Ezekiel 43:15-27

43:15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 43:16 Now the altar hearth ¹  is a perfect square, 21 feet ²  long and 21 feet wide. 43:17 The ledge is 24½ feet ³  long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border around it is 10½ inches, ⁴  and its surrounding base 1¾ feet. ⁵  Its steps face east.”

43:18 Then he said to me: “Son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: These are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it, ⁶  43:19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the sovereign Lord. 43:20 You will take some of its blood, and place it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. ⁷  43:21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.

43:22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull. 43:23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull and an unblemished ram from the flock. 43:24 You will present them before the Lord, and the priests will scatter salt on them ⁸  and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.

43:25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided. 43:26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they will consecrate it. ⁹  43:27 When the prescribed period is over, ¹⁰  on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings; ¹¹  I will accept you, declares the sovereign Lord.”

¹ tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.

² tn Heb “twelve cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).

³ tn Heb “fourteen”; the word “cubits” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood from the context; the phrase occurs again later in this verse. Fourteen cubits is about 7.35 meters.

⁴ tn Heb “half a cubit” (i.e., 26.25 cm).

⁵ tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).

⁶ sn For the “sprinkling of blood,” see Lev 1:5, 11; 8:19; 9:12.

⁷ sn Note the similar language in Lev 16:18.

⁸ sn It is likely that salt was used with sacrificial meals (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5).

⁹ tn Heb “fill its hands.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”

¹¹ sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).