When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.
Parallel translations
- WEB When the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go out by its way.
- KJV And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
- BSB When the prince enters, he shall go in through the portico of the gateway, and he shall go out the same way.
- NASB When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate, and go out by the same way.
- NLT “The prince must enter the gateway through the entry room, and he must leave the same way.
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
The prince must enter and leave by the same gateway porch he came in by. His movements are ordered to honor the holiness of the place.
Overview
Even the prince's path through the temple is regulated, reinforcing reverence and order in approaching God. His entry and exit by the porch keep him distinct from the people, who follow a different rule (v. 9). The careful structure of this vision magnifies God's holiness and the privilege of ordered access now opened wide in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ezek 46:2The prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate outside, 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 out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
- Ezek 44:1–3Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut.
- Col 1:18He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
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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 46:8 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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