The document provides commentary on Ezekiel 40 from multiple scholars. It discusses the context of Ezekiel's vision, which occurred in the 25th year of exile on the 10th day of the first month. The vision involved Ezekiel being transported in spirit to Jerusalem and shown a temple complex. Scholars note similarities between this temple and Solomon's original temple. The vision included precise measurements and details of the temple grounds, buildings, and worship practices. Commentators view it as a prophetic vision of a restored Israel rather than a literal blueprint.

1. EZEKIEL 40 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
The Temple Area Restored
1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the
beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month,
in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on
that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and
he took me there.
BARNES, "In the first and twentieth year - This was the fiftieth year from the
18th of Josiah, the year of his memorable Passover 2Ki_23:22. See the Eze_1:1 note. If
that was a jubilee year, which is highly probable, this vision also falls in a jubilee year,
which seems appropriate. The jubilee year began with the month of Tisri, a sufficient
reason for speaking of the time as “the beginning of the year.” The tenth day of this
month was the day of atonement Lev_16:29-30.
CLARKE, "In the five and twentieth year of our captivity - According to the
date here given, this prophecy was delivered on Tuesday, April 20, A.M. 3430, in the
twenty-fifth year of the captivity of Jeconiah, and fourteen years after the taking of
Jerusalem.
The temple here described by Ezekiel is, in all probability, the same which he saw
before his captivity, and which had been burned by the Chaldeans fourteen years before
this vision. On comparing the Books of Kings and Chronicles with this prophet, we shall
find the same dimensions in the parts described by both; for instance, the temple, or
1

2. place which comprehended the sanctuary, the holy place, and the vestibule or porch
before the temple, is found to measure equally the same both in Ezekiel and the Kings.
Compare 1Ki_6:3-16, with Eze_41:2, etc. The inside ornaments of the temple are entirely
the same; in both we see two courts; an inner one for the priests, and an outer one for
the people. Compare 1Ki_6:29-36; 2Ch_4:9; and Eze_41:16, Eze_41:17, and Eze_
48:7-10. So that there is room to suppose that, in all the rest, the temple of Ezekiel
resembled the old one; and that God’s design in retracing these ideas in the prophet’s
memory was to preserve the remembrance of the plan, the dimensions, the ornaments,
and whole structure of this Divine edifice; and that at the return from captivity the
people might more easily repair it, agreeably to this model. The prophet’s applying
himself to describe this edifice was a motive of hope to the Jews of seeing themselves
one day delivered from captivity, the temple rebuilt, and their nation restored to its
ancient inheritance. Ezekiel touches very slightly upon the description of the temple or
house of the Lord, which comprehended the holy place or sanctuary, and which are so
exactly described in the Books of Kings. He dwells more largely upon the gates, the
galleries, and apartments, of the temple, concerning which the history of the kings had
not spoken, or only just taken notice of by the way.
This is the judgment of Calmet; and although every Biblical critic is of the same
opinion, yet more labor is spent on rebuilding this temple of Ezekiel than was spent on
that built by Solomon! The Jesuits, Prada and Villalpand, have given three folio volumes
on this temple, with abundance of cuts, where the different parts are exhibited after the
finest models of Grecian and Roman architecture! But still the building is incomplete.
Now, of what consequence is all this to the Christian, or to any other reader? I confess I
see not. While, then, we have the exact dimensions and accurate description in 1 Kings
and 2 Chronicles, of that built by Solomon, in imitation of which this plan by Ezekiel was
drawn, we need not be very solicitous about the manner of measuring and describing
used by the prophet; as, when we have labored through the whole, we have only the
measurements and description of that built by Solomon, and delineated by a hand not
less faithful in the First Book of Kings, Eze_6:1-14, and 2 Chronicles 2, 3, 4, 2Ch_5:1-14
and 6.
As the prophet knew that the Chaldeans had utterly destroyed the temple, he thought
it necessary to preserve an exact description of it, that on their restoration the people
might build one on the same model. As to allegorical meanings relative to this temple, I
can say nothing: God has given no data by which any thing of this kind can be known or
applied; and as to those who have labored in this way, perhaps “Solomon’s Temple
Spiritualized, by John Bunyan,” is equally good with their well-intended inventions.
Those who wish to enter much into the particulars of this temple must have recourse to
the more voluminous expositors, who on this subject seem to have thought that they
could never say enough. See also the accompanying map.
GILL, "In the five and twentieth year of our captivity,.... That is, from
Jeconiah's captivity, from whence this prophet begins his dates: he calls it our captivity,
because he himself was then carried captive; and this was twenty years after his first
vision; see Eze_1:1,
in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month; the Jews had two
2

3. beginnings of their year, the one on civil accounts, which was in the autumnal equinox,
in the month Tisri, which answers to part of our September; and if this is meant here,
the tenth day of it was the day of atonement, in which the Jews were to afflict their souls;
but on this day the prophet has a view of the Gospel church, which receives the
atonement by the sacrifice of Christ: the other beginning of the year, which was on
ecclesiastic accounts, was in the vernal equinox, the month Nisan, which answers to part
of our March; and the tenth day of it was the day that the passover lamb was separated
from the flock, and kept up till the fourteenth; the time between Christ's public entry
into Jerusalem, and his being sacrificed as the passover for us. Some interpreters go one
way, some the other: it is not easy to determine which is meant; though I think more
probably the latter, since church affairs are chiefly here represented. This, according to
the Talmudists (n), was the year of the jubilee: Bishop Usher (o) places it in the year of
the world 3430 A.M., and before Christ 574; and makes the day to be the thirtieth of
April, and the third day of the week (Tuesday); and, as to the year, Mr. Whiston (p)
agrees with, him:
in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten; taken, broken up, and
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; its walls demolished; its houses burnt, and inhabitants
put to the sword, or carried captive. This was in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, to
which add the fourteen years from hence and they make twenty five, as reckoned from
Jeconiah's captivity:
in the self-same day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me
hither; that is, on the tenth day of the month, of the new year, begin when it will. The
Spirit of the Lord, which is sometimes called the finger of God, and the power of God,
this fell upon him, or was laid on him, and impressed his mind and soul; and he in a
visionary way, as appears by what follows, was brought into, the land of Israel, and to
Jerusalem, according as things were represented to his mind; though, as to his body, he
was still in the land of Chaldea. The Targum interprets "the hand of the Lord" the spirit
of prophecy; see Eze_1:3.
HENRY, "Here is, 1. The date of this vision. It was in the twenty-fifth year of Ezekiel's
captivity (Eze_40:1), which some compute to be the thirty-third year of the first
captivity, and is here said to be the fourteenth year after the city was smitten. See how
seasonably the clearest and fullest prospects of their deliverance were given, when they
were in the depth of their distress, and an assurance of the return of the morning when
they were in the midnight of their captivity: “Then the hand of the Lord was upon me
and brought me thither to Jerusalem, now that it was in ruins, desolate and deserted” - a
pitiable sight to the prophet. 2. The scene where it was laid. The prophet was brought, in
the visions of God, to the land of Israel, Eze_40:2. And it was not the first time that he
had been brought thither in vision. We had him carried to Jerusalem to see it in its
iniquity and shame (Eze_8:3); here he is carried thither to have a pleasing prospect of it
in its glory, though its present aspect, now that it was quite depopulated, was dismal. He
was set upon a very high mountain, as Moses upon the top of Pisgah, to view this land,
which was now a second time a land of promise, not yet in possession. From the top of
this mountain he saw as the frame of a city, the plan and model of it; but this city was a
temple as large as a city. The New Jerusalem (Rev_21:22) had no temple therein; this
which we have here is all temple, which comes much to one. It is a city for men to dwell
3

4. in; it is a temple for God to dwell in; for in the church on earth God dwells with men, in
that in heaven men dwell with God. Both these are framed in the counsel of God, framed
by infinite wisdom, and all very good. 3. The particular discoveries of this city (which he
had at first a general view of) were made to him by a man whose appearance was like
the appearance of brass (Eze_40:3), not a created angel, but Jesus Christ, who should
be found in fashion as a man, that he might both discover and build the gospel-temple.
He brought him to this city, for it is through Christ that we have both acquaintance with
and access to the benefits and privileges of God's house. He it is that shall build the
temple of the Lord, Zec_6:13. His appearing like brass intimates both his brightness and
his strength. John, in vision, saw his feet like unto fine brass, Rev_1:15. 4. The
dimensions of this city or temple, and the several parts of it, were taken with a line of
flax and a measuring reed, or rod (Eze_40:3), as carpenters have both their line and a
wooden measure. The temple of God is built by line and rule; and those that would let
others into the knowledge of it must do it by that line and rule. The church is formed
according to the scripture, the pattern in the mount. That is the line and the measuring
reed that is in the hand of Christ. With that doctrine and laws ought to be measured, and
examined by that; for then peace is upon the Israel of God when they walk according to
that rule. 5. Directions are here given to the prophet to receive this revelation from the
Lord and transmit it pure and entire to the church, Eze_40:4. (1.) He must carefully
observe every thing that was said and done in this vision. His attention is raised and
engaged (Eze_40:4): “Behold with thy eyes all that is shown thee (do not only see it, but
look intently upon it), and hear with thy ears all that is said to thee; diligently hearken
to it, and be sure to set thy heart upon it; attend with a fixedness of thought and a close
application of mind.” What we see of the works of God, and what we hear of the word of
God, will do us no good unless we set out hearts upon it, as those that reckon ourselves
nearly concerned in it, and expect advantage to our souls by it. (2.) He must faithfully
declare it to the house of Israel, that they may have the comfort of it. Therefore he
receives, that he may give. Thus the Revelation of Jesus Christ was lodged in the hands
of John, that he might signify it to the churches, Rev_1:1. And, because he is to declare it
as a message from God, he must therefore be fully apprised of it himself and much
affected with it. Note, Those who are to preach God's word to others ought to study it
well themselves and set their hearts upon it. Now the reason given why he must both
observe it himself and declare it to the house of Israel is because to this intent he is
brought hither, and has it shown to him. Note, When the things of God are shown to us
it concerns us to consider to what intent they are shown to us, and, when we are sitting
under the ministry of the word, to consider to what intent we are brought thither, that
we may answer the end of our coming, and may not receive the grace of God, in showing
us such things, in vain.
JAMISON, "Eze_40:1-49. The remaining chapters, the fortieth through forty-
eighth, give an ideal picture of the restored Jewish temple.
The arrangements as to the land and the temple are, in many particulars, different
from those subsisting before the captivity. There are things in it so improbable
physically as to preclude a purely literal interpretation. The general truth seems to hold
good that, as Israel served the nations for his rejection of Messiah, so shall they serve
him in the person of Messiah, when he shall acknowledge Messiah (Isa_60:12; Zec_
14:17-19; compare Psa_72:11). The ideal temple exhibits, under Old Testament forms
4

5. (used as being those then familiar to the men whom Ezekiel, a priest himself, and one
who delighted in sacrificial images, addresses), not the precise literal outline, but the
essential character of the worship of Messiah as it shall be when He shall exercise sway
in Jerusalem among His own people, the Jews, and thence to the ends of the earth. The
very fact that the whole is a vision (Eze_40:2), not an oral face-to-face communication
such as that granted to Moses (Num_12:6-8), implies that the directions are not to be
understood so precisely literally as those given to the Jewish lawgiver. The description
involves things which, taken literally, almost involve natural impossibilities. The square
of the temple, in Eze_42:20, is six times as large as the circuit of the wall enclosing the
old temple, and larger than all the earthly Jerusalem. Ezekiel gives three and a half miles
and one hundred forty yards to his temple square. The boundaries of the ancient city
were about two and a half miles. Again, the city in Ezekiel has an area between three or
four thousand square miles, including the holy ground set apart for the prince, priests,
and Levites. This is nearly as large as the whole of Judea west of the Jordan. As Zion lay
in the center of the ideal city, the one-half of the sacred portion extended to nearly thirty
miles south of Jerusalem, that is, covered nearly the whole southern territory, which
reached only to the Dead Sea (Eze_47:19), and yet five tribes were to have their
inheritance on that side of Jerusalem, beyond the sacred portion (Eze_48:23-28).
Where was land to be found for them there? A breadth of but four or five miles apiece
would be left. As the boundaries of the land are given the same as under Moses, these
incongruities cannot be explained away by supposing physical changes about to be
effected in the land such as will meet the difficulties of the purely literal interpretation.
The distribution of the land is in equal portions among the twelve tribes, without respect
to their relative numbers, and the parallel sections running from east to west. There is a
difficulty also in the supposed separate existence of the twelve tribes, such separate
tribeships no longer existing, and it being hard to imagine how they could be restored as
distinct tribes, mingled as they now are. So the stream that issued from the east
threshold of the temple and flowed into the Dead Sea, in the rapidity of its increase and
the quality of its waters, is unlike anything ever known in Judea or elsewhere in the
world. Lastly, the catholicity of the Christian dispensation, and the spirituality of its
worship, seem incompatible with a return to the local narrowness and “beggarly
elements” of the Jewish ritual and carnal ordinances, disannulled “because of the
unprofitableness thereof” [Fairbairn], (Gal_4:3, Gal_4:9; Gal_5:1; Heb_9:10; Heb_
10:18). “A temple with sacrifices now would be a denial of the all-sufficiency of the
sacrifice of Christ. He who sacrificed before confessed the Messiah. He who should
sacrifice now would solemnly deny Him” [Douglas]. These difficulties, however, may be
all seeming, not real. Faith accepts God’s Word as it is, waits for the event, sure that it
will clear up all such difficulties. Perhaps, as some think, the beau ideal of a sacred
commonwealth is given according to the then existing pattern of temple services, which
would be the imagery most familiar to the prophet and his hearers at the time. The
minute particularizing of details is in accordance with Ezekiel’s style, even in describing
purely ideal scenes. The old temple embodied in visible forms and rites spiritual truths
affecting the people even when absent from it. So this ideal temple is made in the
absence of the outward temple to serve by description the same purpose of symbolical
instruction as the old literal temple did by forms and acts. As in the beginning God
promised to be a “sanctuary” (Eze_11:16) to the captives at the Chebar, so now at the
close is promised a complete restoration and realization of the theocratic worship and
polity under Messiah in its noblest ideal (compare Jer_31:38-40). In Rev_21:22 “no
temple” is seen, as in the perfection of the new dispensation the accidents of place and
5

6. form are no longer needed to realize to Christians what Ezekiel imparts to Jewish minds
by the imagery familiar to them. In Ezekiel’s temple holiness stretches over the entire
temple, so that in this there is no longer a distinction between the different parts, as in
the old temple: parts left undeterminate in the latter obtain now a divine sanction, so
that all arbitrariness is excluded. So that it is be a perfect manifestation of the love of
God to His covenant-people (Ezekiel 40:1-43:12); and from it, as from a new center of
religious life, there gushes forth the fullness of blessings to them, and so to all people
(Eze_47:1-23) [Fairbairn and Havernick]. The temple built at the return from Babylon
can only very partially have realized the model here given. The law is seemingly opposed
to the gospel (Mat_5:21, Mat_5:22, Mat_5:27, Mat_5:28, Mat_5:33, Mat_5:34). It is
not really so (compare Mat_5:17, Mat_5:18; Rom_3:31; Gal_3:21, Gal_3:22). It is true
Christ’s sacrifice superseded the law sacrifices (Heb_10:12-18). Israel’s province may
hereafter be to show the essential identity, even in the minute details of the temple
sacrifices, between the law and gospel (Rom_10:8). The ideal of the theocratic temple
will then first be realized.
beginning of the year — the ecclesiastical year, the first month of which was Nisan.
the city ... thither — Jerusalem, the center to which all the prophet’s thoughts
tended.
K&D, "Introduction
Eze_40:1. In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year,
on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten, on this same
day the hand of Jehovah came upon me, and He brought me thither. Eze_40:2. In
visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high
mountain; and upon it there was like a city-edifice toward the south. Eze_40:3. And He
brought me thither, and behold there was a man, his appearance like the appearance of
brass, and a flaxen cord in his hand, and the measuring-rod; and he stood by the gate.
Eze_40:4. And the man spake to me: Son of man, see with thine eyes, and hear with
thine ears, and set thy heart upon all that I show thee; for thou art brought hither to
show it thee. Tell all that thou seest to the house of Israel. - The twofold announcement
of the time when the prophet was shown the vision of the new temple and the new
kingdom of God points back to Eze_1:1 and Eze_33:21, and places this divine revelation
concerning the new building of the kingdom of God in a definite relation, not only to the
appearance of God by which Ezekiel was called to be a prophet (Eze_1:1, Eze_1:3), but
also to the vision in Ezekiel 8-11, in which he was shown the destruction of the ancient,
sinful Jerusalem, together with its temple. The twenty-fifth year of the captivity, and the
fourteenth year after the city was smitten, i.e., taken and reduced to ashes, are the year
575 before Christ. There is a difference of opinion as to the correct explanation of ‫ֹאשׁ‬ ‫ר‬ ְ‫בּ‬
‫ָה‬‫נ‬ָ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ at the beginning of the year; but it is certainly incorrect to take the expression as
denoting the beginning of the economical or so-called civil year, the seventh month
(Tishri). For, in the first place, the custom of beginning the year with the month Tishri
was introduced long after the captivity, and was probably connected with the adoption of
the era of the Seleucidae; and, secondly, it is hardly conceivable that Ezekiel should have
deviated from the view laid down in the Torah in so important a point as this. The only
thing that could render this at all probable would be the assumption proposed by Hitzig,
that the year 575 b.c. was a year of jubilee, since the year of jubilee did commence with
6

