“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.”
Prince. After the captivity, although the race of David continued in Salathiel, Zorobabel, &c., 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, chap. xliv. 2.
“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.”
Six. Moses only prescribed two lambs for every day, Numbers xxviii. 9.
“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. as he: Heb. the gift of his hand”
Sacrifice. See chap. xlv. 24. Flour and oil accompanied the victim. When lambs were presented, this was left to the prince’s devotion (ver. 7, 11.; Calmet) only. If he gave three or four ephies of flour, he must give as many hins of oil. (Haydock)
“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.”
Calf. Moses orders two, and seven lambs, Numbers xxviii. 11. (Calmet) — The rams. Hebrew, “a ram. They shall,” &c. (Haydock)
“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.”
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)
“And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.”
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, chap. xlviii. 21.
“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.”
Solemnities. Hebrew, “on feasts and on days of meeting.” (Calmet) — Sacrifice: mincha, ver. 7., and chap. xlv. 24. (Haydock)
“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. of the: Heb. a son of his year every: Heb. morning by morning”
Morning. That for the evening had the same ceremonies, Leviticus vi. 9.
“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.”
By. Cata seems to be taken (Calmet) from the Greek kata, “according to,” or by, ver. 15. (Haydock)
“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.”
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 xxv. 10. (Calmet) — 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)
“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.”
Gate, on the north, chap. xliv. 4. — 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, chap. xliv. 19. There were four other kitchens for the people who might choose to eat their peace-offerings, ver. 24. (Calmet)
“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. joined: or, made with chimneys corners were: Heb. cornered, etc”
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) — Vulgate unites both meanings. (Haydock)
“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.”
Kitchens. Septuagint, “porticoes,” or rather (Calmet) “boiling places;” (Protestants) and ver. 24. (Haydock)