Thus says the Lord Hashem: The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
verse value 6046
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "gate" (שַׁ֜עַר, 3 letters) and the longest is "inner" (הַפְּנִימִית֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 498: it·is·opened, it·is·opened. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "six" (שֵׁ֖שֶׁת), "deed" (הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֑ה). The root יום appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·says" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'deed', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
"The gate of the inner court facing east, etc." Our Sages taught in the tractate Middot: The Temple gate had two small openings, one in the south and one in the north. Regarding the southern one, it is explicitly stated in the tradition (above, 44) that no person would enter through it, and it was closed.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: “The gate of the inner court.” This is the Court of the Priests. And He says that this eastern gate of the Court, which is open to the Court of Israel, shall be closed on the six working days, for the people shall not come to the Temple, nor the Prince, except on Sabbaths and on New Moons; and then it shall be open. And even this shall be a novelty in the future.
Metzudat David
“The gate of the inner court.” This is the gate of the Court of the Men.
“Let it be closed, etc.” – Since the people and the prince alike would not become accustomed to coming to the Temple on weekdays.
“Days of work.” Likewise, the weekdays are called “days of work” because it is permitted to perform labor on them.
"And on the Sabbath day he shall open." For then they will be accustomed to come to bow down before the Lord; therefore, he shall open the eastern gate, for when they enter through it, they will bow down opposite the entrance of the Temple and the Holy of Holies.
"And on the day of the month." This refers to the first day of the month, which is Rosh Chodesh. Similarly, "on the morrow of the month" (1 Samuel 20).
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: He shall begin to recount the sacrifices that will be offered during the one hundred and ninety days of the inauguration, from Passover until the seventh day of the Festival of Sukkot. And he precedes this by describing in what manner the Prince will enter the Temple Mount to offer the sacrifices: The gate of the inner courtyard, which is the eastern gate of the Court of Israel, shall be closed for the six days of the work, just as the eastern gate of the outer courtyard is closed; only that the outer gate shall be closed always, whereas the inner gate shall be closed only during the six days of the work, but on the Sabbath day and on the New Moon it shall be opened.
And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate; then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
verse value 8186
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 101 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·shall·come" (וּבָ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·peace-offerings" (וְאֶת־שְׁלָמָ֔יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 575: gate, gate, gate. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "by·post·of" (עַל־מְזוּזַ֣ת), "his·burnt-offering" (אֶת־עֽוֹלָתוֹ֙), "and·he·shall·bow·down" (וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוָ֛ה). The root שער appears 4 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "by·post·of" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·they·will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·he·shall·come" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·shall·go·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 3 words.
Rashi
"The path through the hall of the gate is from the outside." As stated above, "and its vestibules are toward the outer courtyard, through the hall of the gate of the Temple Court." That is to say, one enters via the path of the Eastern Gate, which serves as both the entrance and exit, and comes to that small chamber (peshpash).
"And he stood upon the doorpost of the gate." That small gate is the wicket-gate.
“His burnt-offering and his peace-offerings.” The sight-offering burnt-offering and the festival peace-offerings; this verse refers to a festival day. This is what I found in precise commentaries:
"And he stood by the doorpost of the gate." The gate of the inner court is that which is explained to be the small gate, as our Master stated: "Is it possible that a person's offering is brought and he does not stand over it?"
"And it shall not be shut until evening." Why is it stated "it shall not be shut"?
Radak
And the prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate. For all the gates had porches, as it is written above; or perhaps it refers to the porch of the Temple gate, where the prince has permission to enter up to the threshold of the closed Temple gate, as it is written above. Yet it does not state that this gate should be closed on the six days of work, and opened on the Sabbath and on the new moon; rather, that gate shall always remain closed, as it stated above: “For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it.” However, regarding the inner eastern gate, it states that it shall not be opened except on Sabbaths and new moons, and all the more so on the festivals.
“And he bowed down at the threshold of the gate, and went out.” At the threshold of the gate of the Temple.
"And the gate shall not be shut until evening." This refers to the gate of the inner courtyard, which was mentioned as being opened on Sabbaths and on the new months. Even though the Nasi (the Prince) had already exited from it after prostrating himself, it would not be closed until evening, because the common people would not all come at once. Rather, as each individual or groups of people would arrive, they would prostrate themselves at that gate, which is aligned directly opposite the gate of the Temple.
Metzudat David
“And the prince shall come.” At the opening of that gate, the prince shall enter through the vestibule of the gate that faces outward, as it is stated, “and its doors shall be open toward the outer court” (above, 40). This implies that they shall open the gate so that he will not enter the interior space of the gate’s vestibule, nor shall they wait to open it until he arrives at the threshold of the gate. This is done for the honor of the prince.
And he shall stand. The Nasi shall stand adjacent to the doorposts of the gate, namely, in the southern recess of the Temple gate, for that is his place, as it is written: “As for the prince, he shall sit in it” (above 44:3).
"And they shall make." While he is standing there, the priests shall offer his burnt-offering and his peace-offering. This applies during the days of the consecration, when the burnt-offerings were brought even on the Sabbath. However, peace-offerings are not mentioned among the sacrifices of the consecration. Thus, when it says "his peace-offering," it means if he brought them as a voluntary offering on the first of the month.
And the gate. It is the eastern gate that opens:
Metzudat Zion
Miftan. It is the threshold, and similarly, "cut off to the threshold" (1 Samuel 5):
Malbim
And the prince shall come. When the prince comes to stand for the sacrifices of the dedication offerings, he shall enter through the outer hall of the gate, because in the inner gate the hall was on the outside. He shall come from the outer court through the hall of the eastern gate. For when he comes to the gate of the outer court to eat bread, he shall also come to the hall of the gate, where the hall is on the inside; he shall not enter from the outside, because the gate of the outer court shall always be closed. He shall only come there from the inside through the northern or southern gate (as stated above, 44:3). But to the hall of the inner gate he shall come from the outside, before the chambers, and stand on the doorpost of the gate and bow down, for they shall then open the gate, and it shall remain open, and shall not be closed until evening. The reason that it shall remain open is so that "the people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of the gate," since this occurs on Sabbaths and new moons, when they appear before the Lord, as it is stated: "And it shall be, every new moon and every Sabbath, all flesh shall come to bow down before Me, says the Lord." Therefore, the gate shall be open all day.
Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Hashem in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
verse value 3893
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "opening" (פֶּ֚תַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·bow·down" (וְהִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·bow·down" (וְהִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ), "in·the·sabbaths" (בַּשַּׁבָּת֖וֹת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "people·of·the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·months', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ [and·bow·down] (731) + עַם־הָאָ֗רֶץ [people·of·the·land] (406) + פֶּ֚תַח [opening] (488) + הַשַּׁ֣עַר [gate] (575) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + בַּשַּׁבָּת֖וֹת [in·the·sabbaths] (1110) + וּבֶחֳדָשִׁ֑ים [and·in·the·months] (370) + לִפְנֵ֖י [to·face·of] (170) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3893.
Rashi
“And they bowed down with the people of the land.” [This teaches that] all day long, and also anyone who comes; and in the evening they shall close it [the gate].
Radak
And they bowed down. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"And they bowed down." Here he gives the reason why the gate was not closed, and he says: because the common people would bow down opposite the Temple through the opening of that gate on Sabbaths and on new moons, for then they would be accustomed to come to the Temple.