7. the day of atonement on the tenth of the seventh month. But the supposition that a
jubilee year fell in the twenty-fifth year of the captivity cannot be raised into a
probability. We therefore agree with Hävernick and Kliefoth in adhering to the view of
the older commentators, that ‫ֹאשׁ‬ ‫ר‬ ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ָ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is a contracted repetition of the definition
contained in Exo_12:2, ‫ֹאשׁ‬ ‫ר‬ ‫שׁים‬ ָ‫ֳד‬‫ח‬ ‫ן‬ ‫אשׁ‬ ִ‫ר‬ , and signifies the opening month of the year,
i.e., the month Abib (Nisan). The tenth day of this month was the day on which the
preparations for the Passover, the feast of the elevation of Israel into the people of God,
were to commence, and therefore was well adapted for the revelation of the new
constitution of the kingdom of God. On that day was Ezekiel transported, in an ecstatic
state, to the site of the smitten Jerusalem. For ‫ה‬ ָ‫ת‬ְ‫י‬ ָ‫ה‬ ‫י‬ַ‫ל‬ָ‫ע‬ ‫ַד‬‫י‬ ‫,יי‬ compare Eze_37:1 and
Eze_1:3. ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ evidently points back to ‫יר‬ ִ‫ע‬ ָ‫ה‬ in Eze_40:2: thither, where the city was
smitten. ‫ת‬ ‫א‬ ְ‫מר‬ , as in Eze_1:1. ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫יח‬ִ‫נ‬ְ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ : he set me down upon (not by) a very high
mountain (‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ for ‫ל‬ַ‫,ע‬ as in many other instances; e.g., Eze_18:6 and Eze_31:12).
The very high mountain is Mount Zion, which is exalted above the tops of all the
mountains (Mic_4:1; Isa_2:2) - the mountain upon which, according to what follows,
the new temple seen in the vision stood, and which has already been designated as the
lofty mountain of Israel in Eze_17:22-23.
(Note: J. H. Michaelis has already explained it correctly, viz.: “The highest
mountain, such as Isaiah (Isa_2:2) had also predicted that Mount Zion would be,
not physically, but in the eminence of gospel dignity and glory; cf. Rev_21:10.”)
Upon this mountain Ezekiel saw something like a city-edifice toward the south (lit.,from
the south hither). ‫ֵה‬‫נ‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫מ‬ is not the building of the new Jerusalem (Hävernick, Kliefoth,
etc.). For even if what was to be seen as a city-edifice really could be one, although no
tenable proof can be adduced of this use of ‫כ‬ simil., nothing is said about the city till
Eze_45:6 and 48:156 and 30 ff., and even there it is only in combination with the
measuring and dividing of the land; so that Hävernick's remark, that “the revelation has
reference to the sanctuary and the city; these two principal objects announce themselves
at once as such in the form of vision,” is neither correct nor conclusive. The revelation
has reference to the temple and the whole of the holy land, including the city; and the
city itself does not come at all into such prominence as to warrant us in assuming that
there is already a reference made to it here in the introduction. If we look at the context,
the man with the measure, whom Ezekiel saw at the place to which he was transported,
was standing at the gate (Eze_40:3). This gate in the wall round about the building was,
according to Eze_40:5, Eze_40:6, a temple gate. Consequently what Ezekiel saw as a
city-edifice can only be the building of the new temple, with its surrounding wall and its
manifold court buildings. The expressions ‫יו‬ָ‫ל‬ָ‫ע‬ and ‫ֶב‬‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ ִ‫מ‬ can both be brought into
harmony with this. ‫יו‬ָ‫ל‬ָ‫ע‬ refers to the very high mountain mentioned immediately before,
to the summit of which the prophet had been transported, and upon which the temple-
edifice is measured before his eyes. But ‫ֶב‬‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ ִ‫מ‬ does not imply, that as Ezekiel looked from
the mountain he saw in the distance, toward the south, a magnificent building like a city-
edifice; but simply that, looking from his standing-place in a southerly direction, or
southwards, he saw this building upon the mountain, - that is to say, as he had been
transported from Chaldea, i.e., from the north, into the land of Israel, he really saw it
before him towards the south; so that the rendering of ‫ֶב‬‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ ִ‫מ‬ by ἀπέναντι in the
Septuagint is substantially correct, though without furnishing any warrant to alter ‫ֶב‬‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ ִ‫מ‬
7

8. into ‫ֶד‬‫ג‬ֶ‫נּ‬ ִ‫.מ‬ In Eze_40:3, ‫יא‬ ִ‫ָב‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ is repeated from the end of Eze_40:1, for the purpose of
attaching the following description of what is seen, in the sense of, “when He brought me
thither, behold, there (was) a man.” His appearance was like the appearance of brass,
i.e., of shining brass (according to the correct gloss of the lxx χαλκοῦ στίλβοντος ‫ת‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ֹ‫ח‬‫ְנ‬
‫ל‬ָ‫ל‬ ָ‫ק‬ = , Eze_1:7). This figure suggests a heavenly being, an angel, and as he is called
Jehovah in Eze_44:2, Eze_44:5, the angel of Jehovah. Kliefoth's opinion, that in Eze_
44:2, Eze_44:5, it is not the man who is speaking, but that the prophet is there
addressed directly by the apparition of God (Eze_43:2 ff.), is proved to be untenable by
the simple fact that the speaker (in Ezekiel 44) admonishes the prophet in Eze_40:5 to
attend, to see, and to hear, in the same words as the man in Eze_40:4 of the chapter
before us. This places the identity of the two beyond the reach of doubt. He had in his
hand a flaxen cord for measuring, and the measuring rod - that is to say, two measures,
because he had to measure many and various things, smaller and larger spaces, for the
former of which he had the measuring rod, for the latter the measuring line. The gate at
which this man stood (Eze_40:3) is not more precisely defined, but according to Eze_
40:5 it is to be sought for in the wall surrounding the building; and since he went to the
east gate first, according to Eze_40:6, it was not the east gate, but probably the north
gate, as it was from the north that Ezekiel had come.
COFFMAN, “EZEKIEL 40-48
We are treating this final section of nine chapters lying at the end of Ezekiel as a
unit, as have most of the scholars we have consulted. Furthermore, no very detailed
study of the line by line descriptions given herein shall be attempted. Most of the
sources we have consulted devote only a few paragraphs to the whole section; and
those who have devoted fifty or sixty pages have usually presented nothing of very
great interest.
What we have here is a very detailed description of a magnificent physical Temple,
somewhat loosely patterned after the Temple of Solomon, only much larger,
complete with special living quarters for priests, and an elaborate system of animal
sacrifices and other material offerings, along with the faithful observance of New
Moons and Sabbaths, the whole picture rivaling the Book of Leviticus itself.
Not just a chapter or two, but all nine of chapters 40-48 are devoted to practically
nothing else except that Grand New Temple in Jerusalem which God promised
would be built following Israel's return to Palestine and the times of the salvation of
8

9. Israel.
An important fact bearing upon our study of this is the fact that no such Temple
was ever built, and there is no indication whatever that it will ever be built. If
indeed God promised that it would be built, just as it seems in this section, then the
sinfulness and continued hardening of Israel as mentioned by Isaiah prevented it, in
keeping with the Grand Condition presented by Jeremiah 18:7-10, along with the
Chosen People's rejection of Christ, which led to the formation of the New Israel
and the total abandonment of any need whatever for physical temples. Speaking of
the New Israel, which God most surely established, what earthly use could God have
for the Old Israel in times subsequent thereunto?
The whole system of worship which Ezekiel foresaw in this passage exhibits no
compatibility whatever with Christianity.
(1) The very idea of a physical temple is repugnant to Christianity. "God dwelleth
not in temples made with hands" (Acts 7:48). There will not even be a Temple in
heaven itself.
(2) Animal sacrifices and other material sacrifices for sins are a total contradiction
of the Holy Truth that, "The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sins" (1 John 1:7). "It is impossible that `the blood of bulls and of goats should take
away sin" (Hebrews 10:4).
(3) The special chambers for priests receive a great deal of attention in this section;
but such physical quarters for a separate priesthood have no relevance whatever to
Christianity. All Christians are "priests unto God." a royal priesthood at that; and
there are simply not going to be any distinctions whatever such as those provided
for in this vision of a physical temple (1 Peter 1:6; Revelation 1:6, KJV).
(4) Note that Ezekiel's Temple is the one in which God shall dwell forever (Ezekiel
43:7). God's Spirit entered the Holy Temple of his Church, the New Israel of God,
9

10. on the First Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with that same
tremendous sound "of the rushing mighty wind," and with the forked flames as of
fire sitting upon each one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 2). Therefore, in this
particular at least, Ezekiel's Temple is nothing less than the Church of Jesus Christ.
Certainly, God never entered a temple that was never built. The sound of the
rushing mighty wind was the same sound heard when God left the Jewish temple
because of the sins of Israel (Ezekiel 10-11).
(5) Observance of New Moons and Sabbaths appear in this section as forms of
worship; but Jesus Christ himself took the sabbaths out of the way, nailing them to
his cross (Colossians 2:14). In the same passage, an Apostle warned Christians
against the observance either of New Moons or sabbaths.
(6) In the situation presented here in Ezekiel, all worship is centered in Jerusalem.
As far as Christianity is concerned, such a proposition is absurdly ridiculous. Jesus
Christ enlightened the Samaritan woman with the truth that neither in Gerizim nor
in Jerusalem would men worship God, but they would worship in Spirit and in
Truth (John 4:22ff).
In this light, it appears that little, if any, of these last nine chapters has much
application to Christian students.
With regard to the interpretation of this final section, Halley stated that, "It is a
prediction of the Messianic Age; but some interpret it literally, as meaning that the
Twelve Tribes will one day again inherit Palestine, that they will be distributed as
here indicated, and that the Temple will be rebuilt literally in all particulars as here
specified, and that literal animal sacrifices will again be offered."[1] We cannot
possibly accept such a literal interpretation.
The literal dimensions given here are, to say the least, quite impractical. "The
square of the Temple given in Ezekiel 42:20 is six times as large as the circuit of the
wall encircling the old Temple. The city of Jerusalem, here has an area between
three and four thousand square miles (about ten times the square miles within the
10

11. Houston city limits). This is about as large as all of Judea west of the Jordan
river."[2]
There are several particulars in which the Messianic Kingdom (or Church of God)
is clearly prophesied: (1) God's dwelling in the New Temple (the Church); (2) the
immense size of the New Institution; (3) the presence of all the tribes of Israel (the
Ten tribes especially, who must be identified with the Gentiles following their loss to
Assyria) indicates the unity of all men, Jews and Gentiles alike in Christ Jesus. It
appears impossible to suppose any literal resurrection of the Ten Tribes. The only
restoration they ever received, or ever can receive, is in the redemption "in Christ"
of individuals such as "Anna" (Luke 2:36).
As for the reason why such a material Temple was prophesied for Israel upon their
return from Babylon, we can by no means be sure. It could very well be that, IF
Israel had returned en masse as God intended, and IF they had truly rallied to God,
believing and obeying him, that such a magnificent edifice would indeed have been
built. Since no such pre-conditions ever were fulfilled, God did not build it, nor
allow it to be built. In any case, such a vision of so grand a Temple would have
served to encourage and motivate Israel's return; and that might have been God's
sole reason for giving the vision. We cannot pretend to know.
The appearance of animal sacrifices, and other elements, in this vision make it
absolutely impossible to suppose that it could ever have been conceived of as having
any utility whatever after the appearance of the Son of God, the Dayspring from on
High, who was destined to rescue and save his people from their sins.
THE RECORD OF WHAT THE VISION PROPHESIES
Ezekiel 40
The date. "This was fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem."[3] "This was April
28,523 B.C."[4] There was the vision of the man measuring the east gate (Ezekiel
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12. 40:6-19). Measuring the north gate (Ezekiel 40:20-23). Measuring the south gate
(Ezekiel 40:24-31). More on measuring the east gate (Ezekiel 40:32-34). More on
measuring the north gate (Ezekiel 40:35-43). Description of the chambers (Ezekiel
40:44-47). Description of the porch (Ezekiel 40:48,49).
TRAPP, “Verse 1
Ezekiel 40:1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the
year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was
smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me
thither.
Ver. 1. In the five and twentieth year; &c.] After the defeat of Gog and Magog
cometh, in these last nine chapters, a new prophecy, aptly depending upon the
former, concerning the Christian Church, and the spiritual state and constitution
thereof; which is here prefigured by types of rebuilding the temple, restoring the
Levitical rites, and repossessing the promised land. To those Jews who here hence
expect a most glorious temple and state at the coming of their imaginary Messiah,
and for whose sakes these high things are thus expressed, Christ may well say, as
afterwards he did to Nicodemus, [John 3:12] "If I have told you earthly things, and
ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I telI you of heavenly?" The wiser of their
Rabbis, (a) as Galatinus testifieth, convinced by good reasons, understand these
chapters not of an earthly building according to the letter, but of a heavenly, and in
a mystical sense. And John the divine so interpreteth this scripture [Revelation
21:1-11; Revelation 21:22-27; Revelation 22:7] - viz., of the heavenly Jerusalem, that
mother of us all. It is ordinary with the prophets to speak figuratively of the
amplitude, splendour, and magnificence of the Christian Church; as Isaiah
54:11-12, "I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundation with
sapphires," &c. - that is, I will erect and raise my Church and temple among the
Gentiles, and adorn and deck it with lustre and variety of precious graces. Divines
observe, that God here showeth Ezekiel a new temple larger than the old Jerusalem,
and a new Jerusalem larger than all the land of Canaan; yea, according to the
account of some learned Rabbis, larger than all the world; for [Ezekiel 48:35] it was
round about eighteen thousand measures - i.e., leucas, say they. Now in opening of
this prophecy, it must not be expected that something should be said to every verse,
as elsewhere hath been done; and yet we must know that there is nothing in Holy
Scripture that is not useful and profitable, [2 Timothy 3:16] though at first sight it
12

13. may seem otherwise. Metals lie hidden in hardest quarries; wholesome herbs are
found often in the roughest places, and precious stones in barren sands. Hippocrates
saith that in the faculty of medicine there is nothing small, nothing contemptible. (b)
Aristotle saith in all nature nothing is so mean, vile, and abject that deserveth not to
be admired. The Rabbis have a saying that there is a mountain of sense which
hangeth upon every apex of the Word of God, &c.
And brought me thither,] scil., To Jerusalem, in vision, that valley of vision. In the
beginning of this book, the Spirit carried him into the plain of Shinar, there to see a
vision purporting the destruction of the material temple. Here, toward the close of
it, he is by the same hand carried to Jerusalem to see a mystical temple, set up in the
stead thereof, far more stately. "The sufferings of this life are in no comparison
worthy of the glory that shall be revealed." [Romans 8:18]
COKE, “Introduction
PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON CHAPTERS 40-48.*
* The reader is left to form his own judgment on the temple seen in vision by
Ezekiel, from the various interpretations that I have given in the Preliminary
Remarks, the Critical Notes, and the Reflections.
"VITRINGA has proved, in two volumes in Dutch, and a defence of them against
the son of Cocceius, that this temple agrees with Solomon's, and with that which was
afterwards built by Zerobabel and Herod." Secker.
"Men. Ben. Isr. de Resurrectione, lib. iii. c. 8. p. 314, &c. produces twenty-one
instances to shew that this prophesy of Ezekiel was not fulfilled under the second
temple; and therefore is yet to be fulfilled." Secker.
"This is certainly not the temple of Zerobabel, nor the division of the land nor the
13

