Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.

EZEKIEL 42:13KJV
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Ezekiel 42:13 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 42:13 mean?

Ezekiel 42:13 explains that certain rooms in the temple, located on the north and south sides near a special area, are set apart as holy spaces where priests eat and store offerings that are considered most holy. These chambers are reserved for the priests who serve closest to the LORD, and only holy things and offerings can be brought or consumed there because the place itself is holy.

In this verse, God is speaking to Ezekiel through a vision, describing the layout and purpose of specific temple rooms. The focus is on the careful separation of holy spaces and activities, showing how the priests had dedicated areas for eating and handling offerings like grain, sin, and guilt offerings. This detailed instruction highlights the importance of holiness and order in the temple’s worship practices.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 42:13

  • "Holy" (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh): This word is used several times in the verse to describe both the chambers and the offerings. It emphasizes that these rooms and the items within them are set apart for God, not for ordinary use.
  • "Priests" (כֹּהֵן, kohen): The verse specifies that only the priests who "approach" (קָרַב, qarav) the LORD may use these chambers, underlining the special status and responsibilities of these priests.
  • "Place" (מָקוֹם, maqom and גְּבוּל, gevul): Two different Hebrew words for "place" appear in the tags. The first refers to the "separate place" near the chambers, indicating a distinct, set-apart area within the temple complex.

Why Ezekiel 42:13 matters

  • Ezekiel 42:13 clarifies that not all temple rooms were the same; some had unique, sacred purposes tied to the priests’ service and the handling of holy offerings.
  • The verse highlights the strict boundaries between what is holy and what is ordinary, a key theme in Ezekiel’s temple vision and in Israel’s worship practices.
  • Understanding the function of these chambers helps make sense of the detailed temple layout in Ezekiel 40–48, showing how every part of the temple had a specific, God-given role.

Where else these words appear

“place” Hebrew H1508 · used in 8 verses

  • Lamentations 4:7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:
  • Ezekiel 41:13 So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;
  • Ezekiel 41:15 And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;

“south” Hebrew H1864 · used in 14 verses

  • Deuteronomy 33:23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
  • Ezekiel 20:46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
  • Ezekiel 40:44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

“chambers” Hebrew H3957 · used in 41 verses

  • 1 Samuel 9:22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.
  • Nehemiah 13:5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
  • Ezekiel 40:46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.

“offering” Hebrew H817 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
  • Leviticus 7:37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
  • Numbers 6:12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.