And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer to Hashem shall be in the sabbath day six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish;
verse value 4160
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 4160 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "six" (שִׁשָּׁ֧ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·he·shall·offer" (אֲשֶׁר־יַקְרִ֥ב, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "that·he·shall·offer" (אֲשֶׁר־יַקְרִ֥ב). The root תמים appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that·he·shall·offer" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·ram" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root כבש ("lambs") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהָ֣עֹלָ֔ה [and·the·burnt-offering] (116) + אֲשֶׁר־יַקְרִ֥ב [that·he·shall·offer] (813) + הַנָּשִׂ֖יא [the·prince] (366) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + הַשַּׁבָּ֗ת [Sabbath] (707) + שִׁשָּׁ֧ה [six] (605) + כְבָשִׂ֛ים [lambs] (372) + תְּמִימִ֖ם [complete] (530) + וְאַ֥יִל [and·ram] (47) + תָּמִֽים [complete] (490) = 4160.
Rashi
"On the Sabbath day, six lambs." I do not know why [this is stated], for the Torah already said "two lambs" (Numbers 28), and "on the Sabbath day" could imply either the regular weekly Sabbath or a Festival day. I say that this "Sabbath" is not the regular weekly Sabbath, but rather a Festival day that requires seven lambs and two rams. And [the verse] comes to teach you that these offerings do not mutually restrict one another: if one does not find seven [lambs], he brings six; and if one does not find two rams, he brings one, as the Sages expounded regarding the New Moon offering.
Radak
And the burnt-offering. He said: What sacrifice should be offered on the Sabbath on behalf of himself and on behalf of the commoner? Six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram. This is not the sacrifice written in the Torah either for the Sabbath or for a festival; rather, it is a novel addition to his sacrifices, as we have written.
Metzudat David
"On the Sabbath day." And this is during the period of the days of the consecration.
“Six, etc.” – This is on account of the consecration offerings, in addition to the sacrifices that the Torah commanded as obligatory for the day:
Malbim
And the burnt-offering: Now he returns to the sacrifices of the training period. The burnt-offering that is to be brought for the training period on the Sabbath during the 190 days of the training period shall be six lambs, in addition to the daily sacrifices.
and the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
verse value 2234
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "gift·of" (מַתַּ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·the·lambs" (וְלַכְּבָשִׂ֥ים, 7 letters). The root מנחה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·the·ram" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "gift·of" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "his·hand" (root יד, 75x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמִנְחָה֙ [and·grain·offering] (109) + אֵיפָ֣ה [ephah] (96) + לָאַ֔יִל [for·the·ram] (71) + וְלַכְּבָשִׂ֥ים [and·for·the·lambs] (408) + מִנְחָ֖ה [gift] (103) + מַתַּ֣ת [gift·of] (840) + יָד֑וֹ [his·hand] (20) + וְשֶׁ֖מֶן [and·oil] (396) + הִ֥ין [hin] (65) + לָאֵיפָֽה [to·the·ephah] (126) = 2234.
Rashi
“His gift by hand.” This teaches that the meal-offerings do not hinder one another.
Radak
"And a meal-offering, according to his ability to give." For the sheep, he shall make a meal-offering according to his financial ability; this is what is meant by "according to his ability to give," as it is stated, "Each man according to his ability to give." And it appears that the meal-offering for the ram shall be an ephah in any case, but for the sheep, it is according to his financial ability.
Metzudat David
"Gift of his hand." According to the giving of his hand, meaning according to the breadth of his hand and the generosity of his heart.
Metzudat Zion
Matat. The word denotes the act of giving:
Malbim
And the ephah offering for the ram, since the ram's offering was established throughout all the days of the consecration, but for the lambs, the offering is according to his ability, meaning that for the lambs he will bring a sixth of an ephah for each lamb, which is the measure of the contribution given to the prince from the flour, as it is written (45:13), "This is the contribution, a sixth of an ephah from the wheat flour," and this measure given to him as a contribution is the measure of the lamb's offering. And so it is explained in the commentary (in chapter 14) that the lamb's offering is a sixth of an ephah, and in verse 7 it says, "according to his ability," which is clear as I have explained.
And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish; and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish;
verse value 3531
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "bull" (פַּ֥ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·day·of" (וּבְי֣וֹם, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 530: complete, complete. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·six" (וְשֵׁ֧שֶׁת). The root תמים appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·ram" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "a·young·bullock" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'complete', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְי֣וֹם [and·in·day·of] (64) + הַחֹ֔דֶשׁ [the·month] (317) + פַּ֥ר [bull] (280) + בֶּן־בָּקָ֖ר [a·young·bullock] (354) + תְּמִימִ֑ם [complete] (530) + וְשֵׁ֧שֶׁת [and·six] (1006) + כְּבָשִׂ֛ים [lamb] (372) + וָאַ֖יִל [and·ram] (47) + תְּמִימִ֥ם [complete] (530) + יִהְיֽוּ [they·will·be] (31) = 3531.
Rashi
"And on the new moon, a bull, a young bull, without blemish." Our Sages expounded upon this verse in Masekhet Menachot: What have we learned? Since it is stated in the Torah (Numbers 28:11), "On your new moons, two young bulls of the herd," from where do we derive that if one cannot find two, he may bring one? Therefore, the verse states, "a bull."
“And six lambs.” What have we learned? Since it is stated in the Torah “seven,” from where do we know that if one does not find seven, he brings six? Therefore it is stated, “And six lambs.” And from where do we know that even one [is sufficient]? The verse teaches: “And for the lambs, according to what his hand can reach.”
Radak
"And on the new moon day." This refers to the offering of the New Moon. It states, "A bull from the herd, unblemished." It says "a bull" (singular) and "unblemished" (plural). Some explain that this means the bull and its mother must both be unblemished, which is a novel interpretation. Furthermore, it says "one bull," whereas the New Moon offering consists of two bulls, as written in the Torah. And it says "six lambs," whereas the Torah writes seven. Regarding the statement of our Sages of blessed memory: What does the Torah mean by saying "a bull"? Since the Torah states "bulls" (plural), from where do we know that if one does not find two, he brings one? The Torah says "a bull." Therefore, it says "unblemished" (plural) to indicate that if he finds two, he brings two, as written in the Torah. And what does the Torah mean by saying "and six lambs"? Since the Torah states seven, from where do we know that if he does not find seven, he brings six? The Torah says "and six." And from where do we know that if he does not find six, he brings five; if he does not find five, he brings four; if he does not find four, he brings three; if he does not find three, he brings two; and even if he brings only one? The Torah says, "and for the lambs, according as his hand reaches." Since it is written "six lambs," what is the need for this? We strive to fulfill the obligation as much as possible. And from where do we know that they restrict each other (i.e., the number of lambs corresponds to the number of bulls)? The Torah says, "let them be."
Metzudat Zion
"Tamimim" (perfect). Like "tamim" (perfect). Or perhaps it is a plural expression, referring to all the bulls of all the beginnings of the months.
and he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as his means suffice, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
verse value 3322
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·bull" (לַפָּ֜ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·the·lambs" (וְלַ֨כְּבָשִׂ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 102: ephah, ephah. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "can·afford" (תַּשִּׂ֖יג). The root איפה appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "for·the·ram" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֵיפָ֨ה [ephah] (102) + לַפָּ֜ר [to·the·bull] (310) + וְאֵיפָ֤ה [ephah] (102) + לָאַ֙יִל֙ [for·the·ram] (71) + יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה [will·do] (385) + מִנְחָ֔ה [gift] (103) + וְלַ֨כְּבָשִׂ֔ים [and·for·the·lambs] (408) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + תַּשִּׂ֖יג [can·afford] (713) + יָד֑וֹ [his·hand] (20) + וְשֶׁ֖מֶן [and·oil] (396) + הִ֥ין [hin] (65) + לָאֵיפָֽה [to·the·ephah] (126) = 3322.