14. governors that we find either from Zerobabel's time to the destruction of the
Persian empire, or from Simon the Prince to the destruction of the Jewish kings of
the Hasmonean race: nor the temple which Herod the Great began to build in the
18th year; much less is Herod the Prince mentioned in the 45th chapter. I am not
therefore able to give an historical account of these chapters." Michaelis.
"The temple described by Ezekiel should have been built by the new colonists; the
customs and usages which he orders should have been observed by them; the
division of the country should have been followed by them. That the temple did not
arise out of its ruins according to his model, and that his orders were in no manner
obeyed, was the fault of Israel. How far were they behind the orders of their first
lawgiver Moses? what wonder therefore that they as little regard their second
lawgiver Ezekiel? He supposes the return of all the tribes; which was agreeable to
the prophesies of the other prophets, and to the will of Cyrus: but only Judah and
Benjamin preferred the habitations of their ancestors to the country of Chaldea;
and thus the great plan of Ezekiel was at once destroyed." Eichhorn.
A Dissertation on Ezekiel's Vision of the Temple, Ordinances of the Priest, Division
of the Land, Flowing Waters out of the Temple, &c. By Archbishop Secker. Ezek.
chap. xl-xlviii.
THE Israelites mentioned in this vision are said to be the twelve tribes: Joseph is to
have two shares of the land, and Levi none; but in the names of the gates Levi is
mentioned, and but one named from Joseph. The country allotted them is described
by geographical marks to be the land of Canaan. Indeed the shares of the several
tribes are not the same, which they were in Joshua; nor is any of the country beyond
Jordan divided amongst them. And chap. Ezekiel 47:22-23 orders, that the
proselytes sojourning in each tribe shall have an inheritance in land with those of
the tribe in which they sojourn. This doth not seem to have been practised before
the captivity. For though the Kenites, Jude 1:16 or rather part of them, 1 Samuel
15:6 dwelt among the Jews, yet as they had neither house, nor vineyard, nor field,
but dwelt in tents, Jeremiah 35:7-9 as did Abraham, who had not a foot of the land
in possession, Acts 7:5 their case was not the same with that which is appointed
here. But still in this alteration it appears, that the twelve tribes are meant literally,
else there would be no distinction between them and the proselytes.*
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15. * The meaning may possibly be, that the Gentile converts to Christianity shall have
the same privileges with the Jewish. But supposing this, the twelve tribes must mean
real Israelites: and they are considered as the principal inhabitants in this vision:
whereas the Gentile proselytes to Christianity have greatly exceeded the Jewish.
There is indeed a difficulty in the execution of this order, unless the several tribes in
their captivity were kept distinct: for else how could it be determined amongst
which of them the proselytes sojourned? But perhaps the meaning is, that where
they sojourned after the return, and before the division of the land, there they
should have a share. It is foretold, Zechariah 2:11 that Zion should have many
proselytes, at the return from Babylon; for that time appears by Ezekiel 39:6-7 to be
meant.
And surely the vision must relate to those Israelites who were to return in a short
time from Babylon, not to those of a future age. It belonged to those who had been
idolaters,† and practised their idolatrous worship in God's temple, so that only the
wall was between him and idols: compare chap. 8 and part of whose idolatries had
been honouring the carcases of their kings, chap. Ezekiel 43:7-9 and if they
repented, the pattern of the house was to be shewn them, Ezekiel 39:11 which had
been a small consolation, had it not been to be built for above two thousand years
after. And as no other cause of God's anger against them is mentioned or hinted at
but their idolatry, surely the vision must relate to their return from that captivity,
before which they had been idolaters, not from one before which they had not.‡
† They and their kings, chap. Ezekiel 43:7.
‡ It should also be observed, that as a person, with a line of flax in his hands,
measures here the city as well as the temple, so Zechariah 2 l, 2 a person appears
with a measuring line in his hand going to measure Jerusalem, the length and
breadth of it; and this was when Zion, that dwelt with the daughter of Babylon, was
commanded to flee from the land of the north; Ezekiel 39:6-7.
Besides, the temple to be built, or rather represented in this vision as built, is plainly
the Jewish temple. Learned men, as Villalpandus and others, apprehend it to be of
15

16. the same dimensions with Solomon's; and Vitringa is said to have proved it in a
Dutch work to be of the same dimensions also with Zerobabel's and Herod's. And
Lowth apprehends there might be probably need of so exact a description of it, as is
given in this vision, in order to enable them to build one of the same dimensions.
Moses had the dimensions of the tabernacle revealed to him, Exod. xxv, &c. and
David of the temple, 1 Chronicles 11:19 and no one after the captivity could be
supposed to remember these. But there is a description of Solomon's temple,
1 Kings 6 which we must suppose them to have had then, and which would be a
great direction to them, though not so particular as Ezekiel's.|| Zerobabel's temple
was indeed much inferior to Solomon's, Haggai 2:3 but this might be in ornaments,
not things essential. The old people wept when the foundations of it were laid, Ezra
3:12 but this might be joy or tenderness, not sorrow at its being of less dimensions,
and indeed Solomon's was not very large.§
|| And it is not easy to conceive, why directions so minute as his should be given, but
in order to a real literal building; for surely no certain allegorical sense can be given
of each: and to make them all only as ornaments of a parable is loading it with
ornaments beyond measure.
§ Some make the measures of Ezekiel's temple and other things foretold so large,
that the meaning cannot be literal; but I have not yet seen sufficient authority for
this. Or if the measures were much larger than Solomon's temple, or than it was
possible the temple, &c. should be, it might mean, not that no literal temple was
intended, but that it should he a very large and spacious one, as certain numbers are
put for uncertain, and hyperbolical ones for real ones, as in the burning the
weapons of Gog's army, and burying their carcases.
The glory of the Lord had been seen by Ezekiel leaving the first house, chap. Ezekiel
10:19 and going to a mountain on the east (as it must naturally do, when it went out
of the house, because the entrance of it was from the east), and standing there, chap.
Ezekiel 11:23. And from the east it returned to this temple in the vision, and filled
the house, chap. Ezekiel 43:1-5, Ezekiel 44:4. Now the glory of the Lord¶ entered
into Solomon's temple at the dedication of it, so that the priest could not enter into it
16

17. to minister, 1 Kings 8:10-11. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14. This was before Solomon's
prayer. And again after this prayer fire came down from heaven, and consumed the
sacrifice, and the glory filled the house so that the priests could not enter, 2
Chronicles 7:1-2. One supposes therefore, that it was not always in the same degree.
But after this I know not that we have any mention of it in the historical books,
though there is a vision of it, Isaiah 6. Nor, I think, doth Josephus say any thing of it
afterwards, though he doth say, Antiq. 3:8, 9 that the prophetic shining of the
breast-plate and stone of the high-priest's right shoulder left off two hundred years
before his time: του θεου δυοχεραι νοντος επι τη παραβασει των νομων . We are not
surely to think, that the glory of the Lord stayed till the return from the captivity,
much less stays till a future return, on any hill to the east of Jerusalem; nor indeed is
it said, but only that it went to a hill in the east, and returned by the way of the east.
But are we to suppose that it did, or will literally return at all to the temple there
described? It is said here that it did, but it is said in a vision.** And neither Ezra,
who gives the history of the building of the temple, nor Nehemiah, nor the prophets,
who wrote afterwards, nor Josephus, mention it, which yet surely some of them
would, though one should indeed have thought the departing of it at the Babylonish
captivity should have been mentioned too. But if it did not return at the return from
Babylon, it is not likely, if Christianity be true, to return at any future return of the
Jews. For will God's glory now inhabit a temple built on the principles of Judaism,
as this of Ezekiel's plainly is?
¶ I think it is not mentioned from the entering into Canaan till now.
** Which perhaps may mean only, that God will as certainly direct and protect his
people as if he was visibly present by a symbol amongst them.
Strangers, uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, had been brought into the temple,
and the prophet was directed to tell the people of this; and to charge, that into this
new temple no stranger uncircumcised in heart or flesh should enter, chap. Ezekiel
44:6-9. Surely this direction and charge must relate to a time near the commission of
that offence, and to the next temple that was built after it, not a time distant, we
know not how much above two thousand years; especially as the last temple had no
such crime allowed in it, and therefore there was no need to caution against it in a
yet future one. And a literal circumcision must be meant here. For the crime under
the former temple had been, admitting persons literally uncircumcised; and the
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18. repetitions of that being forbid, the same circumcision must be meant; besides that
the sense is determined by adding in the flesh as well as in heart. Uncircumcised,
when opposed to uncircumcised in heart, means literally, Jeremiah 9:25-26.; much
more then, wherein flesh is added.
Farther; sacrifices* were to be offered in this temple, chap. Ezekiel 43; Ezekiel 44;
Ezekiel 45; Ezekiel 46 of blood and fat, chap. Ezekiel 44:7; the blood to be sprinkled
on the altar, chap. Ezekiel 43:18; and God promises to accept them, chap. Ezekiel
43:27. Now though Christians are said in the New Testament to offer sacrifices, and
their worship is understood to be meant in the Old Testament when incense and a
pure offering is mentioned, Malachi 1:11; yet the word there is ‫מנחה‬ minchah, which
denotes particularly a bread-offering, and I believe the goats, bullocks, rams for sin,
peace, burnt-offerings, with their times, and quantities of flour and oil added to
them, as described in these chapters, cannot be understood of other, than real
Jewish sacrifices.†
* There was to be an altar of such dimensions as are exactly specified, chap. Ezekiel
43:13.
† Which, if the Epistle to the Hebrews be true, to say nothing of the rest of the New
Testament, God will not accept now, and therefore they must not be understood of
future times.
Besides, they were to be offered by priests of the line of Aaron, and those of the sons
of Zadoc, because the other priests had been guilty of idolatry, and those priests
were to be employed only in lower offices in the temple, chap. Ezekiel 44:10-16,
Ezekiel 48:11. Now this seems to intimate a more speedy restoration of the temple,
than the seventy years of Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, will allow; and Ezekiel never
mentions a number of years, but only that the time of return is near. After the
seventy years scarce any could be supposed capable of officiating, that had
officiated in an idolatrous worship before. But the prohibition may be designed for
their posterity. And for their posterity in Zerobabel's temple it might. But surely not
in a time yet future, when nothing but a revelation can determine who are Zadock's
posterity, and when it would seem very strange, a punishment should commence for
18

19. what their forefathers did so long ago. And not only the sons of Aaron as such
would not be put to officiate in a Christian temple of the Jews, but Christian
ministers would scarcely be described in this manner. But supposing this temple to
be that to be built after the return from Babylon, all would be easy.
Farther still; ceremonial laws of sacrifices and purification and distinction between
what the priests might do, and what the people might, &c. were to be in force under
this temple, chap. Ezekiel 43-44. Whether some of these may differ from the Mosaic,
I have not particularly examined: if they do, Ezekiel must be considered as being in
part a new legislator; and I believe David and Solomon varied in some things from
the rules of Moses. But still all these things cannot be designed, either to have
allegorical meanings only, or to be ornaments of a parable only.
The prince mentioned in this vision, chap. 44:—xlviii. cannot be the Messias, but the
ruler for the time being of the Jewish nation. It is directed, where he should sit in
the temple to eat his share of the sacrifices, when and how be should go in and out,
what he shall offer is specified very minutely for the sabbath-day, for his voluntary
offering, &c. Particularly, it is directed, chap. Ezekiel 45:22 that at the passover he
shall offer a bullock, a sin-offering for himself and all the people. To guard himself
against the temptation of oppressing the people, he hath a provision of land allotted
him, chap. Ezekiel 45:8 where it follows. "and my princes shall not more oppress my
people."‡ It is directed, chap. Ezekiel 46:16, &c. that if he give land out of his
inheritance to one of his children, it shall be perpetual; but if to another, it shall be
only to the Jubilee. And the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by
oppression, to thrust them out of their possession: he shall give his sons inheritance
out of his own possession. These are plainly political rules for common princes, and
for a succession of them. Nor is there any thing great said either of the character, or
the dignity and dominion, of any particular prince in this vision: though there are
considerable things said of the prosperity of the branch of the cedar, which God
would plant in the mountain of Israel, but not more than would be proper
concerning a flourishing king of Israel; chap. Ezekiel 17:22, &c. Nor doth he any
where say|| more of the people of the Jews, than that they should return, and live
happily in their own land, one people under one king, God's servant David, and
should not be wicked any more or longer, but have his tabernacle amongst them for
ever. See particularly chap. Ezekiel 37:24 and Ezekiel 39:25, &c. And accordingly in
this vision it is said, chap. Ezekiel 43:7.* that the temple here described was the
place of God's throne, where he would dwell for ever in the midst of the children of
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20. Israel, and his holy name should neither they nor their kings defile any more by
their idolatries. This must relate to their return from a captivity, into which they
had been sent for idolatry. And in order to preserve the truth of the prophesy, the
words for ever and no more must be explained, as they must in several other places
for the same purpose. But supposing them to be understood of a long time only, they
will preclude any plea, that the things here foretold were to have been fulfilled if the
Jews had been pious; but were not, they being otherwise.
‡ The princes, it seems, had oppressed them, whence it follows, Ezekiel 39:9. "Let it
suffice you, O princes of Israel—take away your exactions from my people."
|| Or prophesy any thing against that kingdom, in which he lived; though not only
Isaiah, who lived before, but Jeremiah, who lived in a remote part of the empire,
did.
* On the house being filled with the glory of the Lord.
Some object against understanding the description of the temple, &c. literally, that
the waters said to flow from the temple, and the increase of them, and their
sweetening the Dead Sea, and the trees upon their banks with leaves for medicine,
chap. Ezekiel 47:1-12 cannot be so understood, and direct the rest not to be so
understood. But there was some liberal foundation for this also. For there was much
water conveyed in pipes to the temple for washing the place and the sacrifices and
the priests, as Aristeus affirms, whose book must have been written whilst the
temple stood, and Lightfoot from the Rabbins, and the nature of the things shews.
And if I understand Lowth right, they ran out at the east end of the temple, and
these several pipes uniting their streams with one another, and with the water of
Siloam, and Kidron, and others, which were formerly more plentiful about
Jerusalem, than in later times, and with waters from cisterns, see Reland, p. 294.
299, 300. 303. 856-860 might in a short space grow deep and considerable, and might
also have trees on their banks, though I find no mention of any, and though Reland,
p. 295 mentions a place where Kidron had none. What virtues the leaves of these
trees might have I know not. But I see not why Grotius should think these waters
must be those of the fountain Callirhoe: for that being a medicinal water, as
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21. Josephus and Pliny say it was, see Reland, p. 302, 303 hath no connexion with the
medicinal virtue of the trees on its banks. And though Solinus in Grotius says, it was
Hierosolymis proxima, [near to Jerusalem] yet that proximity might be at some
miles distance, and these waters were at a town which took its name of Callirhoe
from them, and was near the Dead Sea: Reland, p. 302, 678. Grotius also
understands the healing of the waters to mean only, that this river shall pass
through the Dead Sea, without being hurt by it, as the Rhone through the Lemane
Lake and others. But no river passes through the Dead Sea, but all are lost in it.
And though perhaps a larger quantity running in might make fish live in it; yet
neither hath this ever literally happened, nor doth it appear to what very great
purpose it would serve. Can it be intended then only as an hyperbolical expression,
that in some time then future, Jerusalem should have a more plentiful supply of
water,† or in general, that it should have every thing they could wish?‡ Isaiah
41:17-20, promises the Jews plenty of water in the wilderness, where there was none
before, and that a variety of trees should grow there; and chap. Ezekiel 43:19-20
that they should be for his people to drink, and that the beasts, dragons, and owls,
should honour him for them. And from chap. Ezekiel 35:6-10 and Ezekiel 48:20-21
one should think this was to be at the journey from Babylon, in which if any
miracles of this kind had been literally performed, surely the book of Ezra, or
Nehemiah, would have mentioned them. But Isaiah 44:1-5 rather directs to
understand these promises of God's spirit, which should extend to the fiercest of the
Gentiles, as well as be abundantly poured on the Jews; and to these waters every
one that is thirsty is invited, Isaiah 55:1 and shall draw water with joy out of the
wells of salvation, Isaiah 12:3 and God feeds his sheep by the waters of rest, Psalms
23. And this seems the most natural interpretation of what is said here, and Joel
3:18 that a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and water the valley
of Shittim, which was near the Dead Sea; and Zechariah 14:8 that living waters
should flow from Jerusalem, half to the eastern, half to the west sea.|| Indeed
commentators mention some springs at Jerusalem that flowed literally some to the
one, some to the other; but I know not on what authority. And were it literally true,
it would still seem also a figure of what Ezekiel 39:9 expresses, "And the Lord shall
be king over all the earth;" and which Isaiah 2:3 and Micah 4:2 express in terms
nearer akin to this figure: "The Lord shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem."§ And the conversion of Gentiles is foretold in the Old
Testament under the figure of taming wild beasts, and may be well understood here
in Ezekiel, by healing the waters of the Dead Sea, of which yet some places would
not be healed.¶ But still this doth not prove, that the rest of the prophesy is not to be
understood literally, any more than that the return from the captivity is not to be
understood so. Nor doth any thing determine this increase of religious knowledge
and practice to Christianity. Yet the mention of fishers favours it, as the apostles
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22. were some of them such, and Christ tells them, they should be fishers of men. But on
the other hand this makes a confusion of figures: first, to make the waters a symbol
of religious knowledge and divine grace, then instantly to represent the conversion
of men, by pulling them out of these waters in which alone they can live: whereas
considering it only as an ornament consequential to the waters being made
wholesome, this difficulty is avoided.
† Which might be by the repairing of the aqueducts, of which as Solomon and
Hezekiah took care, so did afterwards Nehemiah and Simon. See Notes on
Zechariah 14:8 in Pool.
‡ As indeed a promise of streams of water in uncommon places seems, Isaiah 30:25
to mean plenty of good and happiness.
|| Conformably to which Ezekiel, chap. Ezekiel 47:9 mentions two rivers, though
before and after only one is mentioned. But see Hebr. Bib.
§ And Isai. chap. Ezekiel 40:9 brings it nearer still, "The earth, shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." And it hath been already
observed here, that Zechariah foretels, there should be many proselytes after the
return from Babylon.
¶ If the waters mentioned in the above place of Zechariah 14:8 be the same with the
fountain opened to the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and
uncleanness, Zechariah 13:1 this would turn one's thoughts to water for washing,
not drinking, that is to say, to expiation, not instruction. But the fountain, Zechariah
13:1 seems rather parallel to the clean water sprinkled, Ezekiel 36:25 for the water
of sprinkling was for ‫חטאת‬ chatath and ‫נדה‬ niddah, Numbers 19:9; Numbers 19:13
which are the very words used Zechariah 13:1.
Some indeed have understood Ezekiel 39:8 that these waters were to flow through
Galilee; and so ο translate it, and so Ch. Syr. may be understood. Whether the word
22

