Read & explore together
The Courts for Boiling and Baking
Ezekiel 46:19–24 describes special places in the temple complex for priests and ministers to boil and bake offerings. The passage reads like guided instruction, showing careful boundaries between holy work in inner rooms and the people’s sacrifices in outer areas.
Understanding the passage
The setting of this message
In these verses, Ezekiel is shown a sequence of places connected with temple service. The guide first brings him to holy rooms for priests on the north side, then to the outer court and its four corners. Each place is identified by its purpose in preparing offerings and sacrifices.
Ezekiel 46:19–24Main takeaway
This passage teaches that the temple’s spaces and duties are ordered carefully, with particular places set apart for preparing holy offerings and the people’s sacrifices.
Explore the message
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01A place beside the gateThe guide brings Ezekiel through an entry at the side of the gate into holy rooms for the priests, facing north.
Explanation
The guide brings Ezekiel through an entry at the side of the gate into holy rooms for the priests, facing north. There he sees a place at the back, toward the west. The passage begins by locating this area clearly, showing that this is a designated part of the temple layout rather than a general open space.
02Why priests use this placeThe guide explains the purpose of this western place. Priests are to boil the trespass offering and sin offering there, and bake the meal offering there.
Explanation
The guide explains the purpose of this western place. Priests are to boil the trespass offering and sin offering there, and bake the meal offering there. The reason given is important: these holy things are not to be brought into the outer court in a way that would sanctify the people.
03Four matching corner courtsNext, Ezekiel is taken into the outer court and shown its four corners. In every corner there is a court.
Explanation
Next, Ezekiel is taken into the outer court and shown its four corners. In every corner there is a court. The passage adds measurements, forty cubits long and thirty wide, and notes that all four are the same size. The matching dimensions suggest an ordered and repeated arrangement.
04Boiling houses for the people’s sacrificesThese corner courts have walls around them, and boiling places are built under the surrounding walls.
Explanation
These corner courts have walls around them, and boiling places are built under the surrounding walls. The guide then names them: they are the boiling houses where the ministers of the house boil the sacrifice of the people. This distinguishes their role from the priestly rooms mentioned earlier.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What offerings are prepared in the place behind the priests’ holy rooms?
Look at the three offerings named there and notice both boiling and baking are mentioned.
02Why are these offerings not brought out into the outer court?
Use the reason stated in the verse itself rather than guessing beyond it.
03How does the passage distinguish the priests’ place from the corner courts?
Compare who uses each place and what is prepared there.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Ezekiel 46:19–24
19Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy rooms for the priests, which looked toward the north. Behold, there was a place on the back part westward.
20He said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the meal offering, that they not bring them out into the outer court, to sanctify the people.”
21Then he brought me out 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.
22In the four corners of the court there were courts enclosed, forty cubits long and thirty wide. These four in the corners were the same size.
23There was a wall around in them, around the four, and boiling places were made under the walls all around.
24Then he said to me, “These are the boiling houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.”