Radak
And an ephah for the bull, and for the lambs according as his hand can reach. As we have explained, that the meal-offering of the lambs is according as his hand can reach. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “An ephah for the bull, and an ephah for the ram.” Rabbi Shimon said: Is the measure for bulls and rams one and the same? Rather, if he had many bulls but they lacked their drink-offerings, he should bring one bull and its drink-offerings, and not bring them all without drink-offerings. And if he had many rams but they lacked their ephahs, he should bring one ram and its ephah, and not all of them without ephahs.
Metzudat David
"And for the sheep, etc." – This means that for the sheep, one brings a meal offering according to one's means, from the abundance of wealth that is with him.
Metzudat Zion
"His hand shall reach." This expression is used to denote the measure of wealth, as in: "According to what his hand shall reach to give" (Leviticus 27:8).
And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
verse value 1617
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "way" (דֶּ֣רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·his·way" (וּבְדַרְכּ֖וֹ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·in·his·way" (וּבְדַרְכּ֖וֹ). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·when·entering" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "way" (root דרך, 105x in Ezekiel); "gate" (root שער, 86x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·prince', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבְב֖וֹא [and·when·entering] (17) + הַנָּשִׂ֑יא [the·prince] (366) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + אוּלָ֤ם [porch·of] (77) + הַשַּׁ֙עַר֙ [gate] (575) + יָב֔וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + וּבְדַרְכּ֖וֹ [and·in·his·way] (238) + יֵצֵֽא [will·go·out] (101) = 1617.
Rashi
And when the Nasi comes: on the day of the new month and on the Sabbath of the beginning, when Israel are not commanded to appear [before the Sanctuary], and he comes to prostrate himself:
Through the porch of the gate he shall enter, and by the same path he shall exit. He exits through that very same gate, and he is not obligated to make the Temple Court into a shortcut. However, on the Festivals, concerning which it is stated (Deuteronomy 16:16), “Every male among you shall appear,” he is obligated to make it a shortcut, like the rest of the people. This is because it is written, “Among them,” meaning, when they enter, they enter together, and when they exit, they exit together.
Radak
“And when the ruler comes, and in his way he goes forth.” It was necessary to state this because the common people do not go forth on the way that they will come, but rather they make a detour, as it says. And it is possible that even the common people do not make a detour on Sabbaths and new moons, but rather they go forth on their way that they will come. And it was necessary to state that this [going forth on their way that they will come] will be on Sabbaths and new moons, but on the festivals they will make a detour like the rest of the people, as it says:
Metzudat David
And when the Nasi comes. When the Nasi comes to stand at the time of the offering of his sacrifices:
"The way of the hall, through the gate he shall enter." This means that he shall not enter through the lower chamber doors that open into the inner courtyard, as there is no hall before them; rather, he shall enter publicly through the great gate, via the hall that extends from the gate outward, as stated above regarding when he comes to eat bread before the Lord.
"And he shall go out in his way." In the path of the gate through which he entered, he shall return and go out.
Malbim
And when the Nasi enters, now he explains another matter: that when the Nasi enters into the Azarah, he need not trouble himself to go around and exit through another gate like the people, for he exits through the Ulam of the gate through which he entered.
But when the people of the land shall come before Hashem in the appointed seasons, he that enters by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth by the way of the south gate; and he that enters by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate; he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth straight before him.
verse value 7889
Insights
Verse structure: 28 words, 118 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·appointed·seasons" (בַּמּוֹעֲדִים֒, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 794: way·gate, way·gate, way·gate, way·gate. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·appointed·seasons" (בַּמּוֹעֲדִים֒), "that·goes·in" (הַבָּ֡א), "to·bow·down" (לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֗ת). The root דרך appears 5 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that·he·came·in" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'north', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 10 words.
Rashi
And when the common people come, etc., by way of the north gate, etc., for opposite it, etc., they shall go out. It is incumbent upon them to appear within the Temple Court in a proper and dignified manner.
Radak
And the commoner: On the Festivals, they should not enter the Court of Israel through the Eastern Gate, but rather through the Northern Gate or through the Southern Gate, in order to walk through the entire Court on the Festivals. One who entered through the Northern Gate would exit opposite it through the Southern Gate, after having bowed down opposite the Temple Gate; and likewise, one who entered through the Southern Gate would exit opposite it through the Northern Gate, after having bowed down opposite the Temple Gate.
"For they went out before Him." With a hireq under the nun, and similarly, "before Him" in the phrase "they shall encamp before Him." The written form "they went out" (יצאו) is written with respect to the people, who are many, while the vocalized reading "he went out" (יצא) applies to each and every individual, as it says, "and he who comes."
Metzudat David
On the festivals. For then the obligation rests upon all of Israel to appear in the Temple Court, as it is written: “Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord, the Lord God” (Exodus 23:17).
“Because it went out opposite to it.” Opposite the place from which it came, it went out.
Metzudat Zion
Nechto. "Before him," like "before his wife" (Genesis 25:21):
Malbim
And regarding "when they come," but at the time when an *am ha'aretz* (commoner) comes to prostrate himself, they do not exit through the gate by which they entered, but rather through the second gate opposite it; for if he entered from the north, he exits from the south. (And it is clarified from this that they have no permission to enter or exit through the eastern gate, even though it is opened on the Sabbath day, as it is stated in the third verse: "And the commoners shall prostrate themselves at the entrance of the gate"; but they have no permission to enter into it.)
And the prince, when they go in, shall go in in the midst of them; and when they go forth, they shall go forth together.
verse value 1556
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "will·go·in" (יָב֔וֹא, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·chieftain" (וְֽהַנָּשִׂ֑יא, 6 letters). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·their·coming" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "in·their·midst" (root תוך, 111x in Ezekiel); "and·as·they·went·forth" (root יצא, 75x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·chieftain', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְֽהַנָּשִׂ֑יא [and·the·chieftain] (372) + בְּתוֹכָ֤ם [in·their·midst] (468) + בְּבוֹאָם֙ [in·their·coming] (51) + יָב֔וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + וּבְצֵאתָ֖ם [and·as·they·went·forth] (539) + יֵצֵֽאוּ [shall·come·forth] (107) = 1556.
Rashi
And the prince: He too, when he enters the Temple Court to come through the southern wicket-gate of the Sanctuary to prostrate himself, is commanded to treat the Temple Court as an alleyway, and he enters through the northern gate and exits through the southern gate, together with the rest of the common people. He enters and exits opposite him through the other gate. This is what is meant by “among them, when they enter, he shall enter, and when they exit, they shall all exit”—the prince together with the rest of the people. And he does not enter through the eastern gate, as is his manner on the new moon and on the Sabbath of the beginning, for the eastern gate has no gate opposite it in the west.
Radak
“And the prince shall be among them.” For he too will enter with them through the northern gate or through the southern gate, for on the Festivals he enters with the people when they come, and he exits with them when they depart, because all of Israel went up there for the pilgrimage, and his honor and glory is to enter with them and to exit with them, as it is stated: “In the multitude of people is the king’s glory.”
And when they go out, they shall go out. The plural form "they shall go out" indicates that they go out together, namely, he and the people.