23. may not also be an appellative in them I know not. But if it be Galilee, it must be
also eastern Galilee, and no such country is named elsewhere.* Besides, no waters
from Jerusalem could flow through Galilee; but they did flow through the east
country, to the Dead Sea, which is called the East Sea, Ezekiel 39:18 and these very
waters are said to flow that way in Joel, and part of them to flow that way in
Ezekiel. And the word must in same places of Scripture signify something different
from Galilee, and probably signifies a country, or boundary. Nor doth the New
Testament, or any old Christian writer, so far as I can learn, apply this text to
Christ's preaching. Still, without question, Christianity had spread true religion
vastly more than Judaism did; and therefore this part of the prophesy is more
applicable to Christianity. And as these waters flowed out after the temple was built,
and it is not said how long after, or how long they were coming to be so great a
stream; the building of the temple, and the rules about worship, and about the
prince, may be literal, and belong to Judaism, and this of the waters be figurative,
and belong to Christianity. But then† the division of the land cannot well be both
literal and true; for few of the twelve tribes returned, and we have no ground to
think any such division was made to those that did; nor yet did their sins hinder
these things; for, as was mentioned above, it is in this vision foretold they should not
sin.‡
* Upper and lower are: but one lay just south of the other.
† The city and temple were not built according to these directions; for they were not
separate from one another as chap. 45: chap. 48: require them, and accordingly
Revelation 21:22 says there was no temple in the city, but gives another reason; nor
were there such portions assigned, so far as appears, to people, prince, or priests at
Jerusalem.
[‡ And probably for some time after their return from captivity they sinned less
than ever they had done in the same time before.
One should not think Ezekiel had respect to the tree of life, in what he says of the
trees on the bank of this river; for though indeed in Hebrew tree may be used for
such trees, yet Genesis 2:9 placing the tree of life in the midst of the garden
23

24. intimates there was but one, whereas in Ezekiel there are many trees, and it should
seem of several sorts: yet Revelation 22:2 plainly referring to this place calls the tree
[for he says Ξυλον, though he must mean in the plural] Ξυλον ζωης [the tree of
life].]
CHAP. XL.
The time, manner, and end of the vision. The description and admeasurement of the
several gates. Eight tables. The chambers. The porch of the house.
Before Christ 574.
Verse 1
Ezekiel 40:1. The hand of the Lord was upon me— The temple here described by
Ezekiel is, in all probability, the same which he saw before his captivity, and which
had been burned by the Chaldeans fourteen years before this vision. On comparing
the books of Kings and Chronicles with this prophet, we shall find the same
dimensions in the parts described by both; for instance, the temple, or place which
comprehended the sanctuary, the holy place, and the vestibule or porch before the
temple, are found to measure equally both in Ezekiel and the Kings. Compare 1
Kings 6:3-16 and chap. Ezekiel 41:2, &c. The inside ornaments of the temple are
intirely the same: in both we see two courts; an inner one for the priests, and an
outer one for the people. Compare 1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 6:36. 2 Chronicles 4:9 and
Ezekiel 41:16-17; Ezekiel 8:7; Ezekiel 8:16. So that there is room to suppose, that, in
all the rest, the temple of Ezekiel resembled the old one; and that God's design in
retracing these ideas in the prophet's memory, was to preserve the remembrance of
the plan, the dimensions, the ornaments, and whole structure of this divine edifice;
that, at the return from captivity, the people might more easily rebuild it, agreeably
to this model. The prophet's applying himself to describe this edifice, was a motive
of hope to the Jews, of seeing themselves one day delivered from captivity, the
temple rebuilt, and their nation restored to its ancient inheritance. Ezekiel touches
very slightly upon the description of the temple, or house of the Lord, which
comprehended the holy place and sanctuary, and which are so correctly described
in the books of Kings. He dwells more largely upon the gates, the galleries and
24

25. apartments of the temple, concerning which the history of the Kings had not spoken,
or only just taken notice of by the way. This vision of the prophet happened in the
year of the world 3430, on Tuesday the 30th of April, fourteen years after the taking
of Jerusalem. See Calmet, Usher's Annal. A.M. 3430 and the note on chap. Ezekiel
48:35.
PETT, “Verse 1
The Vision of the New Temple (Ezekiel 40:1 to Ezekiel 42:20).
The Man With the Measuring Reed (Ezekiel 40:1-4).
‘In the twenty fifth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, on the tenth
day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten, on the selfsame
day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there. In the visions of God
he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on
which was as it were the frame of a city on the south.’
This incident is dated the tenth day, of the first month of the twenty fifth year of the
captivity (573 BC), namely either the 10th of Abib (or Nisan) (March-April),
compare Exodus 12:2-3, which was the day of separating the Passover lamb ready
for the Passover, or the 10th day of Tishri (September/October) which was the Day
of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27; Leviticus 25:9), depending on which calendar was
being used. Thus it may be seen as the day of preparation for deliverance (the
Passover), or the day of repentance and atonement, in preparation for the new age
(the Day of Atonement).
It is also described as being on the fourteenth year ‘after the city was smitten’. This
was twice times seven, an intensively perfect period, an indication of God’s specific
timing. God was now ready to take up His people and land again. Note the reference
to ‘the city’. The name of Jerusalem is deliberately not mentioned.
25

26. There are also other indications of vagueness. He is set down on ‘a very high
mountain’. He saw ‘as it were’ a city. Contrast the very specific descriptions the
previous time that Ezekiel was transported in this way to the land of Israel, ‘to
Jerusalem, to the door of the inner temple’ (Ezekiel 8:3), ‘the east gate of Yahweh’s
house’ (Ezekiel 11:1). This time he is in vision again but there is no exactness. The
city and the mountain are nameless, and the city vaguely described. There is a
deliberate intention not to tie this too closely to the earthly Jerusalem. Attempts to
name the mountain would therefore defeat Ezekiel’s purpose (both Mount Zion and
the Mount of Olives have been suggested, among others). He makes clear in Ezekiel
45:1-7 that this temple is not located in ‘the city’, and does not want us to tie it in
with an earthly locality. He wants all concentration to be on this mysterious temple,
present in the land, of which he is made aware, and to which all are to turn.
‘On a very high mountain.’ In Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1, the ‘mountain of Yahweh’s
house’ in ‘the latter days’ was to be on the top of the mountains, and exalted above
the hills. The same eschatological idea is in mind here. It is the house to which all
nations will flow, and from which will go out the word of Yahweh and His Law,
when He rules the nations righteously and brings peace. It suggests the going forth
of God’s truth and the everlasting Kingly Rule of God, which was continued in the
ministry of Jesus and the early church, and finalised in the bringing in of the
everlasting kingdom. It was to be a witness to the nations.
‘On which was as it were the frame (or construction) of a city on the south.’ The
temple was not in the city. Indeed the city is vague, a future dream, as indicated by
the ‘as it were’, but the temple is real and can be measured.
Verses 1-35
The New Temple (Ezekiel 40:1 to Ezekiel 48:35).
The book of Ezekiel began with a vision of the glory of God and the coming of the
heavenly chariot throne of God in order to speak directly to His people through
26

27. Ezekiel (chapter 1). He then recorded the departure of God's glory from Jerusalem
and the Temple because of the sins of Israel (chapters 8 - 11). This was followed by
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Now it ends with another vision, the
return of God's glory to the land and to His people (chapters 40 -48) depicted in the
form of a heavenly temple established on the mountains of Israel to which the glory
of God returns, resulting in the final restoration of ‘the city’ as ‘Yahweh is there’.
Thus this part of the book follows both chronologically and logically from what has
gone before.
Furthermore at the commencement of the book Ezekiel received his divine
commission as a prophet (chapters 1 - 3), then he pronounced oracles of judgment
against Judah and Jerusalem for their sins, declaring that Jerusalem must be
destroyed (chapters 4 - 24). He followed this up with oracles of judgment against the
foreign nations who had opposed Israel (chapters 25 - 32). Then on hearing of
Jerusalem's fall (Ezekiel 33:21), the prophet proclaimed messages of hope for Israel,
declaring that God would fulfil His promises to deliver and bless His people Israel,
and would restore them to the land of their fathers and establish them in the land.
Yes, more, that they would be established there everlastingly under a new David,
with an everlasting sanctuary set up in their midst (stressed twice - Ezekiel 37:26;
Ezekiel 37:28) (chapters 34 - 39). And now he declares the presence of that new
Temple, even now present in the land, invisible to all but him and yet nevertheless
real in so much that it can be measured. It is ‘the icing on the cake’, the final touch
to what has gone before (40-48). God is back in His land. For such an invisible
presence, a glimpse of another world, present but unseen except by those with eyes
to see, compare Genesis 28:12; 2 Kings 2:11-12; 2 Kings 6:17; Zechariah 1:7-11.
Indeed without that heavenly temple the glory could not return, for it had to be
guarded from the eyes of man.
The heavenly temple can be compared directly with the heavenly throne with its
accompanying heavenly escort which Ezekiel saw earlier (chapter 1). That too was
the heavenly equivalent of the earthly ark of the covenant, and huge in comparison.
So Ezekiel was very much aware of the heavenly realm and its presence in different
ways on earth, for he was a man of spiritual vision.
27

28. But there is one remarkable fact that we should notice here, and that is that having
been made aware of the destruction of Jerusalem, and looking forward to the
restoration of Israel and its cities and the Satanic opposition they will face, and even
speaking of the building of a new Temple, Ezekiel never once refers directly by
name to Jerusalem in any way (in Ezekiel 36:38 it is referred to in an illustration).
This seems quite remarkable. It seems to me that this could only arise from a
studied determination not to do so. He wants to take men’s eyes off Jerusalem.
Here was a man who was a priest, who had constantly revealed his awareness of the
requirements of the cult, who had been almost totally absorbed with Jerusalem, who
now looked forward to the restoration of the land and the people, and yet who
ignored what was surely central in every Israelite’s thinking, the restoration of
Jerusalem. Surely after his earlier prophecies against Jerusalem his ardent listeners
must have asked him the question, again and again, what about Jerusalem? And yet
he seemingly gave them no answer. Why?
It seems to me that there can only be two parallel answers to that question. The first
is that Jerusalem had sinned so badly that as far as God and Ezekiel were concerned
its restoration as the holy city was not in the long run to be desired or even
considered. What was to be restored was the people and the land, which was his
continual emphasis. Jerusalem was very secondary and not a vital part of that
restoration. And secondly that in the final analysis the earthly Jerusalem was not
important in the final purposes of God. Jerusalem had been superseded. His eternal
sanctuary would be set up, but it would not be in the earthly Jerusalem (chapter 45
makes this clear). Rather it would be set up in such a way that it could more be
compared to Jacob’s ladder, as providing access to and from the heavenlies (Genesis
28:12) and a way to God, and yet be invisible to man. It is a vision of another world
in its relationships with man (compare 2 Kings 6:17). It was the beginnings of a
more spiritual view of reality. And it would result in an eternal city, the city of
‘Yahweh is there’ (Ezekiel 48:30-35).
Now that is not the view of Jerusalem and the temple of men like Nehemiah
(Nehemiah 1:4) and Daniel (Daniel 9:2; Daniel 9:16; Daniel 9:19), but they were
God-inspired politicians thinking of the nearer political and religious future not the
28

29. everlasting kingdom. (Daniel does of course deal with the everlasting kingdom, but
he never relates Jerusalem to it. He relates the everlasting kingdom to Heaven). Nor
do the other prophets avoid mentioning Jerusalem, and they do see in ‘Jerusalem’ a
place for the forwarding of the purposes of God (e.g. Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 4:3-5; Isaiah
24:23; Isaiah 27:13; Isaiah 30:19; Isaiah 31:5; Isaiah 33:20-21; Isaiah 40:2; Isaiah
40:9; Isaiah 44:26-28; Isaiah 52:1-2; Isaiah 52:9; Isaiah 62:1-7; Isaiah 65:18-19;
Isaiah 66:10-20; Jeremiah 3:17-18; Jeremiah 33:11-18; Joel 2:32; Joel 3:1; Joel
3:16-20; Obadiah 1:17-21; Micah 4:2-8; Zephaniah 3:14-16; Zechariah 2:2-4;
Zechariah 2:12; Zechariah 3:2; Zechariah 8:3-8; Zechariah 8:15; Zechariah 8:22;
Zechariah 9:9-10; Zechariah 12:6 to Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:11-21; Malachi
3:4 ), although some of these verses too have the ‘new Jerusalem’ firmly in mind.
And certainly God would in the short term encourage the building of a literal
Temple in Jerusalem (Haggai and Zechariah). Thus all saw the literal Jerusalem as
having at least a limited function in the forward going of God’s purposes, simply
because it was central in the thinking of the people of Israel. Although how far is
another question. However, Ezekiel’s vision went beyond that. It seems to be
suggesting that in the major purposes of God the earthly Jerusalem was now of little
significance. It was not even worthy of mention. It is now just ‘the city’.
Yet we find him here suddenly speaking of the presence of a new Temple in the land
of Israel. But even here, although it is referred to under the anonymous phrase ‘the
city’ (Ezekiel 40:1), Jerusalem remains unmentioned by name. And the temple is not
sited in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is simply a place called anonymously ‘the city’, whose
future name, once it is redeemed and purified, is ‘Yahweh is there’ (Ezekiel 48:35).
What Ezekiel is far more concerned to demonstrate is that the glory of Yahweh, and
His accessibility to His own, has returned to His people in a new heavenly Temple,
which has replaced the old, and is established on a mysterious and anonymous
mountain, rather than to stress His presence in an earthly Jerusalem. Indeed he will
stress that this temple is outside the environs of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 45:1-6).
This should then awaken us to the fact that Ezekiel is in fact here speaking of an
everlasting sanctuary (Ezekiel 37:26; Ezekiel 37:28). This is no earthly Temple with
earthly functions. There is no suggestion anywhere that it should be built, indeedit
was already there and could be measured. It is an everlasting heavenly Temple of
which the earthly was, and will be, but a shadow.
29

