Ezekiel 45:20

Study note

Setting — The prophet Ezekiel records God’s command to the priests regarding the ritual calendar for the restored temple. This instruction follows a directive to apply sin offering blood to the temple’s doorposts and altar, and precedes the Passover regulations.

The words — The Hebrew phrase וְ/כִפַּרְתֶּ֖ם (ve./khi.par.Tem) translates to "and you will make atonement," while שֹׁגֶ֖ה (sho.Geh) means "[who] errs." These terms specify the ritual action and the condition of the person requiring it.

The thread — The provision for unintentional errors connects to Leviticus 4:27, which outlines offerings for common people who sin unknowingly, and Leviticus 16:20, which describes the priest purifying the Most Holy Place and altar. The psalmist’s plea in Psalms 19:12 acknowledges the human inability to discern hidden faults without divine cleansing.

Why it lands — The text requires the priest to perform a specific blood ritual on the seventh day of the month to cleanse the temple for those who err unknowingly. It establishes that ritual atonement addresses both intentional violations and unintentional transgressions within the worship system.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.