And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to me, This room, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house;
- BSB Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,
- NKJV Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple.
- NASB Then he said to me, “This is the chamber which faces south, intended for the priests who are responsible for the temple;
- NLT And the man said to me, “The room beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
One chamber was assigned to the priests who keep charge of the temple itself. God orders his house with appointed servants and clear duties.
Overview
The guide explains that this south-facing room belongs to priests responsible for the care of the house. The assigning of specific duties reflects the order of God's worship under the law (Numbers 18:5). It foreshadows Christ our great High Priest, who perfectly keeps charge of God's house, the church (Hebrews 3:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Chr 9:23So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards.
- Ps 134:1Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
- Lev 8:35Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded.
- Rev 1:6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- Num 18:5And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
- Mal 2:4–7And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
- 2 Chr 13:11And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.
- Num 3:38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
- Ezek 8:5Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
- Num 3:32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
- Num 3:27–28And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
- 1 Tim 6:20O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
- 1 Chr 6:49But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 40:45 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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