“Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 42:13 Mean?
Ezekiel's vision of the restored Temple includes detailed instructions about the holy chambers where priests eat the sacred offerings. The chambers are designated for specific purposes: eating the most holy things, storing the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. "The place is holy."
The specificity of the chambers — north and south, for different types of offerings — shows that holiness requires structure. The restored Temple isn't a vague spiritual space; it's an organized, designated, purpose-built environment where every room has a specific function and every function serves holiness.
The phrase "the priests that approach unto the LORD" identifies the chambers' users: they're for people whose job is to draw near to God. The closer you get to God's presence, the more specific the requirements become. Approaching the LORD is the most structured activity in the Temple, not the most casual.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What structure supports your spiritual life — specific times, places, or practices?
- 2.How does Ezekiel's architectural holiness challenge the idea that spirituality should be purely spontaneous?
- 3.What 'holy chamber' — designated space for sacred activity — do you need to establish?
- 4.How does organization serve holiness rather than restricting it?
Devotional
Holy chambers. Specific rooms for specific purposes. The priests eat here. The offerings are stored there. The place is holy — and the holiness is expressed through organization, not just atmosphere.
Ezekiel's vision of the restored Temple is strikingly detailed — measurements, materials, room assignments, designated functions. Holiness in this vision isn't a feeling or a mood. It's an architecture. It's rooms with assigned purposes. It's offerings stored in the right place. It's priests eating in the designated chamber, not wherever they feel like.
This challenges the modern instinct that spirituality should be spontaneous and unstructured. Ezekiel's Temple is the opposite: every square cubit is assigned. Every room has a purpose. Every activity has a location. The holiness of the space is maintained through meticulous organization.
This doesn't mean your spiritual life needs to be rigid or legalistic. But it does mean that structure serves holiness. Having a specific place to pray, a specific time for Scripture, a specific rhythm for worship — these aren't obstacles to spiritual experience. They're the chambers where the holy things are kept.
What are the 'holy chambers' of your spiritual life? Where do you keep the sacred things? Where do you eat the offerings? If the answer is 'nowhere specific,' Ezekiel's Temple suggests you might need some architecture.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then said he unto me,.... The divine Person that measured and described these chambers, and brought the prophet to take…
In Lev 10:13 it was prescribed that the priests should eat of the sacrifices in the “holy place.” This was originally…
The prophet has taken a very exact view of the temple and the buildings belonging to it, and is now brought again into…
Uses to which the chambers were put.
These cells serve two purposes: the priests shall eat in them the most holy…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture