Ezekiel 44:21

THE MESSAGE

"No priest is to drink on the job—no wine while in the inside courtyard.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

Hebrew Names Version
Neither shall any of the Kohanim drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

King James Version
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

English Standard Version
No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

New American Standard Bible
"Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard.

New Century Version
None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard.

Amplified Bible
"Nor shall any priest drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Neither shall any Priest drinke wine when they enter into the inner court.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner court.

Legacy Standard Bible
Nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner court.

Berean Standard Bible
No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

Contemporary English Version
They must not drink wine before going to the inner courtyard.

Complete Jewish Bible
No cohen is to drink wine when he enters the inner courtyard.

Darby Translation
Neither shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the inner court.

Easy-to-Read Version
None of the priests may drink wine when they go into the inner courtyard.

George Lamsa Translation
Neither shall the priests drink wine when they enter into the inner court.

Good News Translation
Priests must not drink any wine before going into the inner courtyard.

Lexham English Bible
And no priest shall drink wine when they come into the inner courtyard.

Literal Translation
And every priest shall not drink wine when they enter into the inner court.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All the prestes that go in to the ynmost courte, shall drynke no wyne.

American Standard Version
Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Bible in Basic English
The priests are not to take wine when they go into the inner square.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

King James Version (1611)
Neither shall any priest drinke wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Al the priestes that go into the inmost court shal drinke no wine.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And no priest shall drink any wine, when they go into the inner court.

English Revised Version
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

World English Bible
Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ech preest schal not drynke wyn, whanne he schal entre in to the ynnere halle.

Update Bible Version
Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

Webster's Bible Translation
Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

New English Translation
No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court.

New King James Version
No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

New Living Translation
The priests must not drink wine before entering the inner courtyard.

New Life Bible
None of the religious leaders may drink wine when they come into the inner open space.

New Revised Standard
No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And wine, shall no priest drink, - when they enter into the inner court.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And no priest shall drink wine when he is to go into the inner court.

Revised Standard Version
No priest shall drink wine, when he enters the inner court.

Young's Literal Translation
And no priest doth drink wine in their coming in unto the inner court.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷"When they enter the gate complex of the inside courtyard, they are to dress in linen. No woolens are to be worn while serving at the gate complex of the inside courtyard or inside the Temple itself. They're to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes—nothing that makes them sweat. When they go out into the outside courtyard where the people gather, they must first change out of the clothes they have been serving in, leaving them in the sacred rooms where they change to their everyday clothes, so that they don't trivialize their holy work by the way they dress. ²⁰ "They are to neither shave their heads nor let their hair become unkempt, but must keep their hair trimmed and neat. ²¹ "No priest is to drink on the job—no wine while in the inside courtyard. ²² "Priests are not to marry widows or divorcees, but only Israelite virgins or widows of priests. ²³ "Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean. ²⁴ "When there's a difference of opinion, the priests will arbitrate. They'll decide on the basis of my judgments, laws, and statutes. They are in charge of making sure the appointed feasts are honored and my Sabbaths kept holy in the ways I've commanded. ²⁵"A priest must not contaminate himself by going near a corpse. But when the dead person is his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, he can approach the dead. But after he has been purified, he must wait another seven days. Then, when he returns to the inside courtyard of the Sanctuary to do his priestly work in the Sanctuary, he must first offer a sin offering for himself. Decree of God , the Master. ²⁸"As to priests owning land, I am their inheritance. Don't give any land in Israel to them. I am their ‘land,' their inheritance. They'll take their meals from the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel offered to God in worship is theirs. The best of everything grown, plus all special gifts, comes to the priests. All that is given in worship to God goes to them. Serve them first. Serve from your best and your home will be blessed. ³¹ "Priests are not to eat any meat from bird or animal unfit for ordinary human consumption, such as carcasses found dead on the road or in the field."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Leviticus 10:9, Luke 1:15, 1 Timothy 3:8, 1 Timothy 5:23, Titus 1:7, Titus 1:8

