Ezekiel 45:22 · Bible study
Ezekiel 45:22 Commentary: Prince’s Passover Sin Offering
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Ezekiel 45:22 shows the prince offering a bull as a sin offering for himself and all the people at Passover, pointing to Christ’s once-for-all atonement.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The prince (a messianic figure) offers a bull as a sin offering for himself and all the people at Passover, signaling a new covenant sacrifice that points to Christ.
- Key words: “Prince,” “prepare,” “sin offering,” “bull,” “all the people of the land”, each deviates from Mosaic Passover law, emphasizing a single, central provision.
- Main debate: Whether the prince is a literal Davidic ruler in a future temple or a type of Christ; whether the vision is symbolic or describes a restored literal temple.
- Theological theme: Substitutionary atonement, one representative sacrifice covers the guilt of an entire community.
- Best use: Connecting Old Testament sacrificial imagery to the person and work of Jesus, especially during Lent or Holy Week.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.
WEB World English Bible 2000
On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.
KJV King James Version 1769
And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin-offering.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the prince hath prepared on that day, for himself, and for all the people of the land, a bullock, a sin-offering.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And upon that day shall the prince offer for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin-offering.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the prince on that day shall offer for himself, and for all the people of the land, a calf for sin.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y aquel día el príncipe sacrificará por sí, y por todo el pueblo de la tierra, un becerro por el pecado.
E no mesmo dia o príncipe preparará por si e por todo o povo do país um bezerro de expiação pelo pecado.
Le prince offrira ce jour-là, pour lui et pour tout le peuple du pays, un taureau en sacrifice d’ expiation.
Und am selben Tage soll der Fürst für sich und für alles Volk im Lande einen Farren zum Sündopfer opfern.
En de vorst zal op denzelven dag voor zichzelven, en voor al het volk des lands, bereiden een var des zondoffers.
In quel giorno, il principe offrirà per sé e per tutto il popolo del paese un giovenco, come sacrifizio per il peccato.
I będzie książę ofiarował dnia onego za się, i za wszystek lud onej ziemi cielca na ofiarę za grzech.
В этот день князь за себя и за весь народ земли принесет тельца в жертву за грех.
當 日，王 要為自己 和 國內 的眾 民 預備 一隻公牛 作贖罪祭。
And on that day the ruler is to give for himself and for all the people of the land an ox for a sin-offering.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Christian commentators across traditions agree that this verse presents a deliberate departure from the Mosaic passover ordinance (Ex 12). Barnes’ Notes observes that the deviations “can scarcely have been accidental, and furnishes a fresh indication that the whole vision is symbolic, representative of the times when, after the oblation of the one Sacrifice, reconciliation and sanctification were effected for man.” Gill identifies a complete break with the old law (“no one circumstance according to the law of Moses”) and reads the prince as Christ himself: “Christ … has prepared himself a sacrifice, … even for himself, his church, which is mystically himself.” Keil & Delitzsch wrestle with textual difficulties in the surrounding passage but affirm that the prince’s unique role, providing a bull instead of a lamb, for himself and all the people, signals a new order. The consensus is that the verse prophetically foreshadows Christ’s atoning work, in which the one Sacrifice replaces the many.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal temple restoration: Ezekiel 40‑48 contains detailed dimensions and rituals suggesting a future physical temple under a Davidic prince.
- Symbolic / Christological: Barnes, Gill and others argue the deviations from Mosaic law are too deliberate to be literal, pointing instead to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
- Typological: The prince is a type of Christ; the bull offering typifies his atonement without requiring a literal future temple. This view affirms both the historical meaning and its fulfillment in Christ.
What is clear: The prince offers a sin offering for himself and all the people on Passover, a clear departure from Exodus 12, indicating a new and complete provision for atonement.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the prince | The prince is a leader figure with unique authority, likely a Davidic king (Ezekiel 34:24). | Some traditions read the prince as a literal future ruler in a restored earthly temple; others interpret him as a type of Christ, the ultimate Prince who fulfills the role perfectly. |
| Literal vs symbolic temple vision | Ezekiel’s vision describes a new order of worship that differs from the Mosaic system. | Some Christians hold that chapters 40‑48 describe a literal temple to be built in the future; others see them as symbolic of the new covenant age inaugurated by Christ. Both views affirm the verses point to atonement. |
| Significance of the bull as sin offering | The bull is a more costly sacrifice than the Passover lamb or goat, emphasizing the magnitude of atonement. | Gill suggests the bull represents Christ’s strength and labor in bearing sin; others note that the change itself signals a new dispensation. There is no universal agreement on the animal’s specific typological meaning. |
| Timing and relationship to Passover | The offering is explicitly connected to the Passover day (14th of Nisan), linking it to deliverance and redemption. | Whether this marks a replacement of the old Passover or a parallel new festival is debated. Barnes sees it as a general ordinance added to the Mosaic ritual; Keil & Delitzsch discuss textual questions about the feast’s length. Christians of all traditions relate it to Christ, the Paschal Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 45:22 is part of a visionary temple law given to exiles in Babylon (chapters 40‑48). The passage reimagines Israel’s worship after restoration, with a “prince” (a Davidic ruler, cf. Eze 34:23‑24) presiding over sacrifices. In the Mosaic Passover, each family killed a lamb (Ex 12:3‑6); here the prince provides a single bull for everyone. This shift in scale and leadership implies a unified, central atonement.
The bull sin offering echoes Leviticus 4:14, where the whole assembly offers a bull for unintended sin. But now the prince’s offering covers the entire land at the feast’s outset. The detailed temple measurements (Eze 40‑42) and purified sanctuary (45:18‑20) underline that this is no mere revision of old rituals, it is a new creation. Barnes sees here a picture of the new covenant: “reconciliation and sanctification … through the presence of God dwelling in the midst of the people.” Early readers consistently connected this prince to the Messiah, who “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). The bull, a costly and labor-intensive animal, underscores the weight of the sin being removed.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 45:22. The verse is stable across Hebrew manuscripts and early translations.
Reception History
From the early church through the Reformation, Christian interpreters have seen Ezekiel’s prince as a prophetic type of Christ. The offerings in chapters 45‑46 were read as prefigurations of Christ’s sacrifice, especially in Holy Week liturgies. Jewish exegesis traditionally links the passage to a future Davidic king and a rebuilt temple, without messianic reference to Jesus. Among Protestant reformers, Matthew Henry and John Gill drew explicit parallels between the prince and Christ, while the Cambridge Bible notes simply the prince’s role as “provide[d].” The verse has been used in devotional contexts to highlight the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and in scholarly works to debate the nature of Ezekiel’s temple vision.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Prince Provides, The prince prepares the offering for himself and all the people. This anticipates Christ, the true Prince, who provides a sacrifice he himself did not need but offered for his own (John 10:11).
- The Sin Offering Made Complete, A bull, not a lamb, is used, a greater, more costly sacrifice. Christ “made to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21) bore the full weight of human rebellion.
- A New Passover, The timing on Passover day ties this to the exodus deliverance. Matthew 26:28 records Jesus instituting a new covenant in his blood “poured out for many for the remission of sins.” This verse announces the fulfillment of that moment in Ezekiel’s symbolic language.
Five-point outline
- The Setting: A feast day (Passover) marking liberation, now linked to a sin offering.
- The Agent: The prince, not the priests or each family, a singular mediator.
- The Recipients: “For himself and for all the people of the land”, a corporate, inclusive atonement.
- The Sacrifice: A bull, the most valuable animal, signifying the magnitude of the offering.
- The Outcome: Cleansing and reconciliation, as detailed in the surrounding temple purification rites (45:18‑20).
Illustration hooks
- A school principal cancels all student debts by drawing from a personal fund, one payment covers everyone.
- A community leader shoulders the cost of repairing a shared building that no single family could afford alone.
- The difference between a potluck dinner where everyone brings a dish and a banquet where one host provides every course, the scale of provision.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why is the prince offering a bull instead of a lamb? Does this replace the Old Testament Passover?
- If the prince represents Christ, does he need a sin offering “for himself”?
- How do we reconcile the seeming literalism of Ezekiel’s temple with a Christian interpretation that sees Jesus as the final sacrifice?
Leading a Discussion
This verse challenges readers to see the Passover not as an isolated event but as part of God’s unfolding plan. The prince steps in where the old system left gaps. His offering for both himself and the people foreshadows a mediator who provides what no one else could.
Discussion questions
- What strikes you as unusual about the prince’s role in this verse compared to Exodus 12?
- Why do you think the bull is specified instead of a lamb? What does that change about the meaning?
- How do the surrounding temple purification instructions (45:18‑20) connect to the prince’s offering here?
- Read Matthew 26:26‑28. In what ways does Jesus’s institution of the Lord’s Supper echo or fulfill Ezekiel 45:22?
- If the prince in Ezekiel is seen as a type of Christ, how does his offering for “himself” challenge or deepen your understanding of Christ’s sinlessness (2 Corinthians 5:21)?
- How does the corporate dimension, “all the people of the land”, shape the way you think about the scope of Christ’s atonement?
- What difference does it make in your daily life that God has provided a single, complete sacrifice for sin rather than requiring repeated offerings?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 4:14 | when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting. |
| Matthew 20:28 | even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” |
| Matthew 26:26 | As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” |
| Matthew 26:28 | for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. |
| II Corinthians 5:21 | For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the deliberate deviation from earlier festival orders as proof that Ezekiel's vision is symbolic, not literal. The whole scene points forward to the time when Christ's single sacrifice would bring reconciliation and holiness through God's dwelling among his people. The repeated use of the number seven throughout signals a perfect covenant replacing the imperfect one.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools notes that the phrase "prepare for himself" in this verse simply means "provide." The commentator reads it as a practical direction about supplying what is needed, not about preliminary arrangements.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the prince himself is to provide the sin offering, not only for his own sin but for the entire people. This highlights the prince’s representative and mediatorial role, bearing responsibility for the nation’s atonement before God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that every detail in this verse breaks from the Mosaic law, proving it refers to Gospel times. He sees Christ as the Prince who prepared Himself as a sin offering, represented by a bullock for His strength and labor in bearing His people's sins.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the phrase "a feast of weeks of days" in Ezekiel does not refer to a seven-week Pentecost season, as some suggest, but rather to a standard seven-day feast. They point to the later mention of "the seven days of the feast" as confirmation, explaining the plural "weeks" as a general plural for heptads or a copyist's error.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the mutual responsibility in worship: the people supply the prince with offerings, and he in turn provides sacrifices for the entire nation. This arrangement ensures that reconciliation with God involves both leaders and the community together.