---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Ezekiel 44:1. The outward sanctuary — In opposition to the temple itself, which was the inner sanctuary. Verse Ezekiel 44:2. This gate shall be shut"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44"
---

Verse [Ezekiel 44:1](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/1). ***The outward sanctuary*** — In opposition to the temple itself, which was the inner sanctuary.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:2](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/2). ***This gate shall be shut*** — It was not to be opened on *ordinary occasions*, nor at all on the *week days*: but only on the *Sabbaths* and the *new moons*. See the account of the *gates* (4) in the explanation of the plan. [Ezekiel 48:35](../../../kjv/ezekiel/48/35).
This verse has been adduced by the Roman Catholics to prove the *perpetual virginity* of the mother of our Lord; and it may be allowed to be as much to the purpose as any other that has been brought to prove this very precarious point, on which no stress should ever be laid by any man. Mary was a virgin when she brought forth Jesus.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:5](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/5). ***Mark well, and behold*** — Take notice of every thing; register all so fully that thou shalt be able to give the most minute information to the children of Israel.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:7](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/7). ***The fat and the blood*** — These never went into common use; they were wholly offered to God. The *blood* was poured out; the *fat* consumed.
***Because of all your abominations.*** — Several MSS. of *Kennicott's* and *De Rossi's* read *their abominations*, referring to the strangers mentioned before.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:10](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/10). ***And the Levites that are gone away far from me*** — This refers to the schism of Jeroboam, who, when he set up a new worship, got as many of the priests and Levites to join him in his idolatry as he could. These, on the return from the captivity, should not be permitted to perform the functions of *priests* in the new temple; but they might be continued as *keepers of all the* *charge of the house*-be treasurers, guards of the temple, porters, c. see [Ezekiel 44:11-15](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/11-15). The whole of these passages refer to the period of time when the second temple was built.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:16](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/16). ***Come near to my table*** — To place the *shew-bread* there, and to burn incense on the golden altar in the holy of holies.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:17](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/17). ***No wool shall come upon them*** — The reason is plain; wool is more apt than *linen* to contract *dirt* and breed *insects*; linen breeds none; besides, this is a *vegetable*, and the other an *animal* substance. It was an ancient maxim, that whatever was taken from a *dead body* was impure in matters of religion, and should not be permitted to enter into the temple. The Egyptian priests always wore *linen* on their bodies, and shoes of *matting* or *rushes* on their feet. The Mohammedans never write the Koran upon *vellum* or *skin* of any kind, as they would consider that as a defilement.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:20](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/20). ***Neither shall they shave their heads*** — The priests of *Isis* shaved their heads close to the skin; the priests of *Budhoo* do so still, their ordinances oblige them to shave their heads every *tenth day*. To let the hair grow *long* would have been improper; therefore the Lord commands them to *poll*-cut the hair *short*, but not to shave.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:22](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/22). ***Neither shall they take for their wives a widow*** — This was prohibited to the *high priest* only, by Moses, [Leviticus 21:13-14](../../../kjv/leviticus/21/13-14).

Verse [Ezekiel 44:25](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/25). ***And they shall come at no dead person to defile**********themselves*** — Touching the dead defiles a *Hindoo* now, as it formerly did a *Jew*; and they must bathe to become clean again.

Verse [Ezekiel 44:28](../../../kjv/ezekiel/44/28). ***I*****am*****their inheritance*** — Those who affect to form their ecclesiastical matters on the model of the Jewish Church have with one consent left this out of the question. They will not live on the *free-will offerings of the people*; but must have vast revenues, and these secured to them by *law*. That every minister of God should be supported by the altar I grant; but I think, instead of that method of paying the parochial clergy which I see is so much objected to, and breeds so much dissension between the pastors and their flocks, it would be better, *on these accounts*, to assign them a portion of land adequate to their supply, or let the state maintain them as it does its other officers. In Israel God was their *inheritance* and their *possession*; but *they* had the *breast* and *shoulder* of all sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, and all *dedicated things* were theirs; and they had a portion of all the *dough* that was prepared for bread. These were considered as the *Lord's property*, and these he gave to *them*; and this is always implied in the *Lord's being their inheritance* and their *possession*. They had a plentiful support.
Hitherto *tithes* have been thought the best mode of paying the *clergy*, and providing for the *poor* of each parish; but these matters have undergone such *alterations* since the time of their institution, that some emendation of the system is at present absolutely necessary.
There should be a public acknowledgment of God in every nation, and this should be provided for by the *state* in a way the least burdensome to the *people*, that all may rejoice in the benefit. Happy the nations that have a Bible so correct, and a *Liturgy* so pure, as those in the British empire! In such cases, a religion established by the state is an unutterable blessing to the nation; only keep it to the Bible, and to the Liturgy, and all, under God, will be well; but when the sermon is against these, all is bad.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary -  Ezekiel 44"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44","name":"Clarke's Commentary -  Ezekiel 44","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse Ezekiel 44:1. The outward sanctuary — In opposition to the temple itself, which was the inner sanctuary. Verse Ezekiel 44:2. This gate shall be shut","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel","name":"Ezekiel"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ezekiel/44","name":"44"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```