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 15:3 - a teaching Isaiah 28:7 - erred 1 Timothy 3:3 - Not given to wine

Cross-References

Genesis 43:29
Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

Jeremiah 40:4
"But today, Jeremiah, I'm setting you free, taking the chains off your hands. If you'd like to come to Babylon with me, come along. I'll take good care of you. But if you don't want to come to Babylon with me, that's just fine, too. Look, the whole land stretches out before you. Do what you like. Go and live wherever you wish. If you want to stay home, go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon made him governor of the cities of Judah. Stay with him and your people. Or go wherever you'd like. It's up to you." The captain of the bodyguard gave him food for the journey and a parting gift, and sent him off.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither shall any priest drink wine,.... That is, to excess, immoderately, so as to be inebriated with it, Leviticus 10:9, should not be given to it, and greedy of it, and drink it so as to disguise themselves: this is reckoned among the qualifications of a Gospel minister, 1 Timothy 3:3, otherwise it is not forbidden good men, or ministers of the word, to drink wine, for health's sake, and for the refreshment of nature, provided it is done in moderation, 1 Timothy 5:23, and particularly care should be taken that they drink it in such a manner,

when they enter into the inner court: to attend divine service, since immoderate drinking affects the memory; and such may forget the law and doctrines of the Lord they are to deliver or hear; and may put them upon saying and doing that which is improper and indecent: drunkenness in any Christian professor is abominable, especially in a minister of the word; and when it appears in his ministration, it is scandalous to the last degree.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Regulations as to the priests’ services. The garments of the priests are defined and various rules prescribed in the Law are repeated with some additions in order to denote additional care to avoid uncleanness.

Ezekiel 44:18

The material of which the four vestments of the ordinary priest were made was “linen,” or, more accurately, “byssus,” the cotton stuff of Egypt. The two special qualities of the byssus - white and shining - are characteristic, and on them part of the symbolic meaning depended. Compare Revelation 19:8.

Ezekiel 44:19

They shall not sanctify the people - They shall not touch the people with their holy garments. The word “sanctify” is used because the effect of touching was to separate as holy the persons or things so touched (Exodus 29:37; Exodus 30:29; compare Leviticus 6:18). The priests wore the distinctive dress, only while performing in the temple strictly sacrificial services.

The holy chambers; see Ezekiel 42:1 ff.

Ezekiel 44:22

Restrictions and exceptions intended to mark the holiness of the office of a priest, imposing on him additional (compare the marginal reference) obligations to purity, and communicating it in some degree to his wife. In the Christian Church all the members are “priests” 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 20:6. Hence, the directions for maintaining the holiness of the “priesthood” in the new order, represent the necessity for holiness in all Christians, and the exclusion of the “uncircumcised in heart and in flesh” is equivalent to the exclusion of “all that defileth” from the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:27.

Ezekiel 44:24

There was in Herod’s Temple a council of priests, whose special duty it was to regulate every thing connected with the sanctuary. They did not ordinarily busy themselves with criminal questions, although they took a leading part in the condemnation of Jesus Mark 15:1.

Ezekiel 44:28

It shall be unto them - The remains of the sacrifices were a chief source of the priests’ support. The burnt-offerings being entirely consumed, the priests had the skins, which yielded a considerable revenue; meat-offerings and drink-offerings belonged entirely to them. sin-offerings and trepass-offerings, except in particular cases, also belonged to the priests and were partaken of in the temple. Of the peace-offerings a portion dedicated to the Lord by waving was left for the priests, and the rest eaten by the officers and their friends, either in the courts of the temple, or at least within Jerusalem. The kitchen-courts (K, Plan II Ezek. Ezekiel 46:21-24), were provided in order to prepare these public meals.

Ezekiel 44:30

Oblation - Offering, margin “heave-offering” (see Ezekiel 45:1; Exodus 25:2; Exodus 29:27; Notes and Pref. to Leviticus).