30. It is true that a physical temple would be built, and they are specifically told that the
altar described (but pointedly not directly ‘measured’) is to be made (Ezekiel 43:18),
for physical sacrifices would require a physical altar, and that will be the point of
contact with the heavenly temple, but the important thing would be, not the physical
temple, but the invisible heavenly temple, present in the land, of which the physical
was but a representation. The ancients regularly saw their physical religious
artefacts as in some way representing an invisible reality, and so it is here. A fuller
picture of the heavenly temple is given throughout the Book of Revelation. And this
temple was now ‘seen’ to be established in the land even before a physical temple
was built. God had again taken possession of His land, and awaited the return of His
people for the ongoing of His purposes.
But a further point, putting these verses firmly in its context, is that this will make
them realise that once they have come through the trials brought on them by Gog
and his forces, fortified by the presence of God in their midst, they will be able to
enter the eternal rest promised them by God, for His heavenly, everlasting temple
was here so that He could dwell among them in an everlasting sanctuary. This was
thus putting in terms that they could understand the heavenly future that awaited
His people. It was a fuller and more perfect sanctuary (Ezekiel 37:26-28; Hebrews
9:11). And it had relevance from the beginning as the sign that God had returned to
His land.
This section about the ‘heavenly’ temple can be split into five parts. The first is a
brief introduction in terms of the vision that Ezekiel experienced (Ezekiel 40:1-4).
This is followed by a detailed description of the new temple complex with the lessons
that it conveyed (Ezekiel 40:5 to Ezekiel 42:20), the return of Yahweh to His temple
(Ezekiel 43:1-9), the worship that would follow as a result of that temple (Ezekiel
43:10 to Ezekiel 46:24), and the accompanying changes that would take place with
regard to His people as they ‘repossessed the land’ with the final establishment of a
heavenly city (chapters 47-48), all expressed in terms of what they themselves were
expecting, but improved on. To them ‘the land’ was the ultimate of their aspirations,
a land in which Yahweh had promised them that they would dwell in safety and
blessing for ever. So the promises were put in terms of that land to meet with their
aspirations. But there are clear indications that something even more splendid was
in mind as we shall see. The land could never finally give them the fullness of what
God was promising them, and once the temple moved into Heaven, ‘the land’ would
30

31. move there too.
But we should perhaps here, in fairness to other commentators, pause to recognise
that there are actually a number of main views (with variations) with regard to
these chapters, which we ought to all too briefly consider for the sake of
completeness, so as to present a full picture. As we consider them readers must
judge for themselves which one best fits all the facts, remembering what we have
already seen in Ezekiel the details of a vision that reaches beyond the confines of an
earthly land. We must recognise too that accepting one does not necessarily mean
that we have to fully reject the others, for prophecy is not limited to a single event,
but to the ongoing action and purposes of God. Nevertheless we cannot avoid the
fact that one view must be predominant
1) Some have considered that what Ezekiel predicted was fulfilled when the exiles
returned and re-established themselves in the land, rebuilding the physical temple
and restoring the priesthood. However nothing that actually took place after the
return from Babylon matches the full details of these predictions. Neither the temple
built under Zerubbabel's supervision, nor the temple erected by Herod the Great,
bore any resemblance to what Ezekiel describes here. In fact, there has been no
literal fulfilment of these predictions. And there does not seem to have been a desire
for it. Thus this view disregards many of the main facts outlined and dismisses them
as unimportant. It sees them as mainly misguided optimism or permissible
exaggeration.
2) Others have interpreted this section spiritually. They have seen these predictions
as fulfilled in a spiritual sense in the church, and certainly the New Testament to a
certain extent confirms this view. Consider for example the use of the idea in
chapter 47 in John 7:38. But many consider that this approach fails to explain the
multitude of details given, such as the dimensions of the various rooms in the temple
complex. They point out that Ezekiel's guide was careful to make sure that the
prophet recorded these details exactly (Ezekiel 40:4). The reply would be that what
they indicate symbolically is God’s detailed concern for His people. This view
presupposes that the church supersedes the old Israel in God's programme (as many
believe that the New Testament teaches) and that many of God's promises
concerning a future for Israel find part of their actual fulfilment in the church as
God’s temple and as the new Israel, symbolically rather than literally. There is
31

32. certainly some truth in this position.
3) Still others believe that these chapters describe a yet future, eschatological temple
and everlasting kingdom in line with Ezekiel 37:24-28, and following 38-39, but that
they again do so only symbolically. These interpreters believe that the
measurements, for example, represent symbolic truth concerning the coming
everlasting kingdom, including the dwelling of God among His people, the
establishing of true and pure worship, and the reception by His people of all that He
has promised them in fuller measure than they can ever have expected, but they do
not look for a literal temple complex and the establishment of temple worship.
Indeed they consider that such would be a backward step in the progress of God’s
purposes.
It is claimed by those who disagree with them that this view also overlooks the
amount of detail given, so much detail, they would claim, that one could almost use
these chapters as general blueprints to build the structures in view. To this the reply
is partly that the detail is in fact not sufficient to prepare efficient blueprints, and
partly that they bear their own message. Indeed they argue that all the many
attempts to make a reliable blueprint have failed. If taken literally, they argue, there
are problems with the detail that cannot be surmounted. They are therefore far
better seen as depictions of the concern of God for perfection for His people.
4) Still others also take this passage as a an apocalyptic prophecy but anticipate a
literal fulfilment in the future. While they accept that some of the descriptions have
symbolic significance as well as literal reality, and that some teach important
spiritual lessons, and can also be applied to the eternal state, nevertheless, they
argue, the revelation finally concerns details of a literal future temple to be built to
these specifications, details of a system of worship and priesthood which will be
literally established, and actual physical changes in the promised land, which will
occur when a people identifying themselves specifically as Israel, not the church,
dwell there securely (i.e. during what they call the Millennium).
Those who disagree with them point among other things to the impracticality of the
plans for the temple, the impossibility of now establishing a genuine Zadokite
32

33. priesthood, the contradiction of establishing a system of sacrifices when the New
Testament points to a better sacrifice, made once for all, which has replaced all
others, the discrepancies and difficulties with regard to the siting of the temple, and
the unfeasability of dividing the land in the way described.
5) And finally there is the view that we are proposing here, that the Temple of
Ezekiel was never intended to be built by man, but was rather a genuine and real
presence of the heavenly temple which was from this time present invisibly on earth
(invisible to all but Ezekiel, as the armies of God were present but invisible to all but
Elisha -2 Kings 6:17 ). It is saying that God has established Himself in His own
invisible temple in the land ready to carry out His campaign into the future. This
can then be seen as connected with the temple seen in Revelation in heaven, with the
earthly temples to be built as but a shadow of the heavenly, and with the final
temple in the everlasting kingdom. The strength of this position will appear
throughout the commentary. Suffice to say at this point that there is nowhere in the
chapters any suggestion that the temple should be built from the description
presented (in complete contrast with the tabernacle - Exodus 25:40). And this is
even more emphatically so because instructionsaregiven to build an altar for
worship. Given Ezekiel’s visionary insight this fact in itself should make us hesitate
in seeing this as any but a visionary temple already present in Israel at the time of
measuring.
Whatever view we take we cannot deny that the New Testament does see God’s
temple as being present on earth in His people (Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Corinthians
3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 11:1), and that John in Revelation refers
throughout to a temple in Heaven, and to a new Jerusalem, clearly related to some
of the things described in these chapters. Furthermore his description of the eternal
state, of life in ‘the new earth’ after the destruction of the present earth, is partly
based on chapter 47-48 (Revelation 21-22). And we might see that as suggesting that
once the Messiah had been rejected God’s heavenly temple was thought of as having
deserted Israel, and as having gone up into Heaven where it was seen by John,
although still being represented on earth, no longer by a building, but by His new
people.
Bearing all this in mind we will now consider the text.
33

34. PULPIT, “The magnificent temple-vision, as it is usually styled, a description of
which forms the closing section of this book (Ezekiel 40-48.), was the last extended"
word" communicated to the prophet, and was given him in the five and twentieth
year of the Captivity, i.e. about B.C. 575. Two years later he received a brief
revelation concerning Egypt, which, in compiling his volume, he incorporated with
the other prophecies relating to the same subject (Ezekiel 29:17-21). Of the present
oracle as a whole the significance will be best understood when its several parts have
been examined in detail. Meanwhile it may suffice to note that it manifestly connects
itself with the promise in Ezekiel 37:27, Ezekiel 37:28, and forms an appropriate
conclusion to the series of consolatory predictions which the prophet began to utter
when tidings came to him that the city was smitten (Ezekiel 33:22, Ezekiel 33:28).
Having set forth the moral and spiritual conditions upon which alone restoration
was possible for Israel (Ezekiel 33:24 -34.), announced the destruction of all Israel's
ancient enemies, of whom Edom was the standing type (Ezekiel 35:1-15.), foretold
the dawning of a better day for Israel (Ezekiel 36:1-38.), when she should be
resuscitated, reunited, and re-established in her old land, with Jehovah's sanctuary
in its midst (Ezekiel 37:1-28.), and predicted the utter and final overthrow of all
future combinations of hostile powers against her (Ezekiel 38:1-23; Ezekiel
39:1-29.), the prophet proceeds to develop the thought to which he has already
alluded, that of Israel's re-establishment in Canaan, and to sketch an outline of the
reorganized community or kingdom of God as that had been shown him in vision.
His material he arranges in three main divisions, speaking first of a re-erected
temple (Ezekiel 40-43.), next of a reorganized worship (Ezekiel 44-46.), and lastly of
a redistributed territory (Ezekiel 47:1-23; Ezekiel 48:1-35.). That Ezekiel, sorrowing
over the first Israel's glories which had vanished with the fall of Jerusalem and the
burning of her temple, and filled with eager anticipations of the golden era which
was then beginning to loom up before him in ever fairer proportions and brighter
colors—that Ezekiel himself may have inwardly believed or hoped the picture he
was then placing on his canvas would be ultimately realized upon the old soil, is by
no means improbable; that the Holy Spirit, the real Author of the temple-vision, was
drafting for the new Israel, soon to arise from the ashes of the old, a fresh religious
and political constitution, which could not be satisfied with any merely local,
temporal, and material realization, such as might be given to it in Palestine on the
close of the exile, but reached out to something larger, broader, and more spiritual,
even to the Israel of Messianic times, i.e. to the Church of God in Christian ages;—
that the Holy Spirit had some such design is at least an idea which one might be
pardoned for enter-raining. (For the different views which have been held as to the
34

35. proper interpretation of this vision, see note at the end of Ezekiel 48:1-35.)
Ezekiel 40:1-4
The introduction to the vision.
Ezekiel 40:1
In the five and twentieth year of our captivity; i.e. in B.C. 575, assuming Jehoiakin's
deportation to have taken place B.C. 600, i.e. in the fiftieth year of the prophet's age,
in the twenty-fifth of his prophetic calling, and in the fourteenth after the fall of
Jerusalem. As the last note of time was the twelfth year (Ezekiel 32:17), it may be
assumed the interval was largely occupied in receiving and delivering the prophecies
that fall between those dates, though it is more than likely a period of silence
preceded the vision of which this last section of the book preserves an account. If not
the last of the prophet's utterances (see Ezekiel 29:17), it was beyond question the
grandest and most momentous. Accordingly, the prophet notes with his customary
exactness that the vision came to him in the beginning of the year, which Hitzig,
whom Dr. Currey, in the 'Speaker's Commentary' follows, believes to have been a
jubilee year, which began on the tenth day of the seventh month. As, however, the
practice of commencing the year with this month was not introduced among the
Jews till after the exile, and as Ezekiel everywhere follows the purely Mosaic
arrangement of the year, the presumption is that the beginning of the year here
alluded to was the month Abib, and that the tenth day of the month was the day on
which the Torah enjoined the selection of a lamb for the Passover. Indeed, the two
clauses in Ezekiel read like an abbreviation of the Mosaic statute (Exodus 12:2,
Exodus 12:3)—a circumstance sufficiently striking and probably significant, though
emphasis should not, with Hengstenberg, be laid upon the fact that every word in
Ezekiel's copy is found in the Exodus original. On that day, which was the
anniversary of the beginning of a merciful deliverance to Israel in Egypt, of the
initial step in a gracious process of transforming Pharaoh's captives into a nation,—
on that day (for emphasis the selfsame day, as in Ezekiel 24:2), the prophet's soul
was rapt into an ecstasy (see on Ezekiel 1:3), in which he seemed to be transported
thither, i.e. towards the smitten city, and a disclosure made to him concerning that
35

36. new community which Jehovah was about to form out of old Israel.
KRETZMANN, “The Vision of the Temple-Building.
The remaining chapters of Ezekiel's prophecy give an ideal picture of the spiritual
temple of the Lord, of His Church of the New Testament, of his glorious kingdom. It
was a wonderful vision which was vouchsafed to the prophet, its beauty being
enhanced by the descriptive details. As in the case of every parable, however, it
would manifestly be a mistake to stress every point of the parallelism. The
exposition, therefore, deals with the larger outlines of the picture only. The ideal
temple as here pictured exhibits, under Old Testament forms, which are used as
being familiar to the men whom Ezekiel was addressing, the essential character of
the Church of Christ and of the worship of Messiah as it would be when lie would
exercise Ills rule among His own people, among the believers in every part of the
earth.
Tile Walls and Tile Outer Gates
v. 1. In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, very likely the year 575 B. C. in
the beginning of the year, which began in spring, in the month Abib, or Nisan, in the
tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, that is,
after it was taken by the Chaldean invaders, in the selfsame day the hand of the
Lord was upon me and brought me thither, so that he was, in a state of ecstasy,
transported to Jerusalem
2 In visions of God he took me to the land of
Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on
whose south side were some buildings that looked
36

37. like a city.
BARNES, "By which - Better as in the margin. (compare Eze_43:12).
As the frame of a city - It is not “a city” which is seen, but a building (the temple
and its courts) like a city in its construction, surrounded by massive walls.
On the south - southward, i. e., on the southern slope, just as the temple actually
stood on Mount Moriah. The temple was at the northeast corner of the city - part of the
western portion of the city being more to the north, but no part directly north of the
temple.
CLARKE, "Set me upon a very high mountain - Mount Moriah, the mount on
which Solomon’s temple was built, 2Ch_3:1.
GILL, "In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel,.... Or by the
spirit of prophecy, as the Targum again; that is, being under the impressions of the
Spirit of God, it appeared to him, in a visionary way, as if he was really brought out of
Chaldea, and set in the land of Israel; see Eze_8:3, as John was carried away in the spirit
to see the New Jerusalem, Rev_21:10,
and set me upon a very high mountain; as John also was, that he might have a
view of this large city and temple, which were to fill the whole world: thus Christ was
taken up to an exceeding high mountain, to be shown the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them, Mat_4:8, it is needless to inquire what this mountain was, whether
Moriah, on which the temple was formerly built, or any other mountain near Jerusalem,
since no material temple is exhibited to be built upon it; nor would such a mountain,
especially Zion or Moriah, have been a proper place, if material temple at Jerusalem was
here designed, which must have stood upon it; but this is visionary, as well as the city
and temple; if it respects anything, it may the strength, the visibility, and exalted state of
the church of Christ in the latter day; see Isa_2:2,
by, which was as the flame of a city on the south: the prophet in the vision, and
as to his view of things coming from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, has a prospect of
the south of the city and temple; and, first, there appeared to him, to the south of the
mountain on which he stood, the plan of a city; or which was as one, for the city is not
described till last; the description is of the temple first; and which for its wall, gates,
courts, and towers, looked more like a city than a temple; nothing is more common than
for the church of Christ to be compared to a city, especially as in the latter day; see Psa_
37

