This verse reveals a surprising concern: preventing holiness from over-sanctifying the people. The offerings, meant for priests to eat and symbolize atonement, weren't to be brought out into the general court lest contact with them "sanctify" the people, potentially disrupting their everyday lives and callings by making them ceremonially set apart. It highlights a careful boundary God established, showing that holiness, while vital, must be handled with discernment.
And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This vision is detailing specific areas within the new temple complex designated for the priests' use. Following instructions about who can enter and how, this verse reveals a culinary space where sacred offerings are prepared, emphasizing that these holy meals are to be kept separate from the general populace to maintain proper order and holiness. This practice ensures that the sanctity of the offerings remains contained within the priestly sphere, preventing unintended ceremonial holiness from being transferred to the common people.
Why did the priests need a special kitchen for certain offerings? It wasn't just about cooking; it was about preserving holiness.
The passage describes a specific culinary space within the temple complex, designated for priests to prepare parts of the guilt and sin offerings (boiled) and the grain offering (baked). This wasn't ordinary cooking. These sacrifices, especially the sin and guilt offerings, were considered 'most holy.' The law stipulated that parts of these sacrifices were for the priests' consumption.
Keeping it Holy
The key here is where this preparation happened: within designated areas that were considered extensions of the inner, holier courts. The instruction not to carry these prepared offerings 'out into the outer court' was crucial. The outer court was where the general populace gathered. Carrying the 'most holy' food out there risked 'transmitting holiness' – a concept that, in this context, meant an uncontrolled, ceremonial transfer of sanctity that could unintentionally set people apart for sacred duties, disrupting their normal lives and the established order. It was about maintaining the integrity and distinctiveness of sacred things.
Imagine accidentally making people 'holy' just by carrying food past them! What does this unusual concept reveal about God's holiness?
The phrase 'transmit holiness to the people' is a bit perplexing at first glance. In the Old Testament context, holiness wasn't just a feeling or a state of being; it was a tangible, almost contagious quality associated with God's presence and sacred objects.
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Ceremonial Sanctification
Touching 'most holy' things, or even being in close proximity to them in the wrong way, could bring about a state of ceremonial sanctification. This meant a person was set apart for God's service, whether they intended to be or not. Think of it like a powerful disinfectant – it marks whatever it touches.
Divine Order
God establishes order, and this 'transmission' of holiness needed to be controlled. Bringing the prepared offerings into the outer court where the general population was would have created chaos. It implies an uncontrolled spread of sacredness that could disrupt lives and vocational callings. The priests' role was to mediate God's presence and holiness in a structured, intentional way, not through accidental contact.
Understand the original words
asham · Hebrew Noun
An offering made to make atonement for specific violations of God's law or rights, recognizing the need for restitution and purification.
chattath · Hebrew Noun
A sacrifice intended to deal with the inherent human nature of sin and to cleanse the offerer, restoring them to ritual purity before God.
minchah · Hebrew Noun
An offering of agricultural products (often flour or baked goods) presented as a token of gratitude or dedication to God, acknowledging His provision.
qadash · Hebrew Verb
To communicate or transfer the status of holiness from a sacred object to an ordinary person or item, which requires strict boundaries to maintain the distinction between the sacred and the profane.
Ezekiel's detailed instructions for the Temple's kitchen reveal a concern for maintaining the sanctity of sacred offerings, a crucial concept for a people grappling with the loss of their Temple and the implications of holiness after their exile.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar's forces conquer Jerusalem, and many prominent citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel, are taken captive to Babylon.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and scattering the Judean people.
c. 571 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Visions of the New Temple
The prophet Ezekiel receives extensive visions of a new Temple and city, which he records during his exile. These visions likely served as a message of hope and future restoration for the exiles.
c. 538 BC
Cyrus Cylinder Issued
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows deported peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples, initiating the return from Babylonian exile.
c. 515 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
The Second Temple is dedicated in Jerusalem, marking a significant milestone in the rebuilding efforts after the return from exile.
This passage describes the same priestly duty of boiling sin and guilt offerings, emphasizing that they are 'most holy' and meant only for priests to eat, mirroring the restriction in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 44:19This verse directly explains the principle behind Ezekiel 46:20, stating priests should not 'sanctify the people' by carrying holy garments into the outer court, highlighting the danger of unintentional ceremonial contamination.
Exodus 29:37This verse speaks to the concept of consecrating things through contact with the altar and offerings, illustrating the 'sanctification' that Ezekiel's priests were meant to carefully control by keeping the offerings within designated priestly areas.
Haggai 2:12This passage questions the ceremonial holiness of sacrifices brought to the Temple, raising the issue of how holiness is transferred, which is a core concern in Ezekiel's vision of controlled sanctity.
barnesEzekiel 46:20: "Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people."
See M Plan II. Boil - It was unique to the Paschal lamb, that it was to be eaten roasted. The flesh of the other sacrifices was to be "sodden" or boiled (see Leviticus 6:28; 1 Samuel 2:13; 2 Chronicles 24:14 margin). The "meat-offering" (flour and honey)…
pulpitEzekiel 46:20: "Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people."
Verse 20. - The "place" was designed as a kitchen where the priests should boil the trespass and the sin offerings and bake the meat (or, meal) offering, i.e. cook the portions of the sacrifices they should eat in their official capacity (see Ezekiel 42:…
This verse reveals a surprising concern: preventing holiness from over-sanctifying the people. The offerings, meant for priests to eat and symbolize atonement, weren't to be brought out into the general court lest contact with them "sanctify" the people, potentially disrupting their everyday lives and callings by making them ceremonially set apart. It highlights a careful boundary God established, showing that holiness, while vital, must be handled with discernment.
This vision is detailing specific areas within the new temple complex designated for the priests' use. Following instructions about who can enter and how, this verse reveals a culinary space where sacred offerings are prepared, emphasizing that these holy meals are to be kept separate from the general populace to maintain proper order and holiness. This practice ensures that the sanctity of the offerings remains contained within the priestly sphere, preventing unintended ceremonial holiness from being transferred to the common people.
This vision is detailing specific areas within the new temple complex designated for the priests' use. Following instructions about who can enter and how, this verse reveals a culinary space where sacred offerings are prepared, emphasizing that these holy meals are to be kept separate from the general populace to maintain proper order and holiness. This practice ensures that the sanctity of the offerings remains contained within the priestly sphere, preventing unintended ceremonial holiness from being transferred to the common people.
"And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the p…" — This verse reveals a surprising concern: preventing holiness from over-sanctifying the people. The offerings, meant for priests to eat and symbolize atonement, weren't to be brought out into the ge…
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Last reviewed October 2026
