Ezekiel 40:44-46

[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. [45] 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. [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

What is the context of Ezekiel 40:44-46?

What does Ezekiel 40:44-46 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

There were two rooms for singers in the inner court. One of them stood beside the north inner gate, and its door faced south. It also accommodated the needs of the priests who were responsible for the care of the temple. The other room stood beside the south inner gate, and its door faced north. The Septuagint translators assumed that this room stood beside the south inner gate because this gives a more symmetrical arrangement. This is probably correct even though the Hebrew text locates it beside the east inner gate (cf. Ezekiel 42:10). This room was for the use of singers and the priests in charge of the altar (cf. Ezekiel 43:13-17). These priests were descendants of Zadok, the faithful high priest who served during David and Solomon"s reigns (cf. Ezekiel 44:15; 1 Samuel 2:31-33; 2 Samuel 15:24-29; 1 Kings 1:5-26; 1 Kings 1:32-35; 1 Kings 2:26-27; 1 Kings 2:35; 1 Chronicles 6:3-8; 1 Chronicles 24:3).