Ezekiel 46:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

On the Sabbath, the prince shall present a burnt offering to the Lord consisting of six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram, along with an ephah for the ram and a flour offering for the lamb, determined by his discretion, along with an appropriate amount of oil for each ephah. On the day of the new moon, he shall offer a flawless bull from the herd, along with six unblemished lambs and sheep. He will prepare a flour offering for the calf, the ram, and the lamb, according to his judgment, along with one unit of oil for each ephah.

The term ephah denotes a measurement equivalent to a tenth of a korah; the LXX translates it as "pemma," which in our understanding refers to a type of bread. Where we mention sacrifice, they designate the Hebrew term "manna," which Aquila interprets as a gift or offering, while Theodotion uses the term offering. Before delving deeper, it is pertinent to paraphrase the scriptural words: The gates of the inner court, as it states, are to be shut for six days, echoing the command, "Six days shalt thou do, and thou shalt accomplish all your tasks" (Exodus 20:9). It is specifically the gate facing east that refers to the sunrise of righteousness. On the Sabbath, which is the seventh day of rest, these gates are to be opened weekly, and after thirty days, coinciding with the conclusion of one month and the commencement of another—the day of the new moon—these gates will again be opened, bestowing a similar significance to the start of the month as the Sabbath does to the week. The rationale for opening the gates on the seventh day and the new moon will become evident as we consider the ensuing explanation.

Furthermore, it is commanded that those entering the outer court to worship God must enter by the northern gate and exit through the southern gate, or vice versa, ensuring that their comings and goings occur with clarity while they offer their worship to God. The high priest shall be present during these times to uphold the solemnity of the worship. On Sabbaths and other holy days, the eastern door is to be opened for the people. If the high priest wishes to present a voluntary offering to God from his abundance, he may open this door on any day he chooses, as it is stated that the offering he presents shall be akin to that of the Sabbath. Should the high priest grant a portion of his allotted land to any of his sons, the recipient shall hold the right of ownership permanently. However, if he gives it to a servant, the servant shall possess it only until the year of remission; during the Sabbath year, the inheritance shall revert to the high priest. This land is designated for a single priestly family, and it would be inappropriate to disenfranchise the children by taking away their parental inheritance and redistributing other land to the priest. Consequently, the inheritance of the land allotted to the priests is to be regarded as belonging to the family line.