Metzudat David
And the prince. This means that during the festivals, even the prince would go among the people and with them, for it is the honor of every ruler to walk among a multitude of people.
"When they come": In the manner of their coming, he will come with them; and in the manner of their going out, he will go out with the people. This is not like the manner of his coming on the rest of the days of the year, when he enters through the Eastern Gate and returns by the same path by which he came.
Malbim
And the prince is among them; but at the time when the prince comes into the midst of the people, then he will need to act like the people and enter through the gate of the south or the north, and exit through the gate opposite it, and this is for the honor of the people. For what is stated that the prince exits through the gate by which he entered applies only if he comes alone.
And in the feasts and in the appointed seasons the meal-offering shall be an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
verse value 3209
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·bull" (לַפָּר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·the·appointed·seasons" (וּבַמּוֹעֲדִ֗ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·in·the·festivals" (וּבַחַגִּ֣ים), "and·in·the·appointed·seasons" (וּבַמּוֹעֲדִ֗ים). The root איפה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "for·the·ram" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "gift·of" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבַחַגִּ֣ים [and·in·the·festivals] (69) + וּבַמּוֹעֲדִ֗ים [and·in·the·appointed·seasons] (178) + תִּהְיֶ֤ה [it·will·be] (420) + הַמִּנְחָה֙ [gift] (108) + אֵיפָ֤ה [ephah] (96) + לַפָּר֙ [to·the·bull] (310) + וְאֵיפָ֣ה [ephah] (102) + לָאַ֔יִל [for·the·ram] (71) + וְלַכְּבָשִׂ֖ים [and·for·the·lambs] (408) + מַתַּ֣ת [gift·of] (840) + יָד֑וֹ [his·hand] (20) + וְשֶׁ֖מֶן [and·oil] (396) + הִ֥ין [hin] (65) + לָאֵיפָֽה [to·the·ephah] (126) = 3209.
Radak
“On the festivals and on the appointed times.” And even though all the festivals are called “appointed times,” as it is stated, “These are the appointed times of the Lord,” nevertheless, there is a festival that is not an appointed time, but rather a joyous occasion in which a person rejoices, eats and drinks, and calls it a “festival,” such as the dedication of the Temple, concerning which it is written, “And Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days.” And behold, it is called a festival. Likewise, people eat and drink and celebrate. And there is also an appointed time that is not a festival, such as in the verse, “For signs and for appointed times,” and “At the appointed time I will return to you.” And likewise, any time that a person sets for his fellow. Therefore, the text states, “On the festivals and on the appointed times.”
Metzudat David
"And on the festivals and appointed times." To add further explanation, the duplication of synonymous names, just as "earth of dust" (Daniel 12:2), or perhaps he said this regarding Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, that they will occur during the days of the Miluim [the eight days of consecration], and they will not add sacrifices thereon which are for the sake of the Miluim; but He commanded to add meal-offerings to the fixed sacrifices prescribed in the Torah, besides the meal-offerings appropriate to them according to the laws of the Torah, and these will be for the sake of the Miluim, and therefore their law will be different.
“Gift of his hand.” According to the giving of his hand, meaning according to the breadth of his hand and the generosity of his heart.
Malbim
And on the festivals, namely on the Festival of Weeks, which is called a "Festival" because one brings the peace-offerings of the festival sacrifice, and on the appointed times, namely on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur within the 190 days of the training period, the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the bull; that is to say, then he shall bring one bull, as on the New Moon, and an ephah as its meal-offering, and one ram and an ephah as its meal-offering; and for the lambs, according to his ability, and he shall bring six lambs, as on the New Moon, and a sixth of an ephah for each lamb, as stated above (verse 5). And the general statement regarding the number of sacrifices is because we know that Rosh Hashanah is also a New Moon, and it shall not be diminished from the New Moon.
And when the prince shall prepare a freewill-offering, a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a freewill-offering to Hashem, one shall open for him the gate that looks toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he does on the sabbath day; then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
verse value 9123
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 112 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·peace-offerings" (וְאֶת־שְׁלָמָ֔יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 976: the·gate, the·gate. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·when·he·shall·prepare" (וְכִֽי־יַעֲשֶׂה֩), "or·peace-offerings" (אוֹ־שְׁלָמִים֮), "his·burnt-offering" (אֶת־עֹֽלָתוֹ֙). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "as" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·when·he·shall·prepare" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Sabbath', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And if the prince makes a freewill offering." On the six days of the work.
"And he opened for him the gate, etc." He did not enter into the Temple, but rather stood there, and the priests performed his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he bowed down and went out, as it is stated: "As he did on the Sabbath day." And what is it that it says regarding the Sabbath day? "And he stood by the doorpost of the gate, and the priests performed his burnt-offering, etc."
"After his going out." And one does not say here that the gates will not be closed until evening, as it is stated regarding the Sabbath day, for on the Sabbath day it says, "And the people of the land shall bow down at the opening of that gate"; therefore, they leave it open. But on a weekday, it is not their custom to come to bow down, since each person is occupied with his work; therefore, "and he shall close the gate after his going out."
Radak
"And if the prince makes a voluntary offering" – this applies on weekdays, since his offering has already been mentioned for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the Festivals. Now it states that if he wishes to bring a voluntary offering on weekdays, the gate facing east shall be opened for him; one of the gatekeepers shall open for him the eastern gate through which he enters on Sabbaths and New Moons, which was stated to be closed during the six days of work. And if the prince wishes to sacrifice an offering during the six days of work, that gate shall be opened for him, and that offering shall be like the offering that he brings on the Sabbath day.
"And he went out and closed the gate after his going out." The prince went out, and the one who closes closed the gate after the prince's exit. This is not like on Shabbat and on the new month, where it is stated that it should not be closed until evening, because then the common people are free from their labors. Also, on the day of the new month, due to the sacrifice, many will be free from their labors. Therefore, it is stated that the common people prostrate themselves on Shabbatot and on new months, and they come to prostrate. But on days of labor, the people are occupied with their work and will not come to prostrate. Therefore, the gate is closed after the prince's exit.
Metzudat David
"And when He shall have made..." [referring to the six weekdays]:
"And He opened for him, etc." – to enter through it.
"And he shall make..." The priest who is serving shall offer his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings while he is standing there.
“Just as He shall do on the Sabbath day.” This teaches that the sacrifices are offered while he is there, and it states “on the Sabbath day,” and the same applies to the New Moon day, but it was not mentioned in order to be concise.
“And he shall go out.” And as soon as he goes out, the one who closes shall immediately shut the gate after his departure. For on the Sabbath and on the new moon, the people are free from labor, and it is their custom to come to worship before the Lord; therefore, the gate shall remain open all day. But on the six days of work, they are occupied with their labor, and no one comes to worship; therefore, it shall be shut immediately after his departure.
Malbim
"And when he shall make" — here it expounds the law of the prince on weekdays. Although on weekdays the inner gate remains closed (as stated above in verse 1), if the prince offers a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a voluntary offering, the gate shall be opened for him in his honor even on weekdays. However, it shall be closed after his departure, for on weekdays the people do not come to prostrate themselves, as they do on the Sabbath and the New Moon.
