Ezekiel 44:23

THE MESSAGE

"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.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.

Hebrew Names Version
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

King James Version
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

English Standard Version
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

New American Standard Bible
"Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

New Century Version
They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not holy. They must help my people know what is unclean and what is clean.

Amplified Bible
"The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the (ceremonially) unclean and the clean.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And they shal teach my people the differece betweene the holy and prophane, & cause them to discerne betweene the vncleane & the cleane.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Legacy Standard Bible
Moreover, they shall instruct My people about the difference between the holy and the profane, and make them know the difference between the unclean and the clean.

Berean Standard Bible
They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean.

Contemporary English Version
Priests must teach my people the difference between what is sacred and what is ordinary, and between what is clean and what is unclean.

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘They are to teach my people the difference between holy and common and enable them to distinguish between clean and unclean.

Darby Translation
And they shall teach my people [the difference] between holy and profane, and cause them to discern between unclean and clean.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Also, the priests must teach my people the difference between things that are holy and things that are not holy. They must help my people know what is clean and what is unclean.

George Lamsa Translation
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the unconsecrated, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Good News Translation
"The priests are to teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is ritually clean and what is not.

Lexham English Bible
And they will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, and the difference between unclean and clean they must show them.

Literal Translation
And they shall teach My people between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, to make them known.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They shal shewe my people the difference betwene the holy and vnholy, betwixte the clene and vnclene.

American Standard Version
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Bible in Basic English
And they are to make clear to my people the division between what is holy and what is common, and to give them the knowledge of what is clean and what is unclean.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

King James Version (1611)
And they shall teach my people the difference betweene the holy and prophane, and cause men to discerne betweene the vncleane and the cleane.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They shall shewe my people the difference betweene the holy and vnholy, and cause them to discerne betwixt the cleane and vncleane.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they shall teach my people to distinguish between holy and profane, and they shall make known to them the difference between unclean and clean.

English Revised Version
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

World English Bible
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei schulen teche my puple, what is bitwixe hooli thing and defoulid; and thei schulen schewe to hem, what is bitwixe cleene thing and vncleene.

Update Bible Version
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall teach my people the [difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

New English Translation
Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean.

New King James Version
"And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

New Living Translation
They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean.

New Life Bible
They will teach My people the difference between what is holy and what is not. And they will teach them to know what is unclean and what is clean.

New Revised Standard
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And my people, shall they instruct, between the holy and the common, - And between the unclean and the clean, shall they cause them to distinguish.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall teach my people the difference between holy and profane, and shew them how to discern between clean and unclean.

Revised Standard Version
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

Young's Literal Translation
`And My people they direct between holy and common, and between unclean and clean they cause them to discern.

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

Ezekiel 22:26, Leviticus 10:10, Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 33:10, Hosea 4:6, Micah 3:9-11, Zephaniah 3:4, Haggai 2:11-13, Malachi 2:6-9, 2 Timothy 2:24, 2 Timothy 2:25, Titus 1:9-11

Reciprocal: Genesis 7:2 - not Leviticus 11:47 - General Leviticus 13:3 - shall look Leviticus 14:57 - teach Leviticus 15:31 - Thus shall Isaiah 52:11 - touch Jeremiah 15:19 - take Ezekiel 42:20 - a separation Ezekiel 48:15 - a profane Zechariah 7:3 - speak Colossians 4:17 - Take

Cross-References

Genesis 43:3
But Judah said, "The man warned us most emphatically, ‘You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.' If you're ready to release our brother to go with us, we'll go down and get you food. But if you're not ready, we aren't going. What would be the use? The man told us, ‘You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.'"

Genesis 44:15
Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane,.... Persons and things; not in a ceremonial, nor merely in a moral, but in an evangelical sense, between truth and error; between the doctrine which is according to godliness, and that which is corrupt and unsound, and eats as cloth a canker; between holy worship, and superstition; between holy duties, and profane and Heathen rites and ceremonies; and between persons sanctified by the Spirit and grace of God, and unconverted ones:

and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean; impure persons, doctrines, and manners, and those which are agreeable to the word of God; the sense is, that they shall take pains to instruct persons in the knowledge of divine things, and shall do it truly, faithfully, and sincerely.

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).