Ezekiel 44:3

“It is for the prince: the prince shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord, &c.] Or, “as for the prince, the prince shall sit in it”f799; in the gate which is shut to others: not the high priest, as Jarchi, though he might have a particular seat in the temple, as Eli had in the tabernacle, (<090109>1 Samuel 1:9), where he might eat the bread and flesh of holy things: nor the political prince, the king of Israel, though he might have a place in the temple peculiar to himself; (see <140612>2 Chronicles 6:12,13 23:13) (<142403>2 Chronicles 24:31), and the Jews say only the kings of the house of David were allowed to sit in the sanctuary: but the King Messiah, as Kimchi and Ben Melech rightly…”

“the prince--not King Messiah, as He never would offer a burnt offering for Himself, as the prince is to do (Eze 46:4). The prince must mean the civil ruler under Messiah. His connection with the east gate (by which the Lord had returned to His temple) implies, that, as ruling under God, he is to stand in a place of peculiar nearness to God. He represents Messiah, who entered heaven, the true sanctuary, by a way that none other could, namely, by His own holiness; all others must enter as sinners by faith in His blood, through grace. eat bread before the Lord--a custom connected with sacrifices (Gen 31:54; Exo 18:12; Exo 24:11; Co1 10:18).”

“The prince - Foretold under the name of David Ezekiel 34:24. The rabbis understood this to be the Messiah. To eat bread - See Leviticus 2:3; Leviticus 24:9; according to the old Law these feasts belonged only to the priests; none of the rest of the congregation, not even the king, might partake of them. The new system gives to the “prince” a privilege which he did not before possess; the prince, as the representative of the Messiah, standing in a higher position than the kings of old. “To eat bread” may also include participation in the animals sacrificed, portions of which were reserved for those of the people who offered them. return to 'Top of Page'”

“He - The king might sit before the Lord, others might not. Bread - That part of the sacrifice, which was allowed to the offerer. Ezekiel 44:4”

“44:3 Though the prince had the significant privilege of being the only one allowed to feast in the Lord’s presence inside the east outer gateway, he was restricted to entering and leaving the portico from the outer court. He was not to enter from outside the Temple complex by going through the gate, as the Lord had; the earthly ruler is a man, not God, and he must submit to God. The prince must also never forget that the Temple is God’s palace, not his own private chapel.”

“for: Eze 46:2, Eze 46:8; Ch2 23:13, Ch2 34:31 the prince: It is probable that the prince mentioned here and elsewhere, does not mean the Messiah, but the ruler of the Jewish nation for the time being. For it is not only directed where he should sit in the temple, and eat his portion of the sacrifices, and when and how he should go out; but it is also ordered ( Eze 45:22), that at the passover he shall offer a bullock, a sin offering for himself and the people; and to guard him against any temptation of oppressing the people, he had a provision of land allotted to him ( Eze 45:8), out of which he is to give an inheritance for his sons ( Eze 46:18). These appear plainly to be political rules…”