And you shall prepare a lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering to Hashem daily; morning by morning shall you prepare it.
verse value 4444
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "to·the·day" (לַיּ֖וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "it" (אֹתֽוֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·its·year" (בֶּן־שְׁנָת֜וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 775: you·will·do, you·will·do. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·lamb" (וְכֶ֨בֶשׂ), "son·of·its·year" (בֶּן־שְׁנָת֜וֹ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "you·will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "son·of·its·year" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכֶ֨בֶשׂ [and·lamb] (328) + בֶּן־שְׁנָת֜וֹ [son·of·its·year] (808) + תָּמִ֗ים [complete] (490) + תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה [you·will·do] (775) + עוֹלָ֛ה [burnt-offering] (111) + לַיּ֖וֹם [to·the·day] (86) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + בַּבֹּ֥קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + בַּבֹּ֖קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה [you·will·do] (775) + אֹתֽוֹ [it] (407) = 4444.
Rashi
"And a lamb in its first year" – the daily burnt-offering.
Radak
"And a lamb in its first year, without blemish." This is the daily offering that they perform every day, as it is stated in the Torah: "You shall make one lamb in the morning." And the meal-offering is not like what is recorded in the Torah. Behold, there will be a novelty in the future, and the evening offering is not mentioned; it appears that it will not be performed in the future, but only the morning burnt-offering.
Metzudat David
"And a lamb..." – This too refers to the duration of the days of the Inauguration, indicating that in addition to the fixed daily offerings, he was to bring one additional one-year-old lamb every morning for the sake of the Inauguration.
Malbim
"And a lamb" – now he expounds the law of the dedication [chinuch] for the weekdays of the 190 days of the dedication, wherein each day he is to offer a lamb as a burnt-offering (besides the lamb of the continual offering), and the burnt-offering of dedication is to be brought only each morning.
And you shall prepare a meal-offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour: a meal-offering to Hashem continually by a perpetual ordinance.
verse value 6694
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "to·moisten" (לָרֹ֣ס, 3 letters) and the longest is "third" (שְׁלִישִׁ֥ית, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 304: in·the·morning, in·the·morning. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "third" (שְׁלִישִׁ֥ית), "to·moisten" (לָרֹ֣ס), "the·fine·flour" (אֶת־הַסֹּ֑לֶת). The root מנחה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "with·it" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "you·shall·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·fine·flour', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
The sixth ephah. [This is] the Jerusalem ephah, which is one-fifth of the Wilderness ephah, and they are two omer-measures: one for the daily meal-offering and one for the griddle-cakes. And even though the griddle-cakes are offered in halves, he brings in the morning a full omer and divides it in half, as we learned in Tractate Menachot.
To crush the fine flour. In the vernacular, *ilfrisir*; some say *imlilir* in the vernacular. “To crush the fine flour” means to pound and mix it with the fine flour; this is the language of “shattering,” as it is written (Amos 6:11): “And I will strike the great house with fragments.” It is also the language of the Mishnah: “If it was thick or shattered.”
Radak
"And the meal-offering" – to sprinkle the fine flour, [meaning] to mix the fine flour with oil, as it is stated in the Torah: "mixed with oil." And according to Targum Jonathan: "to mix the fine flour." And the term "to sprinkle" (לרוס) denotes the act of pouring, similar to "the drops of the night" (רסיסי לילה).
Metzudat David
"You shall make upon it." Upon the additional lamb, which was added for the sake of the inauguration rites.
"To moisten the fine flour": To pour [oil] and moisten the fine flour with it, so that it becomes dampened by it.
“An offering to the Lord.” This means that this shall be an offering to the Lord, in addition to the continual offering mentioned in the Torah.
"Everlasting statutes for all generations." It is connected to the subsequent biblical verse to teach: Do not think that because of this burnt offering and this meal offering, they will cease from bringing the daily burnt offering and meal offering and the oil mentioned in the Torah, for "everlasting statutes" – they shall always perform the lamb, etc.
Metzudat Zion
To sprinkle. The matter of pouring and dripping is like the drops of the night (Song of Songs 5:2):
The fine flour. Fine flour:
Malbim
“And you shall make a meal offering upon it, etc.”—one-sixth of an ephah, which is the measure of the meal offering of the lamb during the days of the consecration, as stated above; and one-third of a hin of oil. Although, according to the calculation, he should have brought one-sixth of a hin, for the calculation is one hin to an ephah, and one-sixth of a hin to one-sixth of an ephah, it is explained that this is in order to pour out the fine flour and soften it with much oil. “A meal offering to the Lord, a statute forever, continually”—meaning, all that I have explained until now applies only to the commandment of the meal offering of the consecration, and it is only for a time, not forever. But besides this, he shall bring the meal offering specifically designated for the Lord, which is a statute forever, continually: that he shall bring the meal offerings of the continual offerings every morning, according to its law.
Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt-offering.
verse value 4381
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 4381 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·they·will·do" ((ועשו), 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·meal-offering" (וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֛ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 304: in·the·morning, in·the·morning. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·lamb" (אֶת־הַכֶּ֧בֶשׂ), "and·the·oil" (וְאֶת־הַשֶּׁ֖מֶן), "burnt-offering·of" (עוֹלַ֖ת). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "burnt-offering·of" (root עלה, 61x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·morning', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: (ועשו) [and·they·will·do] (382) + יַעֲשׂ֨וּ [they·will·do] (386) + אֶת־הַכֶּ֧בֶשׂ [the·lamb] (728) + וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֛ה [and·the·meal-offering] (515) + וְאֶת־הַשֶּׁ֖מֶן [and·the·oil] (802) + בַּבֹּ֣קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + בַּבֹּ֑קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + עוֹלַ֖ת [burnt-offering·of] (506) + תָּמִֽיד [continually] (454) = 4381.
Radak
"And they shall make." It is written with a vav, and read with a yod, "They shall make," and the number is one, for "and they shall make" is equivalent to "they shall make."
Metzudat David
"In the morning." In every morning they shall offer it, and it is the continual burnt-offering without interruption; as if to say: behold, on account of the consecration offerings they will add this one, but they will not subtract from what the Torah stated.
Malbim
"And they shall make" – meaning that the offering of the Tamid (the daily sacrifice) shall not be suspended on account of the lamb that is brought for the consecration [of the altar]. Rather, even amidst all these [consecration sacrifices], they shall perform the lamb, namely the lamb of the Tamid, along with its meal-offering and its oil, in accordance with the laws of the Tamid: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour for the meal-offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. "Morning by morning" – the Tamid burnt-offering – meaning that the Tamid burnt-offering shall be brought in accordance with the Torah’s prescription every morning. And all the more so shall the Tamid of the afternoon not be suspended. Indeed, the prophet himself explained his words, stating that all [the aforementioned sacrifices] are for the consecration [of the altar], and the obligatory sacrifices of the day shall not be suspended.
Thus says the Lord Hashem: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.
verse value 3752
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "it" (הִ֖יא, 3 letters) and the longest is "thus·says" (כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 16: it, it. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "if·he·shall·give" (כִּֽי־יִתֵּ֨ן), "from·his·sons" (מִבָּנָ֔יו), "to·his·sons" (לְבָנָ֣יו). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·says" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·will·be', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: When the prince gives a gift. If he gives during his lifetime a gift to a man from among his sons, that gift is established forever, for it is his inheritance and it shall be for his sons after his death. If so, what he gives from it to one during his lifetime ought to be established, for just so will he bequeath them after his death, for it is their portion in inheritance.
Metzudat David
"When he gives..." — If the prince gives, during his lifetime, some of his inheritance to one of his sons.
"His inheritance it is." This is as if to say: Behold, the gift is established, for is it not his inheritance? And it shall be for his sons after his death, for it is their possession by inheritance. That is to say, the sons shall take possession of his inheritance. If so, what difference is there to me whether it is during his lifetime or after his death?