38. 87:3.
JAMISON, "visions of God — divinely sent visions.
very high mountain — Moriah, very high, as compared with the plains of Babylon,
still more so as to its moral elevation (Eze_17:22; Eze_20:40).
by which — Ezekiel coming from the north is set down at (as the Hebrew for “upon”
may be translated) Mount Moriah, and sees the city-like frame of the temple stretching
southward. In Eze_40:3, “God brings him thither,” that is, close up to it, so as to inspect
it minutely (compare Rev_21:10). In this closing vision, as in the opening one of the
book, the divine hand is laid on the prophet, and he is borne away in the visions of God.
But the scene there was by the Chebar, Jehovah having forsaken Jerusalem; now it is the
mountain of God, Jehovah having returned thither; there, the vision was calculated to
inspire terror; here, hope and assurance.
TRAPP, “Verse 2
Ezekiel 40:2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me
upon a very high mountain, by which [was] as the frame of a city on the south.
Ver. 2. Brought he me,] i.e., The Spirit brought me, who is called God’s hand,
[Ezekiel 40:1] quia a Patre Filioque quasi marius dimanat: so he is called the "finger
of God" [Exodus 8:19] - that is, his power.
And set me upon a very high mountain.] Moriah, where had stood the temple which
overlooked the city, and had been a kind of heaven upon earth, wherein the holy
priests and Israelites were as stars.
By which was the frame of a city.] So the temple seemed to him, for its many courts,
walls, towers, gates, &c. So doth the seraglio at this day.
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:2. Set me upon a very high mountain— The expression points
out mount Moriah, whereon the temple was built. It is here called a very high
mountain, because it represents the seat of the Christian church foretold by the
prophets, that it should be established upon the top of the mountains. We are to
remember that all this passed in vision. Houbigant renders the last clause of this
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39. verse, In which there were on the opposite side as the buildings of a city.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:2
In the visions of God; i.e. in the clairvoyant state which had been superinduced
upon him by the hand of God, and in which he became conscious both of bodily
sensations and mental perceptions transcending those that were possible to him in
his natural condition. Upon a very high mountain (comp. Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5).
Schroder stands alone in taking ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ as "beside" rather than "upon," other
interpreters considering that ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ has here the force of ‫ל‬ַ‫,ﬠ‬ as in Ezekiel 18:6, and
Ezekiel 31:12. That this mountain, though resembling the temple hill in Jerusalem,
was not that in reality, but "the mountain of the Lord's house" of Messianic times
(see on Ezekiel 43:12; and comp. Ezekiel 17:22, Ezekiel 17:23; Ezekiel 20:40; Isaiah
2:2; Micah 4:6), may be inferred from its greater altitude than that of either Moriah
or Zion, which pointed obviously to the loftier spiritual elevation of the new
Jerusalem. As the frame of a city on the south. What Ezekiel beheld was not
"beside" or "by" (Authorized Version), but "on" the mountain, and was not, as
Havernick, Ewald, and Kliefoth suppose, the new city of Jerusalem, though this
might with a fair measure of accuracy be described as lying south of Moriah on
which the temple stood, but the temple itself, which, with its walls and gates,
chambers and courts, rose majestically before the prophet's view, with all the
magnificence, and indeed (as the particle ‫י‬ ִ‫כ‬ . indicates), with the external
appearance of a city. That the prophet should speak of it as "on the south" receives
sufficient explanation from the circumstance that he himself came from the north,
and had it always before him in a southerly direction. The idea is correctly enough
expressed by the ἀπέναντι of the LXX; which signifies "over against" to one coming
from the north.
KRETZMANN, “v. 2. In the visions of God, in which his mind was entirely
detached from his body, brought He me into the land of Israel and set me upon a
very high mountain, figurative for the mountain of God's holiness, on which His
Church is founded, by which was as the frame of a city on the south, the city-like
building of the Temple which is described in the following section, and which the
prophet saw as coming from the north.
39

40. BI2-3, “A measuring reed.
The measuring reed
It is a complex and mysterious thing,—this human life which it is appointed us to live. At
first glance it seems as if it were simply the outflowing of ourselves from day to day, very
much as water flows from a jar, without effort or design or law of movement, Take the
history of a day, or the larger history of a life from the cradle to the grave; what subtle
breaths of desire, of affection and repulsion determine its movements! What accidents,
casual contacts, unexpected pressures of circumstance carve its outlines! Day by day the
tapestry is woven. We cannot stop the play of the loom. But what a wilderness of aimless
lines comes out in the fabric! What a blur of unfinished patterns, overlying each other!
What a tangle of broken threads! But a deeper glance reveals to us the persistent and
inexorable action of law in the shaping of our life. Indeed it is easy to formulate a theory
of life in which it seems as if it were all law, nothing but law, law that crushed all
freedom and spontaneity out of life. This happens when you try to reduce life to a
department of physics. You find everywhere law; only the law lies not so much in the life
as in the things that press upon it and give it direction. The water that flows from a jar
falls and sparkles and runs on the ground with no choice of its own. Every drop is the
slave of law. So it seems when we look upon life and treat it as a chapter of mechanics; as
if it were simply the product of the forces that beat upon it, as if the measure of the
forces gave the measure of the life, as if the colours and shapes it takes in its outflow
were all determined by the angle of the sunbeam that strikes it, and the lay of the ground
where it falls. It is evident that this conception of life is inadequate and false. It is all the
more dangerous, because it falls in with a current fashion of thought and contains a half-
truth. We read so much nowadays of force and law, that it is natural to speak of the
energy of life under these terms; only, if we take our conceptions of force and law
entirely from the physical world, we reduce all the intricate and mysterious movement of
life to the irresponsible throbbings of a machine. The life which each of us is living is
neither a formless, accidental jumble of thoughts, words and deeds, which link
themselves together without any compelling force or law of combination; nor is it the
fixed and inevitable result of forces that lie outside the domain of the will, and that beat
resistlessly upon our life for good or evil. There is both freedom and law in our life;
freedom working within law, along the lines of law. Every human life is a structure like
that temple in the prophet’s dream. It is built up stone by stone. And every stone has a
meaning. It falls into its place in obedience to a law. The design of the structure
determines the position of the stone. The building grows according to the law of the
design. But what determines the design? Here is where the element of choice comes in.
We can choose one design or another. But the design once chosen determines the
character of the building. It gives the law of measurement to every stone and door post
and pinnacle. It is like a man with a measuring reed standing in the gate. Now there are
certain things which, you will agree with me, fall entirely within our choice, which have
such power and influence in the shaping of character that they become the measuring
reeds of life. They give the design on the lines of which the structure of the life is built.
One of these things is a man’s estimate of himself. What a man holds himself to be, he
tries to be, and in the long run becomes. If he count himself a cur, his life will be a
kennel, whatever money he may lavish on it and however richly he may decorate it. If he
recognise and hold himself true to a royalty of soul, his life will be a palace. Though it
40

41. have the dimensions of a hut, and the roof cover but a single room, that room will be a
throne chamber. Have you never noticed how Christ, in His effort to lift men to higher
levels of life, kept in sight this law? Never was such dignity dreamed for human nature as
He gave to it. He called men God’s children. And all, that He might win them to a life
that had the purity and beauty of God in it, a life that should be worthy of the sons of
God. Christ recognised the law: man is the measure of his life. His estimate of his own
worth gives the quality of his daily deed and word. The law runs from the sublime
heights to which Christ carried it, to the beaten paths where men pass to and fro on the
business of the world. If you hold yourself copper, your life will be copper. If you count
yourself gold and diamond, your life will be gold and diamond. You must first estimate
yourself as something cheap and mean, before you can sell yourself to a cheap and mean
sin. But there is another measuring reed of life. As he goes on with the years, every man
makes not only an estimate of himself, but also a philosophy of life. If we choose to
explain life as a selfish, brutal struggle for existence, as a dull, lingering misery to be
borne simply with patience or defiance, as a hunt for pleasurable sensations, as a plot for
the mastery of our fellows, as a school for the education of character, as an opportunity
of lighting up this earth with something of the life that pulses in the heart of God; in
every case, life rises up and answers: “Yes, that is my explanation of myself. I can furnish
proofs of your theory. You have translated the cipher on my heart. Take me, read me,
treat me as you choose; I will supply you with plenty of facts to substantiate your
philosophy of me.” Life echoes back our own answer. She comes to us and sits down by
us and goes to and fro over our threshold, in the very feature, step, and accent of our
theory. The smallest details of life take tone and colour from our creed. Our life makes a
constant effort to adjust itself to our theory. How can it be otherwise? Our theory is a
measuring reed, with which we stand in the gate, and which we apply to every stone and
beam that go into the structure of our life. Is it any wonder that the whole structure is
simply a sort of flower, which has blossomed on the stalk of our measuring reed? (W. W.
Battershall, D. D.)
3 He took me there, and I saw a man whose
appearance was like bronze; he was standing in
the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring
rod in his hand.
41

42. BARNES, "The appearance of brass - Brightly shining.
A line of flax - For measuring the ground plan.
A measuring reed - For the walls (compare Jer_31:38-39). To measure implied a
separation for sacred purposes. The measurements are:
(1) exact, to show that the promise is certain;
(2) equal, to denote harmony;
(3) vast, to mark majesty and grandeur.
CLARKE, "A man, whose appearance was like - brass - Like bright polished
brass, which strongly reflected the rays of light. Probably he had what we would term a
nimbus or glory round his head. This was either an angel; or, as some think, a personal
appearance of our blessed Lord.
GILL, "And he brought me thither,.... Being brought into the land of Israel in
vision, and to a high mountain in it, by which were as the frame of a city; he was from
thence brought to the city or temple itself, which looked like one:
and, behold, a note of attention and admiration:
there was a man; one in human form; not a created angel, but the Messiah, the
builder and owner of the city and temple, whom it was proper the prophet should first
have a view of; and by whom he was to be made acquainted with the several parts and
dimensions of those buildings: he is called a "man", not that he was a mere man, but the
eternal God; or otherwise he would not have been fit to be the architect or builder of
such a fabric; nor as yet was he really man, but is so called, because it was determined he
should, and it was agreed by him that he would become man, and it was foretold as a
certain thing; and besides, he often appeared in a human form before his incarnation, as
he now did, being most suitable to the prophet, and making himself more familiar to
him; as well as it was preludium of his future incarnation, and of what he be when this
vision would be fulfilled:
whose appearance was like the appearance of brass; denoting the glory and
splendour of his divine Person, being the brightness of his Father's glory; also the glory
of his human nature, in his state of exaltation, and the glory of his office, as Mediator;
and especially the glory and brightness he will appear in when this vision will take place,
with which he shall enlighten the whole earth, and slay antichrist; see Rev_18:1, also it
may denote his purity and holiness in both his natures, divine and human; not only in
the former, but in the latter, in which he is free from sin, original and actual; and even
now from sin imputed, having made full satisfaction for it, without which he will appear
when he comes a second time, Heb_9:28, this may likewise point at his great strength,
as God, and man, and Mediator; who has made the world, and holds all creatures in
being; who is the mighty Redeemer of his people; has bore their sins, and conquered
their enemies; supports their persons; bears their burdens, and supplies them with
42

43. strength: once more, it may intend his duration; who, though he was once dead, is alive,
and lives for ever; his priesthood is unchangeable; his kingdom an everlasting one; and
he the same yesterday, today, and for ever, and his years fail not:
with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed: one in one hand, and the
other in the other hand; the one to measure greater, the other lesser matters; and both
signify the sacred Scriptures, the rule and measure of faith and practice; and to which, in
the latter day, all will be reduced; the doctrines then preached will be quite agreeable to
them; the ordinances will be administered as they were first delivered; the form, order,
and discipline of the churches, will be according to the primitive pattern; there will be no
deviation from it; see Zec_2:1,
and he stood in the gate; of the house or temple, as being Lord and proprietor of it;
having the keys of it, to open and shut, let in and keep out, at his pleasure; see Heb_3:6
and as the guide of the prophet, to lead him into each of the courts and apartments, and
give him the dimensions of them, that he might show them to the house of Israel, to be
observed by them; and here, as Cocceius observes, he stands, invites and calls persons to
come into his house, and partake of all the privileges and entertainments of it; see Pro_
1:20, yea, here he stands, as being not so much the doorkeeper, as the door and gate
itself; as he is the way to his Father, the gate that leads to eternal life, so the door into a
Gospel church; see Joh_14:6.
JAMISON, "man — The Old Testament manifestations of heavenly beings as men
prepared men’s minds for the coming incarnation.
brass — resplendent.
line — used for longer measurements (Zec_2:1).
reed — used in measuring houses (Rev_21:15). It marked the straightness of the
walls.
TRAPP, “Verse 3
Ezekiel 40:3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, [there was] a man, whose
appearance [was] like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a
measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
Ver. 3. And, behold, there was a man.] Christ the sovereign architect of his Church.
{as Revelation 11:1} This might well be brought in with an Ecce Behold. He
appeared after another manner in that first dreadful vision. [Ezekiel 1:1]
43

44. Whose appearance was like the appearance of brass.] Bright and durable;
importing Christ’s purity and eternity.
With a line of flax in his hand.] Christ’s measuring line is the Holy Scripture and
the preaching of the Word; so is also his measuring rod here said to be of reed, but
in Revelation 11:1 of gold. Both these are in Christ’s hand, to show that the power
and efficacy of the Word read or preached is from him alone. [1 Corinthians 3:9-18
2 Corinthians 10:13-17]
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:3. A man, &c.— That is, an angel deputed from God to give him
the dimensions of the temple. See chap. Ezekiel 1:7 and Ezekiel 43:6. The Hebrew
cubit was equal to about eighteen inches of our measure. The reader will best
understand this description, by referring to Calmet's plan of it in his Dictionary of
the Bible.
PETT, “Verse 3
‘And he brought me there, and behold there was a man whose appearance was like
the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed, and
he stood in the gate.’
The man’s appearance ‘like the appearance of brass’ depicts him as a heavenly
visitor (compare Ezekiel 8:2). He was glorious in his appearance. The line of flax
was for measuring distances, the measuring reed for more exact measurements. He
was there to measure the templethat was already thereand stood ready at the gate.
The fact that the measurement began at the gate may be seen as stressing that it was
the making available of the people’s access to God that was primarily in mind.
We should note again that there is nothing here to indicate that attempts were to be
made to build such a temple, nor that it should be built. It was already there in
vision, and the fact that it could be measured was to deliberately indicate its ‘real’
presence and the intention for it to be currently effective. It indicated heavenly
44

45. activity taking place on earth in a form usually invisible, as with Jacob’s ladder
which provided access to heavenly beings from some spiritual realm and was no
doubt to be seen as continuing even when Jacob saw it no more (Genesis 28:12) and
providing a similar way to God which was no doubt seen as equally invisibly
permanent. Jacob saw Bethel as the house of God and the gate of Heaven (Genesis
28:17). And it was from then on looked on as a sacred sanctuary. How much more
this new temple. It is a vision of that other world in its relationships with man
(compare also 2 Kings 6:17. See also Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20; Zechariah 1:7-11).
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:3
The word "thither" carries the thought back to Ezekiel 40:1. When the prophet had
been brought into the land of Israel, to the mountain and to the building, he
perceived a man, whoso appearance was like the appearance of brass, or, according
to the LXX; "shining or polished brass," χαλκοῦ στίλβοντος, as in Ezekiel 1:7—a
description recalling those of the likeness of Jehovah in Ezekiel 1:26, Ezekiel 1:27, of
the angel who appeared to Daniel (Daniel 10:6), and of the glorified Christ
(Revelation 1:15), and suggesting ideas of strength, beauty, and durability. In his
hand he carried a line of flax and a measuring-reed (kaneh hammidah, or "reed of
measuring," reed having been the customary material out of which such rods were
made; compare the Assyrian for a measuring-reed qanu, the Greek κανών, and the
Latin canna). Possibly he carried these as "emblems of building activity"
(Hengstenberg), and because "he had many and different things to measure"
(Kliefoth); but most likely the line was meant to measure large dimensions (comp.
Ezekiel 47:3) and such as could not be taken by a straight stick, as e.g. the girth of
pillars, and the rod to measure smaller dimensions, like those of the gates and walls
of the temple. Hitzig's conjecture, that the line was linen because the place to be
measured was the sanctuary, whose priests were obliged to clothe themselves in
linen, Kliefoth rightly pronounces artificial and inaccurate, since the line was made,
not of manufactured flax, or linen, but of the raw material. That the "man" was
Jehovah or the Angel of the Presence (comp. Ezekiel 9:2) the analogy of Amos 8:7,
Amos 8:8 and the statement of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 44:2, Ezekiel 44:5 would seem to
suggest; only it is not certain in the last of these passages that the speaker was "the
man" and not rather "the God of Israel," who had already taken possession of the
house (see Ezekiel 43:2), and whose voice is once at least distinguished from that of
the man (see Ezekiel 43:6). Accordingly, Kliefoth, Smend, and others identify the
"man" with the ordinary angelus interpres (cf. Revelation 21:9). The gate in which
45

46. he stood "waiting for the new comer" was manifestly the north gate, since Ezekiel
came from the north, though Havernick and Smend put in a plea for the east gate,
on the grounds that it was the principal entrance to the sanctuary, and the distance
between it and the north gate, five hundred cubits, was too great to be passed over
so slightly as in verse 6.
KRETZMANN, “v. 3. And He brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, a
heavenly being in the form and appearance of a man, whose appearance was like the
appearance of brass, bright, shining, resplendent, as befitted this singular Angel of
Jehovah, Rev_1:15, with a line of flax in His hand, used for the purpose of
measuring the site, and a measuring-reed, more particularly for the masonry; and
He stood in the gate, as though awaiting the newcomer.
4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look
carefully and listen closely and pay attention to
everything I am going to show you, for that is why
you have been brought here. Tell the people of
Israel everything you see.”
CLARKE, "Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel - That they may
know how to build the second temple, when they shall be restored from their captivity.
GILL, "And the man said unto me, Son of man,.... The glorious and illustrious
Person before described, who appeared in a human form, spoke to the prophet, calling
him "the Son of man", a title often bestowed upon him in this prophecy; and here used
to put him in mind of his original and decent, and of his meanness and unworthiness;
thereby teaching him humility, which is necessary in order to receive instruction, and
46

