Who Is The Prince?

The “prince” is first mentioned in Ezekiel 34:24 where it appears to refer to David, although David had been dead for 400 years when Ezekiel wrote this.

Then in Ezekiel 37:24 God had Ezekiel say that David will be their king, but in Ezekiel 37:25 He said David will be their prince forever. Ezekiel 44:3 says only the prince can use the East Gate. Ezekiel 45:7 tells us the prince will be given land surrounding the property of the Holy City and the Temple.

In Ezekiel 45:15-16 the people of Israel are commanded to give the prince portions of their wheat, barley and oil, and one sheep for every 200, which he will use for the mandatory offerings.

Finally, we get clues that the prince of Ezekiel 48:21 is a human in his natural state. We know this because he will have to offer sacrifices for his own sins (Ezekiel 46:12) and will give gifts to his sons for their inheritance (Ezek. 46:16).

Put it all together and it appears the verses that refer to David as their King speak of the Lord, and those that refer to David as their prince describe a succession of human descendants of David’s who will govern Israel in a subordinate role to the Lord.

Remember, the Lord promised David that both his house and his throne would endure forever (2 Sam. 7:16). His house refers to his descendants, a succession of princes. His throne is the one upon which Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:31-33).