Ezekiel 44:22
They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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While the prohibition against marrying a divorced woman is familiar from the Levitical law, Ezekiel elevates the standard for all priests, forbidding them even from marrying a widow. This highlights a heightened emphasis on purity and sacredness for this future priesthood, extending restrictions that previously only applied to the high priest.
Ezekiel is laying out strict holiness requirements for the restored priesthood and the temple in a vision of a future, ideal sanctuary. These rules, including who priests can marry, are designed to set them apart and emphasize their sacred role, building on but also intensifying laws given to Moses. The preceding verses detail the proper conduct and attire for these priests, highlighting their need for ritual purity.
Why did Ezekiel's vision impose stricter marriage rules on priests than the earlier Mosaic Law?
In the vision of Ezekiel, the priests serving in the restored temple faced elevated standards for marriage. They were forbidden to marry widows or divorced women. The only permissible marriages were with virgins from Israel or widows whose previous husbands had been priests.
This emphasis on purity wasn't arbitrary. It served to highlight the unique holiness and sacred responsibility of those who served in God's presence. The Mosaic Law had distinctions: the high priest had stricter rules (only marrying a virgin), while ordinary priests had more freedom. Ezekiel, however, applies a more rigorous standard to all priests in his vision, blurring that distinction and elevating the general priestly class.
Why was a priest's widow an acceptable choice when other widows were not?
The exception allowing priests to marry a 'widow who is the widow of a priest' points to a continuity and honor within the priestly lineage.
This suggests that a woman who had already been married to a priest would be more familiar with the demands, lifestyle, and spiritual disciplines associated with priestly service. She would likely understand the sacred duties and the need for purity required of her husband and, by extension, herself. This exception maintained a certain level of sacred heritage and preparedness within the priestly families.
How do these specific rules for ancient priests speak to the church today?
While Ezekiel's instructions were for a specific Levitical priesthood in a restored temple, their underlying principle resonates powerfully with the New Testament understanding of the church.
Christians today are called a 'holy priesthood' (1 Peter 2:5). The stringent requirements for Ezekiel's priests—guarding against anything that could compromise their sacred role—mirror the New Testament call for all believers to live lives of holiness, free from sin and impurity. The exclusion of those 'uncircumcised in heart and flesh' in the vision echoes the New Jerusalem's prohibition of 'all that defileth' (Revelation 21:27). The pursuit of purity in service and life is a timeless mandate for all who belong to God.
Ezekiel's instructions expand the restrictions on marriage for priests, elevating the standards for purity in the post-exilic community compared to the Levitical laws governing the pre-exilic Temple.
c. 1400 BC
Priestly Code Established
The Torah, including laws for priests regarding marriage (Leviticus 21:7-14), is established, distinguishing rules for high priests and ordinary priests.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces conquer Judah, destroy Solomon's Temple, and deport many inhabitants, including priests, to exile.
c. 570 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Vision of the New Temple
While in exile, the prophet Ezekiel receives visions of a future restored Jerusalem and a new temple, including detailed regulations for its priesthood.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Reforms
Upon returning to Jerusalem, Ezra confronts and institutes reforms, including addressing intermarriage issues among the returned exiles.
This passage sets a precedent for priestly marriage, specifically for the high priest, who was restricted to marrying a virgin, highlighting the emphasis on purity within the priestly lineage that Ezekiel's law further expands upon.
1 Peter 2:5This New Testament passage speaks of all believers being 'living stones' forming a 'spiritual house' and 'royal priesthood,' which echoes the concept of holiness for priests in Ezekiel's vision and applies it to all followers of Christ.
Revelation 21:27This verse describes the New Jerusalem where 'nothing unclean will ever enter,' which parallels Ezekiel's concern for the sanctity of the priests and the temple, emphasizing God's ultimate desire for purity in His dwelling and among His people.
Ezra 10:18This chapter details the reform following the exile where priests and Levites had married foreign women, illustrating a historical instance of impurity entering the priestly line and the subsequent need for strict marital regulations similar to those Ezekiel outlines.
barnesEzekiel 44:22: "Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before."
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 ; Reve…
clarkeEzekiel 44:22: "Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before."
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow - This was prohibited to the high priest only, by Moses, Leviticus 21:13 , Leviticus 21:14 .
While the prohibition against marrying a divorced woman is familiar from the Levitical law, Ezekiel elevates the standard for all priests, forbidding them even from marrying a widow. This highlights a heightened emphasis on purity and sacredness for this future priesthood, extending restrictions that previously only applied to the high priest.
Ezekiel is laying out strict holiness requirements for the restored priesthood and the temple in a vision of a future, ideal sanctuary. These rules, including who priests can marry, are designed to set them apart and emphasize their sacred role, building on but also intensifying laws given to Moses. The preceding verses detail the proper conduct and attire for these priests, highlighting their need for ritual purity.
Ezekiel is laying out strict holiness requirements for the restored priesthood and the temple in a vision of a future, ideal sanctuary. These rules, including who priests can marry, are designed to set them apart and emphasize their sacred role, building on but also intensifying laws given to Moses. The preceding verses detail the proper conduct and attire for these priests, highlighting their need for ritual purity.
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"They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest." — While the prohibition against marrying a divorced woman is familiar from the Levitical law, Ezekiel elevates the standard for all priests, forbidding them even from marrying a widow. This highlights…