47. learn the knowledge of divine things: and also he might use this free and familiar way of
speaking, both to express his philanthropy or good will to men, and to take off all terror
from the mind of the prophet at his appearance; that he might more diligently attend to
what he should see and hear, which he next advises him to:
behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears; look with both eyes, and hear
with both ears; that is, look wistfully, and hear attentively; for if persons only have a
glance or superficial view of anything or hear in a careless and indifferent manner, what
they see and hear will make little impression upon them; nor will they retain, but soon
forget it, and be incapable of relating it unto others:
and set thy heart upon all that I shall show thee; let thy mind be intent upon it;
thoroughly consider it, and ponder it within thy heart; let it engross all thy thoughts and
affections; so it will be imprinted upon thy mind, and be remembered by thee; for,
unless a man's heart is taken with what he sees and hears, it will soon be gone from him;
and besides, these were things of great moment and importance, which were about to be
shown the prophet: as Moses had the pattern of the tabernacle shown him in the mount;
and as David had the pattern of the temple given him by the Spirit and in writing, which
were both typical of the church; and as John had a view of the New Jerusalem; so the
prophet here is shown the form and order of the Gospel church in the latter day:
for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither;
this was the design of his being brought in a visionary way out of Chaldea into the land
of Israel, that he might have a view of the fabric after described; and there it was highly
proper that he should diligently view it, and listen attentively to everything that was said
to him about it; and the rather, as he was to relate the whole to others, as follows:
declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel; to the people of Israel then in
captivity; and to the church of God in every age, to whom this prophecy should come,
and by whom it should be read; that the people of God in all succeeding times might
know what will be the state and condition of the church of Christ in the latter day; and
how far they now come short of Gospel order and discipline; see Eze_43:10. It becomes
the ministers of the word faithfully to declare what has been shown them, whether
respecting doctrine or practice, even all things, and keep back nothing that may be
profitable and useful.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine
eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for
to the intent that I might shew [them] unto thee [art] thou brought hither: declare
all that thou seest to the house of Israel.
Ver. 4. Son of man.] A most kind compellation, holding forth Christ’s philanthropy
or love to mankind. He calleth us "sons of men," who for our sakes became "The
Son of man," that we might become the sons of God. It is observed that Ezekiel,
with the Seventy, is υιος ανθρωπου, the Son of man; but Christ is υιος του
47

48. ανθρωπου - that is, the Son of Adam: he was the next and only other common
person.
Behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart, &c.] We
should give all possible diligence and heed to a discourse of the New Jerusalem, that
city of pearl; setting to work both our outward and inward senses, and those well
exercised, to discern both good and evil. [Hebrews 5:14]
Declare all that thou seest unto the house of Israel.] For therefore hast thou seen it.
The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with. [1 Corinthians
12:7] And as any man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same to others.
[1 Peter 4:10] What use is there of a candle under a bushel?
PETT, “Verse 4
‘And the man said to me, “Son of man, behold with your eyes and hear with your
ears, and set your heart on all that I show you, for it was with the intention that I
show them to you that you were brought here. Declare all you see to the house of
Israel.” ’
Ezekiel was to take careful note of all that he saw and heard. He was to carefully
remember it, setting his mind and heart on it. For it was a message to the house of
Israel.
The message was plain. A new temple, a heavenly temple, had been established in
the land of Israel which made clear the awful holiness of God, and was now there.
This had an important present message for Ezekiel’s hearers in that it suggested to
them that God was taking them up again as His people, and was dwelling in the
land, and that they would one day return there and be able to re-establish temple
worship, but that they must ever remember His holiness and be wary of their sins.
However, there was a mysteriousness and remoteness about this temple which
pointed to it having a deeper significance. In its full manifestation it would portray
48

49. the invisible presence of God with His people, the outflowing of the Spirit in the
Messianic age (chapter 47), and the presence of the everlasting kingdom (Ezekiel
48:35). It was both a near and a far ‘prophecy’. Thus it symbolised both present
hopes and future expectations.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:4
The threefold summons addressed to the prophet (comp. Ezekiel 44:5) intimated the
importance of the communication about to be made, and reminded him of the
necessity of giving it the closest attention in order to be able to impart it to the
people (comp. Ezekiel 43:10, Ezekiel 43:11).
Ezekiel 40:5-27
The outer court, with its gates and chambers
KRETZMANN, “v. 4. And the Man said unto me, by virtue of His own authority,
which is equal to that of God Himself, Son of man, behold with thine eyes and hear
with thine ears, observing most carefully with all the senses, and set thine heart, in
close attention, upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent that I might show
them unto thee art thou brought hither. It was the purpose of God that Ezekiel
should see with his own eyes and take note of the explanation pertaining to every
part of the building, so that his own statements concerning it might be accurate and
sufficient. Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel, to the men of all times
who professed membership in the spiritual Israel.
BI, “To the intent that I might shew them unto thee.
A good intent
I. The purpose of God to stain the pride of the glory of all flesh. We may gather some
instruction upon this from the 4th chapter of Daniel. The testimony that
Nebuchadnezzar himself bore at the last, seems to me to be very expressive, and may be,
as it were, put into the mouth of everyone that God has humbled. It is truth that we all
do need humbling by the power of God. Happy man you will be if you are brought to
49

50. nothing. It is one of the hardest things in the world to be nothing—to be nothing but a
sinner; not a good thought, not a good word, not a good work, not a single grain or atom
of goodness, but a thing of nought altogether. Now God has purposed this; He has
purposed to stain the pride of the glory of all flesh; and He has purposed to do so first in
mercy, and then He will do so in wrath; that is, those that He does not deal so with in
their lifetime as to humble them down that they may receive His truth, He will deal with
in wrath at that last great, that tremendous day. Every man’s natural spirit is a spirit of
ignorance, a spirit of unbelief, a spirit of enmity against God. Wherever true conviction
enters, the soul is divided from the spirit of ignorance, and the soul comes into the
knowledge of its own condition; the soul is divided from the spirit of unbelief, and comes
into the faith of the Gospel; the soul of the man, his immortal soul, is divided from the
native enmity of the spirit; for the natural spirit that is in us lusteth to envy, desireth to
envy; it is the very desire of it, the very essence of it. Now when God begins His work it
severs the soul from this spirit.
II. The purpose of the Lord in bringing His people to receive the truth. If the Lord has
thus brought you down far enough, then I will name now the truths that you will be glad
to receive. The man that is from his own experience prepared to receive that testimony
certainly is not far from the kingdom of God; the man that is prepared from his heart
and soul to receive that testimony in the understanding of it, in the love of it, and to
abide thereby—there never was one so poor in spirit, there never was one so humbled,
there never was one so led, and at the same time lost. If we are really brought down and
know our nothingness, our hearts are prepared to receive the testimony in the 1st
chapter of Second Timothy. The apostle knew the tendency; he knew that Timothy
would get no worldly honour; he knew it would make Timothy rather what they call
narrow-minded; he knew it would be offensive to many professors, but he says, “Be not
thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner,” as I am a prisoner
for that testimony. Now comes what the testimony is. “Who hath saved us”—that is the
first thing He did. Believest thou this? Art thou brought down low enough to trace up thy
salvation to this Divines this pure and heavenly source? “And called us with an holy
calling not according to our works”—no—“but according to His own purpose and grace,”
etc. There is a clear epitome of the Gospel itself. Doth this offend you, or doth it please
you? Are you sorry such testimonies are on record? or can you set your seal to it, that
unless you are saved after that Divine order you never can be saved at all? Then, if so, I
may apply to you the words here, which the Lord spake to Ezekiel,—“Son of man, behold
with thine eyes.” So I say to you,—Behold with your eyes; see after what a Divine, see
after what a righteous, what a lovely, what a gracious, what a merciful, what a glorious
way God hath saved thee. “And hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I
shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought
hither.” So, poor sinner, you may set your heart upon these truths, and you will never
have to take it away again.
III. The special purpose of bringing Ezekiel to where he was brought, as meant in our
text. Ezekiel was brought to the river of God. First, its source—it came from under the
threshold, just the same as we read in the last chapter of the Revelation of a river
proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. That river I take to represent the
Gospel in the life and blessedness thereof. That is one thing, then—its source. The
second is its increase—it went on increasing. And just so the Gospel, in direct contrast,
as we sometimes say to this life. For soma of us are getting into the shades a Lit; and this
is narrowing and that is narrowing, and the time is drawing nigh when we shall say we
have no pleasure in this life. But, then, there is pleasure there—the river of God’s
50

51. pleasure—and those who drink of that river, “they shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
they shall be fat and flourishing”! Bless the Lord for this. And then mark also the power
of this river. There is a lake on the southeastern side of Judea, about forty-five miles
long, and from perhaps twelve to fifteen wide; that lake has nothing in it in a way of life.
Nothing can live in it; it is so bituminous, so nauseous, and so deadly, that nothing can
live in it. Now this river was to turn this lake into a fresh-water lake; for the river was to
come down into this Dead Sea, and the waters were to be healed. You can see what that
means, can you not? that the souls of men are in a state of death and bitterness. And this
water of the Dead Sea, all travellers tell us, is nasty to the last degree to drink; you could
hardly be put to a greater punishment than to be obliged to drink half a pint of it; you
would not forget it for a twelvemonth. And just so the mind—the soul. Ah, could we see
ourselves as God sees us, could we see sin as He sees it, we should indeed stand aghast;
for “the heart is,” even beyond angelic comprehension, “deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked; who can know it?” Yet these waters were to heal this Dead Sea, turn
it into a fresh-water lake. Just so the Gospel comes, destroys the bitterness, destroys all
that is unpleasant, and turns the soul into that that is pleasant, to holiness, to
righteousness, as pleasant to God as it was before unpleasant. There is another view of
the river that I may just name, and that is that on its banks were trees whose leaves
faded not, and that brought forth new fruit “according to their months.” Let these trees
all of them represent Jesus Christ, and let their leaves that never fade represent His
promises; and let the fruits that are perennial and immortal represent the blessings that
come to us by those promises. (J. Wells.)
Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.—
Taught that we may teach
I. The manifestations with which certain of God’s servants are favoured.
1. The Lord Jesus Christ does draw near in a very special manner to some of His
people. He will show Himself to any of you who seek Him. He will unveil the beauties
of His face to every eye that is ready to behold them. There is never a heart that loves
Him but He will manifest His love to that heart. But, at the same time, He does
favour some of His servants who live near to Him, and who are called by Him to
special service, with very remarkable manifestations of His light and glory.
2. These revelations are not incessant. I suppose that no man is always alike. John
was in Patmos I know not how long; but he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” on
one occasion, and he specially notes it. Days of heavenly fellowship are red-letter
days, to be remembered so long as memory holds her seat.
3. Yes, and it is noteworthy that the occasion of these manifestations was one of
great distress. Saints have seen Jesus oftener on the bed of pain than in robust
health.
4. It appears, in this case, that the manifestation to Ezekiel was made when he was
put into an elevated condition. God has ways of lifting His people right up, away,
away, away from mortal joy or sorrow, care or wish, into the spiritual realm. And
then, when the mind has been lifted above its ordinary level, and the faculties are
brought up by some divine process into a receptive state, He reveals Himself to us.
5. When He had elevated him thus it appears that He conducted him to certain
51

52. places, for He says, “For to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou
brought hither.” God’s children are brought in experience to unusual places, on
purpose that they may get clearer sights of the love and grace and mercy of God in
Christ than they could obtain elsewhere.
6. However, it is not outward circumstances that can affect the Divine purpose, there
must always be a movement of the Divine Spirit. In the third verse you read, “He
brought me there.” We never learn a truth inwardly until God brings us to it. We may
hear a truth, we ought to be careful that we do not hear anything but the truth; but
God must bring that truth home.
II. The responsibility of these chosen men while they are thus favoured. When the Spirit
of God favours you with light, mind that you see; and, when there is a sound of grace,
mind that you hear. We tell our children to learn their lessons “by heart.” If we put the
full meaning into that expression, that is the way to learn the things of God.
1. “See with thine eyes.” What are the eyes for but to see with? He means this,—look,
pry, search with your eyes. Looking to Christ will save you, but it is looking into
Christ that gives joy, peace, holiness, heaven.
2. “Hear with thine ears.” Well, a man cannot use his ears for anything else, can he?
Ay, but hear with your ears. Listen with all your might.
3. “Set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee.” Oh, but that is the way to learn
from God—by loving all that He says—feeling that, whatever God says, it is the thing
you want to know.
4. The Lord bids us do this towards all that He shall shew us. “Set thine heart upon
all that I shall shew thee!” We are to be impartial in our study of the word, and to be
universal in its reception.
III. What is God’s reason for manifesting Himself to His servants? The object is this,—
“Declare thou all that thou seest to the house of Israel.” First, see it yourself, hear it
yourself, give your heart to it yourself, and then declare it to the house of Israel. Dear
brother, you cannot tell who it may be to whom you are to speak, but this may be your
guide: speak about what you have seen and heard to those whom it concerns. Have you
been in gloom of mind, and have you been comforted? The first time you meet with a
person in that condition, tell out the comfort. Have you felt a great struggle of soul, and
have you found rest? Speak of your conflict to a neighbour who is passing through a like
struggle. Has God delivered you in the hour of sorrow? Tell that to the next sorrowing
person you meet. Ay, but still this is not all your duty. God has shown us His precious
word that we may tell it to the house of Israel. Now, the house of Israel were a stiff-
necked people, and when Ezekiel went to them, they cast him aside, they would not
listen. Yet, he was to go and teach the word to them. We must not say, “I will not speak
of Christ to such a one; he would reject it.” Do it as a testimony against him, even if you
know he will reject it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
52

53. The East Gate to the Outer Court
5 I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple
area. The length of the measuring rod in the
man’s hand was six long cubits,[a] each of which
was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the
wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod
high.
BARNES, "The boundary wall of the temple-courts. See Plan II.
A wall on the outside of the house - The wall enclosing the courts in which were
the entrance gates.
By the cubit and an hand breadth - The Jews first used a cubit of fifteen inches,
applying it principally to the vessels and furniture of the temple; next a cubit of eighteen
inches (“a hand-breadth” longer than the former cubit); and lastly, after the captivity,
the Babylonian cubit of twenty-one inches (a “hand-breadth” more). In the temple
measurements they used only the cubit of eighteen inches; hence, the “cubit and hand-
breadth” is the cubit of eighteen inches.
CLARKE, "A measuring reed of six cubits long - The Hebrew cubit is supposed
to be about twenty and a half inches; and a palm, about three inches more; the length of
the rod about ten feet six inches.
The breadth - one reed; and the height, one reed - As this wall was as broad as
it was high, it must have been a kind of parapet, which was carried, of the same
dimensions, all round the temple. See AAAA in the plan.
GILL, "And behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about,.... The
first thing that presents itself to the view of the prophet, after the sight of the architect or
53

54. chief builder, is a wall encompassing this strange and wondrous building; which was like
the frame of a city, as before observed: this wall was five hundred reeds long, and five
hundred broad; see Eze_42:20, now this wall was both for separation and protection;
that it was for separation is certain from Eze_42:20, it was to separate between the
sanctuary land the profane place; that is, between the church and the world: the people
of God were always a distinct and separate people; they were so from eternity, are so in
time, and will be so to all eternity; they were distinguished from others by the everlasting
love, of God; by his eternal choice of them, and taking them into the covenant of his
grace, in consequence of it; and by the redeeming grace of Christ, who has redeemed
them out of every kindred, people, and nation; and by the efficacious grace of God, in the
effectual calling, by which they are separated from the world, and become a distinct
people from them; and so they will be in the resurrection morn, and in the day of
judgment, and in heaven for evermore: and what separates and distinguishes them is not
any native goodness in them, nor any good thing done by them; but the purpose and
grace of God, like a wall built firm and sure; not upon the works of men, but the will of
God; and is unalterable and eternal; a wall that can never be battered down: it is this by
which the church is enclosed as a vineyard and garden, to which it is sometimes
compared, because separate and distinct from the waste, common, and field of the
world; as here to a building encompassed by a wall, and divided from it: the church of
Christ in all ages does or should consist of persons gathered out of the world, separated
from it by the grace of God; but in the latter day it will more visibly appear to consist of
such: it will be openly distinguished from the world, by the purity of its doctrines; by the
faithful administration of ordinances; strictness of its discipline, and by the holy lives of
the members of it; these, by the grace of God, will be a wall of separation round about it,
to keep out profane persons and things; moreover, a wail is for protection, preservation,
and safety; and such a wall the Lord himself will be to his people; he will be round about
them, on their side, and on every side of them: yea, a wall of fire to enlighten, warm, and
comfort them, and to consume their enemies, Zec_2:5 he will be a wall about his church
in his love to them, with which he encompasses them; and which is built, not on their
loveliness, love, or obedience, but upon his sovereign will and pleasure; and the
dimensions of which, its length, breadth, height, and depth, are unmeasurable: it is a
wall impregnable; it can never be broken down, and secures from all enemies whatever;
and so he will be in his power, by which his saints are kept as persons in a garrison, or
any fortified place well walled about, and which is invincible; to which may be added
salvation by Jesus Christ, which will be for the walls and bulwarks of the city and church
of God in the latter day, to which belong the prophecies in Isa_26:1, which salvation
flows from the love of God; is secured by his purpose; established in his covenant;
wrought out by Christ, and is an everlasting one; and is the firm security and safety of
his church and people now, hereafter, and to all eternity:
and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit, and
an hand breadth; as in Eze_40:3 and this being the measure used in taking the
dimensions of the whole building, it was proper it should be explained what it was,
before they are taken, and the account given: it consisted of six cubits; but then as these
differ, there being a common cubit, and a sacred or royal one, it was necessary it should
be clearly pointed at, as it is; by observing that these cubits were to be understood of a
cubit and a hand's breadth; the common cubit were eighteen inches, a foot and a half, or
half a yard; and a hand's breadth were three inches; so that this measure consisted of
three yards and a half. Some indeed are of opinion that the hand's breadth is to be added
54