Metzudat Zion
Their possession. The matter of chazakah (presumptive right):
Malbim
"When a prince gives a gift to one of his sons, it is his inheritance" — this means that its legal status is not that of a gift, which would revert in the Jubilee year, but rather that of an inheritance; it shall belong to the sons of his son, and it shall not revert to the brothers in the Jubilee year. And he explains the reason: for it is their possession by inheritance. Since, in any case, he would inherit it, therefore it does not revert in the Jubilee. And even according to what we hold that brothers who have divided their property are considered purchasers, nevertheless, he takes his share against his portion, and thus its legal status is that of an inheritance.
But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.
verse value 5578
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לּוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לּוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·he·shall·give" (וְכִֽי־יִתֵּ֨ן, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·if·he·shall·give" (וְכִֽי־יִתֵּ֨ן), "from·his·inheritance" (מִנַּחֲלָת֗וֹ), "from·his·servants" (מֵֽעֲבָדָ֔יו). The root נחלה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·if·he·shall·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·chieftain', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
The year of release. The year of Jubilee:
"And you shall return." Like "and she shall return."
"Only his inheritance shall be his sons': Just as it says 'Only to his sons shall his inheritance be,' and it shall not be given permanently to another."
Radak
"And if he gives." But if the prince gives a gift to one of his slaves, it shall not remain in effect except until the year of release, which is the Jubilee year, as it is stated: "You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land."
"And it shall return to the prince." That inheritance, or the gift mentioned, is like "and it shall return to her father's house," where the tav takes the place of the he, like "for your hand is weakened" and similar cases.
"Only his inheritance shall be his sons'." "Only his inheritance"—the inheritance of his sons it is, and to them it shall belong. And similarly, "Your throne, O God"—"Your throne"—the throne of God it is.
Metzudat David
And it shall be his. To that slave:
“And until the year of release.” Until the Jubilee, the slave shall remain in possession of it, and in the Jubilee it shall return to the prince.
"Only his inheritance." The prince's inheritance is fitting only for his sons; therefore, it shall be theirs after the prince's death, when it will no longer remain in the servant's hand.
Metzudat Zion
Hadrur. So is the Jubilee called, for it is a matter of freedom, as it is written: “And you shall proclaim liberty” (Leviticus 25:10).
"And it shall return." Like "and it shall return."
Malbim
"And if he shall give"—but if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall return in the Jubilee to the prince, so that only his inheritance shall be for his sons; that is to say, his inheritance shall be only for his sons, only for them shall it be, and it shall not pass to strangers. And there is a dispute regarding a gift as to whether its law is like that of a sale, such that it returns in the Jubilee. And according to the one who says that a gift does not return in the Jubilee, the law of the prince is different in this matter, as the reason will be explained.
Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them wrongfully out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession; that My people be not scattered every man from his possession.’
verse value 5021
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·shall·take" (וְלֹא־יִקַּ֨ח, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 462: from·his·holding, from·his·holding. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·not·shall·take" (וְלֹא־יִקַּ֨ח), "from·inheritance·of" (מִנַּחֲלַ֣ת), "to·oppress·them" (לְהֽוֹנֹתָם֙). The root אחזה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "man" (root איש, 84x in Ezekiel); "and·not·shall·take" (root לקח, 65x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Radak
"And the prince shall not take" – so as not to defraud them. As its Targum translates: "to defraud them," as we explained above, "[And the princes shall no longer defraud My people]."
Metzudat David
To deceive them of their possession. To oppress them of what? Of their possession, their inheritance, to bequeath it to his sons; and only from his own possession will he bequeath to his sons.
Metzudat Zion
"to defraud them." The meaning of "oppression" is similar to "and they shall no longer oppress" (above, 45):
Yifotzu. The meaning of "pazor" is like "niftsu tzano" (above 34):
Malbim
"And he shall take no possession," so that the prince shall not take from the inheritance of the people. For if his gifts were to be effective and his inheritance transferred to strangers, he would be compelled to defraud the people and take their inheritance in order to bequeath it to his sons. And it has already been explained (in section 45, chapter 8) that therefore he was given a portion in the land like one of the tribes, so that he would not need to defraud the people and take their inheritance. And by means of the fact that he will not be able to give his inheritance as a permanent gift, thereby he will bequeath his holding to his sons, "so that My people shall not be scattered," as stated in the preceding verses, where they took the people's fields, and the people were scattered from their holding due to fear and terror. But when he will have an inheritance in the land, he will not come to do this.
Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which looked toward the north; and, behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward.
verse value 5951
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·chambers·of" (אֶל־הַלִּשְׁכ֤וֹת, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·entrance" (בַמָּבוֹא֮), "to·the·chambers·of" (אֶל־הַלִּשְׁכ֤וֹת), "that·turn" (הַפֹּנ֖וֹת). The root ירכה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·priests" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·he·brought·me" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'north', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
“And He brought me to the entrance.” This refers to the passage of the channel located in the corner of the Chamber of the Changers, through which one enters the airspace of twenty [cubits] that lies between the chambers in the north and the cells of the Temple.
"Which is on the shoulder of the gate." The northern gate; the shoulder of the gate is that which is to the west of the gate.
The corners were to the north. They had openings facing the outer courtyard to the north, and they had openings to the air of the twenty.
In the rear parts, towards the west. At the end of the Lishkot, to the west.
Radak
"And He brought me into the entrance that was at the shoulder of the gate." We have already explained above that what is after the gate is called "shoulder."
"To the chambers of the Holy." It comes with the definite article *ha-* (the), like "the kingdoms" and "the land."
"To the priests." That they should be for the priests, as it was stated above: "which the priests shall eat there."
"The ones facing north"—this is what was stated above: "and their openings toward the north."
And behold, there is a place at the rear, toward the west. As its Targum [renders it]: “at their rear, toward the west,” just as [it says], “and to the rear of the Tabernacle, toward the west,” meaning, on the western side.
Metzudat David
"And He brought me." The angel who spoke with me brought me in the manner of entry that was previously described: at the gate of the north of the inner court, at the end of the wall toward the west, by way of the channel that is open, as it is stated, "and before the chambers, etc., by way of one channel" (above 42).
"To the chambers of the Holy Place. By way of that entrance, He brought me to the side of the chambers, to the place of the priests, not to the side of the annexes and the side chambers, which are also called by the name 'chambers.'"
“Those facing north” – to the chambers located in the northern corner.
And behold, there. I saw there a distinct place, enclosed on all sides, within the entire width of the twenty-cubit air space between the chambers, at the end of the space facing west.
Metzudat Zion
At the entrance. By way of entry:
Keteif. Side and edge:
The ones turning aside. From the language of “turning aside” (hefen):
At their ends. At the extremities and boundaries, like “and the ends of the Tabernacle” (Exodus 26).
Malbim
“And He brought me to the entrance of the gate” – until now, he had stood in the Court of Israel, near the North Gate, as mentioned above (44:4). Now he exited from the North Gate and arrived at the path running along the shoulder of the gate, which is the ten-cubit path where the entrance from the east to the west is located, in front of the Chamber of Fifty. From there, he would come along the wall of the courtyard to the ten-cubit path in front of the Chamber of Twenty (as stated above, 42:9, 10, 11), and there they brought him into the Chamber of Twenty (through the one-cubit entrance through which they entered from the north side, as stated above, ibid., verse 4). These are the Holy Chambers, which were sanctified with the sanctity of the Temple Court. And he saw that in the Chamber of Twenty, which is on the western side, there was a place prepared for cooking.
And he said to me: ‘This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt-offering and the sin-offering, where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they bring them not forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people.’
verse value 6546
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 91 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·sin-offering" (וְאֶת־הַחַטָּ֑את, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: where, where. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·guilt-offering" (אֶת־הָאָשָׁ֖ם), "and·the·sin-offering" (וְאֶת־הַחַטָּ֑את), "they·will·bake" (יֹאפוּ֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "where" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·court" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·sin-offering', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
“L’bilti hotsi’a” – “in order not to take out.” Just as “lehotsi’a” – “to take out” – teaches that most holy sacrifices become disqualified when they leave the Sanctuary.
"To sanctify the people." The Targum: "to be joined with the people."
Radak
And He said to me, “The guilt-offering and the sin-offering.” For their flesh was eaten by the priests.
“Which they shall bake as a meal-offering.” And “which they shall bake there as a meal-offering”—and it too is called Most Holy.
So as not to bring [the sacrificial meat] out to the outer courtyard. The Court of Israel, as it is stated, “And they shall not go out from the Sanctuary to the outer courtyard.” It teaches that just as they were warned not to exit to the courtyard while wearing the priestly garments, so too they were warned not to bring out there the flesh of the Most Holy Things and the meal offering, which become disqualified if they exit their designated place. And even though they would not have become disqualified had they exited to the Court of Israel, for that too is a holy place for the consumption of the Most Holy Things, nevertheless, if they had brought the flesh there, it would appear that the Israelites, too, were permitted to partake of that flesh. This is what is meant by “to sanctify the people,” as it was stated above, “They shall not sanctify the people with their garments,” as we have explained. And likewise, Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “And they shall not mingle with the people.” Or perhaps they were bringing it out to the Court of Women, and it would have become disqualified had it exited there.
Metzudat David
“Lest they take them out, etc.” That place shall be designated specifically for this purpose, so that one will not carry them out after they have been cooked to the outer courtyard. What is meant by “outer courtyard”? It refers to the area trodden by the feet of the Israelites, which is external to the area trodden by the feet of the priests. For if they were to cook them in the Azarah, in the area trodden by the feet of the priests, it would be easy for them to forget to carry them out to the area trodden by the feet of the Israelites. This would not be the case if they were cooked in that [designated] place, because since they are taken out from there through a narrow breach, they will be mindful of the matter and will not carry them out [to the wrong place]. (Even though they will inevitably carry them out from there to bring them to the chamber situated below and above, in order to eat them there, nevertheless, since this is merely a passage of transit, there is no concern, for in this instance they will not assume that the people are also sanctified to eat them.)
"To sanctify the people." This means that if they were to bring them there, it would appear that the people too are sanctified like them, to eat with them in the Holy of Holies.
Metzudat Zion
They shall bake. From the language of baking:
Malbim
And He said to me: “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt-offering.” For there was a place for boiling the peace-offerings in the courtyards of the incense, which will be explained in verse 21, and they were in the outer court, in the corner of the courtyard, which had not been sanctified with the sanctity of the Temple Court. And He showed him that for boiling the Most Holy Things there is a specific place in a sanctified area, so that one would not take them out to the outer court to sanctify the people. This is by way of a rhetorical expression: that one would take out the sacred from its domain to the people and the profane, as if the sanctity were to be detached from the sacred and transferred to the people and the profane, just as it is said: “And they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.”
Then he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
verse value 4234
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "court" (חָצֵר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·He·brought·me·out" (וַיּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 303: court, court, court. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·He·brought·me·out" (וַיּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי), "corners·of" (מִקְצוֹעֵ֣י). The root חצר appears 5 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·court" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·He·brought·me·out" (root יצא, 75x in Ezekiel); "to·four·of" (root ארבע, 59x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'court', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי [and·He·brought·me·out] (183) + אֶל־הֶחָצֵר֙ [to·the·court] (334) + הַחִ֣יצוֹנָ֔ה [outer] (174) + וַיַּ֣עֲבִרֵ֔נִי [and·he·caused·me·to·pass] (348) + אֶל־אַרְבַּ֖עַת [to·four·of] (704) + מִקְצוֹעֵ֣י [corners·of] (316) + הֶחָצֵ֑ר [court] (303) + וְהִנֵּ֤ה [and·behold] (66) + חָצֵר֙ [court] (298) + בְּמִקְצֹ֣עַ [in·turning·of] (302) + הֶחָצֵ֔ר [court] (303) + חָצֵ֖ר [court] (298) + בְּמִקְצֹ֥עַ [in·turning·of] (302) + הֶחָצֵֽר [court] (303) = 4234.
Rashi
Mikhtzei. Angles, in the vernacular:
Radak
"And He brought me out to the outer courtyard." This is the Women's Court.
"And He brought me to the four corners of the courtyard." The corners of the courtyard:
And behold, a courtyard at the corner of the courtyard. In each of its four corners there was a courtyard, and these courtyards were chambers. And so we learned in the Mishnah of Middot: “How was the Women's Court? It was 135 cubits in length, and there were four chambers at its four corners, each forty by forty cubits, and they were not roofed; and thus they are destined to be, as it is said: 'And He brought me out to the outer courtyard, and He passed me by the four corners of the courtyard, and behold, a courtyard at the corner of the courtyard' (Ezekiel 40:17). At the four corners of the courtyard there were enclosed courtyards [chatzerot keturot]. 'Keturot' means nothing other than [resembling] 'roofed' [mekurot] — [courtyards] that were not roofed. And what were their functions? The southeast one was the Chamber of the Nazirites, where the Nazirites cooked their peace offerings, shaved their hair, and cast it beneath the cauldron. The northeast one was the Chamber of the Woodpile, where the priests with blemishes would inspect the wood; any log in which a worm was found was disqualified from the top of the altar. The northwest one was the Chamber of the Lepers. As for the southwest one, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said: 'I have forgotten what it served.' Abba Shaul says: 'There they placed wine and oil, and it was called the Chamber of Beth Shemani.' And it was smooth at first, etc., as written there, and I have written it above.
Metzudat David
And He brought me out. By the way of the open canal:
And behold, a courtyard at the corner of the courtyard. I saw that in all four corners of the courtyard there was one small courtyard building in each corner:
Metzudat Zion
Corners. Angles; and likewise, "and its corners to it" (above, 41):
Malbim
"And He brought me out from there" – they brought him out to the outer courtyard, and he saw that in every corner there was a special courtyard:
In the four corners of the court there were courts inclosed, forty cubits long and thirty broad; these four in the corners were of one measure.
verse value 6455
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "length" (אֹ֔רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·the·four·of·them" (לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֖ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·four·of" (בְּאַרְבַּ֜עַת), "corners·of" (מִקְצֹע֤וֹת), "courts" (חֲצֵר֣וֹת). The root ארבע appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "one" (root אחד, 104x in Ezekiel); "in·four·of" (root ארבע, 59x in Ezekiel); "breadth" (root רחב, 58x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'breadth', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּאַרְבַּ֜עַת [in·four·of] (675) + מִקְצֹע֤וֹת [corners·of] (706) + הֶחָצֵר֙ [court] (303) + חֲצֵר֣וֹת [courts] (704) + קְטֻר֔וֹת [enclosed] (715) + אַרְבָּעִ֣ים [forty] (323) + אֹ֔רֶךְ [length] (221) + וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים [and·thirty] (686) + רֹ֑חַב [breadth] (210) + מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + אַחַ֔ת [one] (409) + לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֖ם [for·the·four·of·them] (743) + מְׄהֻׄקְׄצָׄעֽׄוֹׄתׄ [scraped] (711) = 6455.
