Lexical Summary mbashshlah: Cooking pot, cauldron Original Word: מְבַשְּׁלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance boiling-place From bashal; a cooking hearth -- boiling-place. see HEBREW bashal Brown-Driver-Briggs מְבַשְּׁלוֺת noun feminine plural cooking-places Ezekiel 46:23 (compare בֵּית הִמְֿבַשְּׁלִים Ezekiel 46:24). Topical Lexicon Usage in Scripture מְבַשְּׁלָה appears once, in Ezekiel 46:23, designating the dedicated cooking areas in the visionary temple revealed to the prophet. Location in Ezekiel’s Visionary Temple The prophet is guided through a series of inner courtyards surrounding the central sanctuary (Ezekiel 40–48). In each corner of the outer court he sees a forty-by-thirty-cubit enclosure. Ezekiel writes, “On the four corners of the court were courts enclosed; forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide; these four had the same measurements. And there was a row of masonry all around in them, around the four of them, and cooking hearths were made beneath the rows all around” (Ezekiel 46:22-23). Verse 24 identifies these rooms as “the kitchens where those who serve at the temple will cook the sacrifices of the people.” Architectural and Functional Details • Four identical kitchens stand at the cardinal corners, picturing symmetry and order in God’s house. Cultic Purpose The kitchens enable priests and Levites to boil the peace offerings and other sacrificial portions assigned to the worshippers (Leviticus 7:15; 1 Samuel 2:13-15). By relocating the preparation of food away from the inner court, Ezekiel’s temple underscores that holiness is both transmitted and protected by obedience to divine boundaries: “so that they do not bring them out to the outer court and thereby transmit holiness to the people” (Ezekiel 46:20). Historical and Cultural Background Archaeological parallels from surrounding Near-Eastern temples (such as at Arad and Tel Dan) reveal annexed rooms with hearths and drains for sacrificial preparation. The Mosaic tabernacle contained no fixed kitchens, relying instead on portable cauldrons (Exodus 27:3). Solomon’s temple likely used ancillary chambers for similar work (1 Kings 6:5-6), though the text is silent. Ezekiel’s depiction formalizes and enlarges this functional space, anticipating a post-exilic community with renewed zeal for purity. Theological Significance 1. Holiness Safeguarded: By segregating culinary activity, the vision dramatizes God’s concern that sacred and common spheres remain distinct (Leviticus 10:10). Practical Ministry Lessons • Orderly Preparation: Congregational life still requires well-planned, behind-the-scenes service so public worship proceeds without distraction (1 Corinthians 14:40). Related Concepts Boiling Pots (Zechariah 14:21), Lavers (1 Kings 7:38-39), Tables for Slaughtering (Ezekiel 40:39-43), Levitical Service (Numbers 18:1-7). Summary The solitary occurrence of מְבַשְּׁלָה invites careful reflection on God-ordained order within worship. Ezekiel’s kitchens exemplify practical holiness, demonstrate the dignity of supportive ministry, and anticipate the perfect harmony of service and fellowship that will characterize the messianic age. Forms and Transliterations וּמְבַשְּׁל֣וֹת ומבשלות ū·mə·ḇaš·šə·lō·wṯ ūməḇaššəlōwṯ umevashsheLotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 46:23 HEB: סָבִ֖יב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ם וּמְבַשְּׁל֣וֹת עָשׂ֔וּי מִתַּ֥חַת NAS: the four of them, and boiling places were made KJV: and [it was] made with boiling places under the rows INT: about the four and boiling were made under 1 Occurrence |
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