What is the meaning of Ezekiel 43:21?

Then you are to take away the bull

• The command begins with action: “take away.” Worshipers and priests could not leave the sacrificed animal lingering near the altar. Immediate removal underscores obedience and reverence, echoing Leviticus 4:11–12, where the sin-offering bull is carried “outside the camp.”

• God’s pattern is consistent: sin is removed from His presence. John 1:29 shows the ultimate fulfillment—Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

• By specifying a bull—the costliest sacrificial animal—God highlights the seriousness of sin (Numbers 28:11).

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for the sin offering

• The phrase clarifies purpose. This is not a fellowship or thanksgiving sacrifice but a sin offering, designed to atone and purify (Leviticus 4:3–7; Hebrews 9:22).

• Sin offerings remind us that even priests and leaders need cleansing (Hebrews 5:3).

• Ezekiel’s future temple vision reinstates sacrifices that point backward to Christ’s once-for-all atonement (Hebrews 10:1–4, 10).

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and burn it

• Burning completes the removal. Fire represents judgment and purification (Hebrews 12:29).

• Leviticus 6:30 shows that sin-offering flesh is never eaten; it is wholly consumed outside, reinforcing the gravity of sin.

• This anticipates Christ “suffering outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:11–12), bearing judgment on our behalf.

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in the appointed part of the temple area

• God chooses the place; worshipers do not improvise (Deuteronomy 12:5–6).

• An “appointed” spot keeps holy space distinct from profane use, mirroring Numbers 19:9’s designated ash heap for purification.

• Order in worship reflects God’s character of order (1 Corinthians 14:33).

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outside the sanctuary

• Physical distance illustrates the separation sin causes (Isaiah 59:2).

• Moving the carcass away preserves the sanctuary’s holiness (Exodus 29:14).

• Again, the pattern points to Christ crucified outside Jerusalem’s walls (Matthew 27:33), fulfilling the symbolism and restoring access to God (Ephesians 2:13).

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summary

Ezekiel 43:21 repeats and amplifies God’s timeless message: sin must be removed, atoned for, judged, and kept away from His holy presence. The costly bull, the precise removal, the burning, the appointed place, and the location outside the sanctuary all foreshadow the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who was taken outside the city, bore our sin, and satisfied God’s righteous judgment so that we may enter the true sanctuary with confidence (Hebrews 10:19–22).