Rashi
The roofed courtyards. We learned in the tractate Middot: “There are no roofed courtyards except those that are not covered,” and there it explains what their service entailed.
From the corners. In the corner of the courtyard’s corners:
Radak
In the length, forty. The Mishnah stated "in the length" to imply that in the width, it was only thirty, as it says, "forty in length and thirty in width." This applies to all four [altars], according to one measure, from the corners.
"From the corners." It is a passive form from the Hif'il binyan, from [the root] hakatzia (ק-צ-ע), and its meaning is "its corners were cut off/marked." This word is dotted above, and it is one of the fifteen words in the Bible that are dotted. And the term "ketorot," according to the simple meaning, is like "keshurot" (tied/bound); and the Targum [renders] "vatikasher" as "vekitrat," meaning [the courtyards] were attached to the corners of the courtyard and tied to them. This follows the pattern of "vatikasher ha-choma" (and the wall was joined), and likewise Targum Yonatan [elsewhere] renders it "mekatrin" (bound). However, in the Mishnah, the meaning of "ketorot" is [that they resemble] "mekurot" (roofed) — [courtyards] that were not roofed, as we have written, because they did not have a roof above them; therefore, he called them "chatzerot" (courtyards).
Metzudat David
“On the four sides.” This means that the courtyards located at the four corners were smoky courtyards. This means that they were not roofed over, but were open from above, so that the smoke from the burning of the fire could rise up. Thus our Sages of blessed memory said.
Forty cubits in length, from east to west:
And thirty cubits was its breadth, from north to south:
“Of the four, from the corners.” This means that it was so for the four courtyards that were situated in the corners of the outer courtyard.
Metzudat Zion
Incense. The matter of smoke is like “the smoke of the furnace” (Genesis 19:28):
“From the corners.” Like “from the corners,” meaning from the angles.
Malbim
"Courts of incense": This means that they were roofless from above, so that the smoke and fumes could escape. Forty [cubits] was the length, running from east to west, and the width ran from north to south. This is necessary, for if the length had run from north to south, there would have been no place for the Hall of the Hundred, as you will see from the words above in section 42 (verse 1).
And there was a row of masonry round about in them, round about the four, and it was made with boiling-places under the rows round about.
verse value 3881
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּהֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·four" (לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 74: around, around, around. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·row·of" (וְט֨וּר), "and·cooking places" (וּמְבַשְּׁל֣וֹת), "the·encampments" (הַטִּיר֖וֹת). The root סביב appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "made" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "in·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel); "around" (root סביב, 112x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·four', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְט֨וּר [and·row·of] (221) + סָבִ֥יב [around] (74) + בָּהֶ֛ם [in·them] (47) + סָבִ֖יב [around] (74) + לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ם [to·their·four] (743) + וּמְבַשְּׁל֣וֹת [and·cooking places] (784) + עָשׂ֔וּי [made] (386) + מִתַּ֥חַת [from·under] (848) + הַטִּיר֖וֹת [the·encampments] (630) + סָבִֽיב [around] (74) = 3881.
Rashi
And a row around them. A row of stones of a wall that protrudes from the wall near the ground, and in it are holes, the place where the bases of the pots fit, and beneath the row is a cavity to kindle a fire beneath it, and the pots are above.
"And from the boiling vessels it is made." This refers to the hollow space beneath the placement of the pots.
Radak
And a wall all around. There was a stone wall built around these chambers, and it was low enough to place pots upon it. That wall was made with holes, and beneath them was a hollow space in order to kindle fire there. This is what it says: “And the cooking places were made beneath the rows of stone,” meaning that the place for kindling fire was made beneath, and the pots were placed on the holes of the wall. They were made like small walls. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “And they made courses of stone for them all around on their four sides, and a place prepared for cooking was made beneath the courses.”
And the cooking pots. This is a proper name, meaning places made for cooking, and its weight is included in "and all the cauldrons and pots."
Metzudat David
And a row around them. A row of broad stones protruded from the wall of the courtyard all around, near the ground, and in it were holes, holes, and in them they would place the pots to cook in them the flesh of holy things.
“Around all four of them.” So it was around the four courtyards:
And they were made for cooking. This means that there were places constructed for cooking and for kindling the fire, located beneath those rows, in the space between them down to the ground, and the pots would stand above in the openings of the rows, and thus was the manner of the cooking.
Metzudat Zion
And the Tur. The matter of a row, and likewise three rows of hewn stone (I Kings 6:36):
Malbim
“And a row” – rows of stones extended around the wall, made like settings for pots [i.e., hearths on which pots are set], and beneath them were cooking-places for kindling a fire to cook.
Then said he to me: ‘These are the boiling-places, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifices of the people.’
verse value 4262
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֚לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלָ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·boiling-places" (הַֽמְבַשְּׁלִ֔ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·boiling-places" (הַֽמְבַשְּׁלִ֔ים), "the·sacrifice of" (אֶת־זֶ֥בַח). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "where" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + אֵ֚לֶּה [these] (36) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + הַֽמְבַשְּׁלִ֔ים [the·boiling-places] (427) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [where] (501) + יְבַשְּׁלוּ־שָׁ֛ם [they·shall·boil·there] (688) + מְשָׁרְתֵ֥י [ministers·of] (950) + הַבַּ֖יִת [the·house] (417) + אֶת־זֶ֥בַח [the·sacrifice of] (418) + הָעָֽם [the·people] (115) = 4262.
Rashi
"The people's sacrifice": The breast and the thigh of the peace-offerings, which do not become disqualified by being taken outside the Court of Israel, unlike the sin-offering and the guilt-offering.
Radak
"And He said to me, 'These are the house of the cooks.'" This is like "the houses of the cooks," and it follows the pattern of a general statement. Similarly, "[You shall not] sit a woman for me in the house of David, king of Israel, for they are holy," which is like "in my house," meaning the places of cooking in which they cook. And "the cooks" can be understood as active participle, meaning the men who cook; or "ha-mevashlim" can be a noun for the places of cooking or for the pots, like "the cooking-places (mevashlot)" mentioned earlier. And Jonathan translated: "That place is prepared for cooking."
"The sacrifice of the people." These are the peace-offerings in which the people have a share, for the breast and the thigh belong to the priests, and the remainder of the flesh belongs to the owners; therefore they are called "the sacrifice of the people." The ministers of the House, who are the priests, would cook [their portions] in those places that were in the Court of Women, namely their share of the peace-offerings, which is the breast and the thigh, for the Court of Women is a valid place for the consumption of lightly holy things, and even outside it, up to the walls of Jerusalem, for they may be eaten throughout the city. And the Israelites would also eat there, in the Court of Women, their share, if they so desired.
Metzudat David
"And He said unto me." The angel who spoke with me said to me: "These courts are the house of the cooks." And to add to the explanation, he said: "Wherein they shall boil there," etc.
"The sacrifice of the people." This means the peace-offerings in which the people have a share, and the priests who serve in the Temple shall cook their portion of the peace-offerings in these places, namely the breast and the thigh, for the outer courtyard is a valid place for eating the lightly holy sacrifices.
Malbim
And He said to me, “These are the chambers of the cooks, where they cook the peace-offerings and thank-offerings, as well as the breast and the thigh that are taken by the priests, which are eaten in any place.”
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim