Once again Ezekiel is taken to the outer east gate, which, he is told, is to be permanently locked, for that is the gate through which the Lord passed when he returned to the temple. The one exception is that the prince may use its vestibule when eating (44:3). Next, Ezekiel is brought to the front of the temple by way of the north gate. Again Ezekiel sees the divine glory, and he falls on his face. Ezekiel is told to look carefully, listen closely, and give attention to everything God is about to tell him (44:5). These imperatives sound much like 40:4, except that there they refer to what God is going to “show” Ezekiel.

God begins with a rebuke aimed particularly at the laity (the rebellious house of Israel) for allowing foreigners to guard the holy things. We cannot be sure of what Eze…