Ezekiel 46 gives the prophet’s vision of worship under a restored “prince,” with rules for the gates of the inner court, the sacrifices offered on Sabbaths and new moons, the prince’s inheritance, and the kitchens where the offerings are boiled. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and they move from what the chapter says to what it means and how it shapes everyday faithfulness.
Ezekiel 46 at a Glance
The chapter opens with instructions about the east gate of the inner court, which stays shut on working days but opens on Sabbaths and new moons, and about how the prince enters, worships, and leaves. It then describes the offerings for these feast days and for the daily morning sacrifice, followed by rules about the prince’s gifts of land to his sons and servants, so that the people are not pushed off their inheritance. The chapter closes with the priests’ cooking rooms and the boiling houses where the people’s sacrifices are prepared.
Observation Questions
Use these first to anchor the group in the text itself. Ask people to point to the words on the page before offering any interpretation, and let quieter members answer first so the discussion starts from what is plainly there.
Ezekiel 46:1-3
1 “‘Thus says the Lord the LORD: “The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate outside, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3 The people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
(WEB)
Read this opening section first so the group hears the rhythm of the gate, shut on working days and opened on Sabbaths and new moons. It sets the stage for everything that follows and helps people picture the setting of the worship described.
Ezekiel 46:4-7
4 The burnt offering that the prince shall offer to the LORD shall be on the Sabbath day six lambs without defect and a ram without defect; 5 and the meal offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. 6 On the day of the new moon it shall be a young bull without defect, and six lambs, and a ram. They shall be without defect. 7 He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for the bull, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah.
(WEB)
These verses list the sacrifices for the Sabbath and new moon in concrete detail. Reading them aloud slows the group down and makes the careful, costly nature of worship in this vision tangible.
Ezekiel 46:13-15
13 “‘“You shall prepare a lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD daily. Morning by morning you shall prepare it. 14 You shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal offering to the LORD continually by a perpetual ordinance. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering.”
(WEB)
The daily morning offering is the heart of the chapter’s call to steady devotion. Hearing “morning by morning” repeated aloud invites reflection on how faithfulness is built through ordinary, repeated acts.
Ezekiel 46:16-18
16 “‘Thus says the Lord the LORD: “If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance. It shall belong to his sons. It is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons. 18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession. He shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people not each be scattered from his possession.”’”
(WEB)
This passage about the prince’s gifts and the protection of the people’s inheritance is central to the chapter’s concern for justice. Reading it aloud helps the group connect worship with fairness toward ordinary families.
Ezekiel 46:19-24
19 Then 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. 20 He 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.” 21 Then 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. 22 In 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. 23 There was a wall around in them, around the four, and boiling places were made under the walls all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the boiling houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.”
(WEB)
The closing section describes the priests’ rooms, the corner courts, and the boiling houses. Reading the whole ending together helps the group see how the chapter moves from gates and gifts to the practical places where offerings are prepared.
Memory Verse for Ezekiel 46
Ezekiel 46:14
You shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal offering to the LORD continually by a perpetual ordinance.
(WEB)
This verse captures the chapter’s call to steady, daily devotion, with the phrase “a perpetual ordinance” reminding us that faithfulness is meant to be continual. Memorizing it gives the group a short, portable reminder to keep worship consistent in everyday life.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you order worship with care and that you hold your people in steady, daily faithfulness. Teach us to offer you our best, not our leftovers, and to bring our mornings to you before the business of the day begins. Guard us from taking from others what is rightly theirs, and help us to speak up for those who are being pushed aside. Keep us mindful of the boundaries that protect what is holy, and draw us into your presence as we leave this time together. Amen.
