Ezekiel 45:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The surrounding environment can oppress the vulnerable, who cannot endure the conceit of the powerful; thus Isaiah proclaims, “Woe to those who join house to house, and field to field, who draw near to the boundary of the place” (Isaiah 5:8).

This guidance pertains to the people of that era but can also be directed at our leaders, who, like Pharaoh and the Egyptians, subjugate the children of Israel by force and neglect the wisdom contained in the scriptures: “If they appoint you as an elder, do not seek elevation, but rather remain among them as one of their own” (Sir. 32:1). The Lord also teaches in the Gospel of Luke, “If that servant should think in his heart, ‘My lord will be delayed in his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.” Likewise, in the Gospel of Matthew, He instructs His disciples: “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). I could reference many passages from the Holy Scriptures that restrain the pride of the mighty and call everyone to embody the humility of Christ, who invites us, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).

He then establishes regulations concerning weights and measures, emphasizing that fairness and integrity must be maintained in these matters, insisting upon a single standard for both receiving and giving. He clarifies that a kor equals ten homors, and each homor is made up of ten quinixes, resulting in one hundred quinixes in a kor. Furthermore, he indicates that an ephi is equivalent to one quinix.

He commands that there are fifty shekels in a mina, and that each shekel consists of twenty ovols. Additionally, he refers to ten kotyls of oil as a homor, designated as one-tenth of a korah. The offerings of wheat and barley are to be set at one-sixth of the homor, which equates to half of the medimn—in our terms, medimn—because there are thirty medimn in a korah, and a homor represents one-tenth of the designated korah. Therefore, a homor must encompass three medimn, and the sixth part of this quantity equals half a medimn.

It is instructed that among the ten kotyls, one kotyl shall be brought as an offering, and similarly, one-tenth of a sheep. All these contributions are to be presented to the elder for the necessary sacrifices, allowing for offerings during celebrations, new moons, and sabbaths to intercede for the people.

He further instructs what should be carried out on the new moon of the tenth month, on the fourteenth day, and also in the seventh month. The offering during the seventh month is referred to as a sacrifice, for it is recorded: "The sacrifice of unleavened bread to the calf, and of unleavened bread to the ram, and of oil to the unleavened calf;" and, as discerned in the Syrian translation, this corresponds to "gemina."