
46:18
18. BY VIOLENCE.—Vatablus translates: So that by force and oppression he might cast them out of their possession.
46:19
19. AND HE BROUGHT ME THROUGH THE ENTRANCE, etc.—Vatablus translates: Moreover he brought me through the entrance, which was in the side of the gate (of the Eastern court of the priests) to the holy chambers, which were turned toward the North.
46:20
20. AND THE PEOPLE MAY BE SANCTIFIED,—by contact or presence of the sanctified meats: for whatever touched what was holy was reckoned holy. He said something similar concerning sacred vestments at chapter XLIV, 19. God ordains that holy things, such as victims, be kept in a suitable and holy place, lest they become worthless in a profane place among laypeople, or be held with less reverence. Whence St. Jerome: "It signifies," he says, "that we ought not easily to give holy things to those not sanctified, nor cast pearls before swine according to the Gospel, nor give what is holy to dogs."
46:21
21. HE BROUGHT ME OUT INTO THE OUTER COURT,—namely into the court of the people, as he said a little before: for the inner court was that of the priests. Hence it appears that in the court of the laypeople at its four corners there were small separate courts, and enclosed by a wall or partition, as is said in verse 23, in which there were kitchens for cooking the portions of the peace victims, which laypeople were obliged to offer by law, which they then ate in the same court, feasting and rejoicing before the Lord: for the court of the priests would not have been sufficient for all this cooking, since the portions of the priests and of God had to be cooked there. Moreover, it would have been troublesome, especially in winter and cold, to transfer the cooked meats of individual laypeople from one court to another, and to give and distribute to each their own in such a great multitude of people. Otherwise Maldonatus; for he thinks this outer court was in the same court of the priests, and is called outer because it was outside the treasuries.
46:22
22. THE FOUR WERE OF ONE MEASURE,—as if to say: These four small kitchen courts, placed at the four corners of the great court of the laypeople, were of one and the same measure, namely each was forty cubits long, thirty wide, as was said before. Thus Vatablus.
46:23
23. AND KITCHENS WERE BUILT UNDER THE PORTICOS.—These porticos rested upon walls, or walls surrounding the court, of which I have already spoken. In these porticos he says kitchens were built for cooking the victims. Otherwise Vatablus translates, namely under the walls, or there were fire-holes all around; and thus he explains: In the upper part of the wall, he says, there were openings, upon which they placed pots, but below there were other openings for placing fire underneath.
46:24
24. IN WHICH THE MINISTERS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD SHALL COOK THE VICTIMS OF THE PEOPLE.—Just as the victims, being holy, were slain by the priest alone, so also their meats were cooked by the temple ministers alone, namely by the Levites, even in the court of the laypeople.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
46:1
… The feast of the n. remained always alive in Israel even after the exile and after the cultural reform that placed the Sabbath before it in importance (Ez. 46:1), also in order to avoid the allusion to pagan practices in use among neighboring peoples. …
46:16
Salmanasar (Šulmānu-Ašarid [I])
… The Babylonian Chronicle attributes to him a sack of Šabara'in, quite identifiable with Sib-ibrajim (Ezek. 46:16). On that occasion he must have begun the war against the king of Israel Hoshea (v.) and the siege of Samaria (v.). …
46:21
… At the corners were small courts for the sacrificial banquets of the people (Ezek. 46, 21-24). In the middle of the court was placed the platform for the members of David's family (II Chron. 6, 12 ff.; 23, 13; 34, 31). The inner court was called "of the priests." It was reached …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.