Ezekiel 46:19-24--Boiling Places for Offerings

Ezekiel 46:19-24
English Standard Version

Boiling Places for Offerings
19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.”

21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court— 22 in the four corners of the court were small courts, forty cubits long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size. 23 On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”

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The LORD thought of everything with this design, including where the priests were going to take the meat from the sacrifices and boil it to cook it to feed their families.  The places for boiling the meat were on the west side of the northern row of living quarters for the priests.  They will boil their portion of the guilt offering and sin offering here and they will bake the grain offering here.  They had to keep the food inside the outer courtyard--they could not take it outside the gates of the Temple as it might transmit the holiness of God to the people and they might become sick or die because of their sin.  The holy things of God needed to remain within His holy Temple for the protection of His people.

Each corner of the courtyard had a smaller courtyard that was 40 cubits by 30 cubits (60 feet by 45 feet or 20 yards by 15 yards).  There was stonework around each of these smaller courtyards that made suitable ovens for cooking for those who ministered in the Temple  It was yet another place for them to boil the sacrifices that were given to them as their portion.