And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.

EZEKIEL 45:19KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 45:19 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 45:19 mean?

Ezekiel 45:19 describes a priest taking some of the blood from a sin offering and putting it on specific places: the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of a ledge on the altar, and the posts of the gate leading into the inner courtyard. This action is part of a ritual to purify or dedicate these important areas in the temple.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, giving detailed instructions for temple worship in a future restored temple. The focus is on ritual cleansing, showing the need for holiness in the temple’s most important spaces. The priest’s actions set apart the temple and its altar as clean and acceptable for worship.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 45:19

  • "priest" (כֹּהֵן, kohen): This word refers to the person responsible for carrying out the ritual, emphasizing the priest’s unique role in handling sacred duties.
  • "offering" (חַטָּאָה, chatta'ah): This word means "sin offering," highlighting that the ritual is about dealing with impurity or sin, not just a general sacrifice.
  • "posts" (מְזוּזָה, mezuzah): Used for both the house (temple) and the gate, this word points to the entryways, showing that the ritual focuses on places where people enter or approach God.
  • "settle" (עֲזָרָה, azarāh): This refers to a ledge or platform on the altar, not the altar itself, indicating that the ritual touches not just the main altar but also its surrounding structure.

Why Ezekiel 45:19 matters

  • Ezekiel 45:19 clarifies that the temple’s holiness depends on careful rituals performed by priests, not just on the building itself.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing how God’s instructions cover even small details, reflecting the seriousness of worship and purity.
  • Understanding the specific places marked with blood helps readers see the importance of boundaries and access points in the temple, highlighting the separation between the holy and the common.

Where else these words appear

“settle” Hebrew H5835 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 4:9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,
  • Ezekiel 43:17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.

“posts” Hebrew H4201 · used in 17 verses

  • Exodus 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
  • Deuteronomy 11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
  • 1 Kings 7:5 And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.

“corners” Hebrew H6438 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
  • Nehemiah 3:24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.
  • Isaiah 19:13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

“inner” Hebrew H6442 · used in 29 verses

  • 1 Kings 6:27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
  • Ezekiel 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
  • 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;