55. only to the six cubits, and not to each of them; but the text is clear and express that these
cubits were by or according to a cubit and a hand's breadth. So the Targum paraphrases
it,
"and in the man's hand measuring reeds, one of which was six cubits by a cubit, which is
a cubit and a hand's breadth;''
and this is confirmed by what is said in Eze_43:13,
the cubit is a cubit and a hand's breadth; to which may be added, that such was
the royal cubit at Babylon, where Ezekiel now was, according to Herodotus (q); who
says,
"the royal cubit is larger by three fingers than that which was usually measured with, or
the common cubit;''
in this way Jarchi and Kimchi understand it; though they make the common cubit to be
but five hands' breadth, or fifteen inches, and this six hands' breadth, or eighteen inches:
what this mystically signifies; see Gill on Eze_40:3,
so he measured the breadth of the building one reed, and the height one
reed; not of the whole building of the house or temple, but of the wall before
mentioned; the breadth or thickness of which was one reed, or three yards and a half;
and the height of it was the same; denoting the great security, safe protection, and strong
defence of the church of God.
HENRY, "The measuring-reed which was in the hand of the surveyor-general was
mentioned before, Eze_40:3. Here we are told (Eze_40:5) what was the exact length of
it, which must be observed, because the house was measured by it. It was six cubits long,
reckoning, not by the common cubit, but the cubit of the sanctuary, the sacred cubit, by
which it was fit that this holy house should be measured, and that was a hand-breadth
(that it, four inches) longer than the common cubit: the common cubit was eighteen
inches, this twenty-two, see Eze_43:13. Yet some of the critics contend that this
measuring-reed was but six common cubits in length, and one handbreadth added to
the whole. The former seems more probable. Here is an account,
I. Of the outer wall of the house, which encompassed it round, which was three yards
thick and three yards high, which denotes the separation between the church and the
world on every side and the divine protection which the church is under. If a wall of this
vast thickness will not secure it, God himself will be a wall of fire round about it;
whoever attack it will do so at their peril.
II. Of the several gates with the chambers adjoining to them. Here is no mention of the
outer court of all, which was called the court of the Gentiles, some think because in
gospel-times there should be such a vast confluence of Gentiles to the church that their
court should be left unmeasured, to signify that the worshippers in that court should be
unnumbered, Rev_7:9, Rev_7:11, Rev_7:12.
55

56. JAMISON, "Measures were mostly taken from the human body. The greater cubit,
the length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger, a little more than two feet:
exceeding the ordinary cubit (from the elbow to the wrist) by an hand-breadth, that is,
twenty-one inches in all. Compare Eze_43:13, with Eze_40:5. The palm was the full
breadth of the hand, three and a half inches.
breadth of the building — that is, the boundary wall. The imperfections in the old
temple’s boundary wall were to have no place here. The buildings attached to it had been
sometimes turned to common uses; for example, Jeremiah was imprisoned in one (Jer_
20:2; Jer_29:26). But now all these were to be holy to the Lord. The gates and doorways
to the city of God were to be imprinted in their architecture with the idea of the
exclusion of everything defiled (Rev_21:27). The east gate was to be especially sacred, as
it was through it the glory of God had departed (Eze_11:23), and through it the glory was
to return (Eze_43:1, Eze_43:2; Eze_44:2, Eze_44:3).
K&D, "The Surrounding Wall
And, behold, a wall (ran) on the outside round the house; and in the man's hand was
the measuring rod of six cubits, each a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the
breadth of the building a rod, and the height a rod. - The description of the temple (for,
according to what follows, ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is the house of Jehovah) (cf. Eze_43:7) commences with
the surrounding wall of the outer court, whose breadth (i.e., thickness) and height are
measured (see the illustration, Plate I a a a a), the length of the measuring rod having
first been given by way of parenthesis. This was six cubits (sc., measured) by the cubit
and handbreadth - that is to say, six cubits, each of which was of the length of a
(common) cubit and a handbreadth (cf. Eze_43:13); in all, therefore, six cubits and six
handbreadths. The ordinary or common cubit, judging from the statement in 2Ch_3:3,
that the measure of Solomon's temple was regulated according to the earlier measure,
had become shorter in the course of time than the old Mosaic or sacred cubit. Fro the
new temple, therefore, the measure is regulated according to a longer cubit, in all
probability according to the old sacred cubit of the Mosaic law, which was a
handbreadth longer than the common cubit according to the passage before us, or seven
handbreadths of the ordinary cubit. ‫ָן‬‫י‬ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫בּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ the masonry, is the building of the wall, which
was one rod broad, i.e., thick, and the same in height. The length of this wall is not given,
and can only be learned from the further description of the whole wall (see the comm. on
Eze_40:27).
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about,
and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits [long] by the cubit and an
hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height,
one reed.
56

57. Ver. 5. And behold a wall on the outside of the house.] Betokening God’s almighty
protection of his Church and chosen. [Isaiah 26:1 Zechariah 2:9 Job 1:10 Psalms
125:1-2; Psalms 46:1-3]
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:5. By the cubit, and an hand-breadth— Each cubit containing a
cubit and an hand-breadth, called the great cubit, chap. Ezekiel 41:8 and supposed
equal to half a yard. According to Michaelis, the Hebrew measures are: 1. The
finger's breadth. 2. Four fingers, or hand-breadth. 3. Ell; the smaller of five hand-
breadths, the larger of six. 4. Rod, of six ells. He also allows the Rabbinical account,
that a finger is equal to the length of six barley grains. See chap. Ezekiel 43:13.
Of the building— Of the outer wall, which was three yards high and three yards
broad. This wall surrounded a part which corresponded to the court of the Gentiles,
and served as a security against the precipices of the mount on which the temple
stood.
PETT, “Verse 5
The Measurement of the Wall of the Outer Court.
‘And behold there was a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the
man’s hand a measuring reed of six ‘long cubits’, being a cubit and a handbreadth
in length. So he measured the thickness of the building, one reed, and the height one
reed.”
The measuring reed was six ‘long cubits’ in length. A long cubit was about 50
centimetres (Ezekiel 20:5 inches) per long cubit (a cubit and a handbreadth)
compared with the normal cubit of (44 centimetres) Ezekiel 17:5 inches. Thus the
wall around the temple was about Ezekiel 3:2 metres (10 foot 3 inches) thick and
Ezekiel 3:2 metres (10 foot 3 inches) high, in perfect symmetry.
57

58. So the first thing we learn about the new temple is that it was protected from the
outside world by a wall of perfect symmetry, which declared its perfection. Access
was thus limited to those who had the right to enter. It was not open to anyone. Like
the linen screen round the courtyard of the tabernacle, the wall separated the holy
from the profane (Ezekiel 42:20). Without was the world. Within was God’s holy
provision for His true people, and a place of worship and prayer where they could
meet with Him.
So the wall was to be seen as providing perfect protection, a perfection indicated by
its symmetry, for the temple of God itself, protecting it from the profane. But it was
also to be seen as providing a sanctified place within it, protected from the world,
for the true worship of God. In New Testament terms it gave access into the
heavenlies. None, however, could pass in except those granted privileged access, who
could enter to meet with God, and entry would be only by those who sought His face
and were obedient to His covenant, those of a humble and a contrite heart (Isaiah
57:15). The high and lofty One was in His heavenly temple, and only those whose
hearts were right could approach Him.
Thus when Paul later likened the people of God to the temple it indicated not only
the glorious fact that they were the dwellingplace of God by His Spirit, but also that
they too enjoyed His full protection and were separate from the world in His eyes, a
people set apart for Himself, walled off from the world and its degradation, and
with open access to Him.
Verses 5-20
The Measuring of the Temple (Ezekiel 40:5 to Ezekiel 42:20).
There follows now the measuring in detail of the temple and the temple area, and we
may ask what is the purpose of these detailed measurements? In actual fact they
were very important for they confirmed the reality of the invisible temple and its
purpose. While a visionary temple, it was nevertheless firmly grounded in reality.
The measuring made clear to the people a number of facts which they needed to
58

59. learn.
Firstly it stressed that the tabernacle of God was now once more in the land
awaiting them, although in visionary, not literal form. Secondly it pointed ahead to
what was to come. And thirdly it stressed that He was a holy God and that approach
to Him was not to be endeavoured lightly. Anything short of what appeared to be a
detailed blueprint would not have achieved these aims. Those who heard Ezekiel
speaking about it would naturally ask for details of what he had seen, and would
indeed find their hearts dance within them at every little detail given, for it would
remind them of the old temple which they thought they had lost for ever.
1) The detailing of the measurements made clear to the exiles that the temple in
question was not just some pipe dream but was a genuine other-worldly temple that
had been measured. It was confirmation of their hopes. Each detail had been
considered and was being carefully described. So they could know that the new
temple was real and truly ‘existed’ in the purposes of God, for Ezekiel had seen it
measured and could recount the detail.
2) The fact that it had been measured, not by Ezekiel but by a messenger of God,
confirmed that it was God’s own temple, provided by Him, a heavenly temple, a
temple which could not be touched by this world, but of which Ezekiel was a
witness.
3) The detailed measurements given, which could be compared with the detailed
measurements provided for the tabernacle, confirmed that it was of God’s design,
like the tabernacle (but this time with no indication that it should be built to
specification). It was confirmation that God was still interested in providing His
people with the full and necessary resources for approaching and worshipping Him,
while at the same time warning them that He was a holy God and not to be
approached lightly. Thus while it was a portrayal of the heavenly, it was also ‘down
to earth’, and would indeed eventually find its shadow in the earthly temple, which
would be a simpler representation. While they made use of a their smaller earthly
temple they would be able to visualise and acknowledge the glorious heavenly
temple, of which it was a symbol.
59

60. 4) The perfect symmetry of the measurements revealed the perfection of God, and
the perfection of His plans and purposes for His people that were yet to be, and
indeed of the temple itself. This was God’s work and not man’s.
5) The measurement of each part of the temple demonstrated that it was being
potentially ‘brought into use’ for the people of God. We can compare with this how
God elsewhere arranged for the ‘measurement’ of Jerusalem to demonstrate that it
belonged to Him, that He was beginning His actions on its behalf and that He had
taken it under His protection (Zechariah 2:1-5), something again done invisibly of
which only the physical outcome was seen. We can also compare His arranging of
the measurement of the new Jerusalem so as to bring out its perfection and
readiness for use (Revelation 21:15). Here then was a temple ready for use and
through which God was about to act.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:5
The enclosing wall. And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about. The
"house"— ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ַ‫בּ‬ַ‫ה‬ with the article—was the temple as the dwelling-place of Jehovah;
only not the temple proper, but the whole complex structure. The "wall" belonged
to the outer court; that of the inner court being afterwards mentioned (Ezekiel
42:7). In having a "wall round about" Jehovah's sanctuary resembled both Greek
and Babylonian shrines (see Herod; 1.18; ' Records of the Past,' vol. 5.126), but
differed from both the tabernacle, which had none, and from the Solomonic temple,
whose "wall" formed no essential part of the sacred structure, but was more or less
of arbitrary erection on the part of Solomon and later kings. Here, however, the
wall constituted an integral portion of the whole; and was designed, like that in
Ezekiel 42:20, "to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place,"
as the Greeks distinguished between the βέβηλον and the ἱερόν (see Thucyd; 4.95).
Its breadth and height were the same (comp. Revelation 21:16)—one reed, of six
cubits by the cubit and an hand-breadth; that is to say, each cubit measured an
ordinary cubit and a hand-breadth (comp. Ezekiel 43:13). Hengstenberg suggests
that the greater cubit of Ezekiel was borrowed from the Chaldeans; and certainly
Herodotus speaks of a royal cubit in Babylon which was three finger-breadths
longer than the ordinary measure, while in Egypt also two such cubits of varying
60

61. lengths were current; "from which it might be supposed," says Smend, "that the
same thing held good for Asia Minor." Still, the hypothesis is likelier that the cubit
in question was the old Mosaic cubit—the cubit of a man (Deuteronomy 2:11), equal
to the length of the forearm from the elbow to the end of the longest finger—which
was employed in the building of the Solomonic temple (2 Chronicles 3:3). Assuming
the cubit to have been eighteen inches, the height and breadth of the wall would be
nine feet—no great elevation, and presenting a striking contrast to the colossal
proportions of city walls in Babylon and in Greece (see Herod; 1.170; ' Records of
the Past,' vol. 5.127, 1st series), and even of the walls of the first temple in Jerusalem
(see Josephus, 'Wars,' 5.1); but in this, perhaps, lay a special significance, since, as
the city-like temple stood in no need of walls and bulwarks for defense, the lowness
of its walls would permit it the more easily to be seen, would, in fact, make it a
conspicuous object to all who might approach it for worship.
KRETZMANN, “v. 5. And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about,
enclosing the entire complex of buildings, and in the Man's hand a measuring-reed
of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth, or about one rod, the length of
the measuring-rod thus being greater than the one usually employed; so He
measured the breadth of the building, that of the mason-work of the wall, one reed,
or rod, and the height, one reed, a very strong piece of masonry.
6 Then he went to the east gate. He climbed its
steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it
was one rod deep.
BARNES, "Eze_40:6
Stairs - Seven in number Eze_40:22. Each threshold of the gate (was) one reed broad
(or 9 ft.). The measurements are being taken from East to west, i. e., in depth.
61

62. CLARKE, "Went up the stairs thereof - As the temple was built upon an
eminence, there must have been steps on the outside, opposite to each door, to ascend
by. And it appears there were steps to go up from one court to another, see Eze_40:22,
Eze_40:26, Eze_40:34, Eze_40:37; and also from the court of the priests to the
sanctuary, Eze_40:49. See MMMMM in the plan.
GILL, "Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east,.... Or,
"whose face is the way to the east" (r); to the east of the house or temple; not to the
eastern gate of the wall about the house; but to the eastern gate of the outward court; see
Eze_40:20, for the man came from the wall he had measured unto this gate; which, with
the other gates after mentioned, spiritually design Christ himself, who is the way, door,
and gate, Joh_14:6 and this eastern gate more especially, where the prince sat, Eze_
44:3, and which led into the outward court; and over against which was another that led
into the inner court, and so straight on to the holy of holies, at the west end of the house.
Christ and faith in him, and a profession of him, are the way into the outward visible
church, and to the external ordinances of it, baptism and the Lord's supper; he is also
the way or gate that leads into the inner court, or into spiritual communion and
fellowship with God; he is the way of access to the Father, and through whom saints
have communion with him; for there is no coming to him, nor enjoyment of him, but
through a mediator; and Christ is he, and he only, by whom we can draw nigh to God,
have audience of him, and acceptance with him: he is the gate also that leads to eternal
life; the way to heaven and happiness lies through his person, blood, and righteousness;
he is the only way, the new and the living way; the plain way, and open gate, yet strait
and narrow:
and went up the stairs thereof; or the steps unto it, which were seven; see Eze_
40:22 and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions express it here, and read, "seven steps";
according to Jarchi, there were twelve steps, which he takes from the Misnah (s); that
there was a "chel" of ten cubits, and there were there twelve steps. It is certain that to the
north and south gates there were but seven steps; though Lipman (t) observes, that it is
possible there might be a greater declivity on the east side, which required so many
steps. Some of the Jewish writers think this is to be understood of the height of the court
of Israel above this court; as if it was said, from this court they went up seven steps to
the court of Israel; but the plain meaning, as Lipman (u) observes, is, that these steps
were without the gate, and are the height of the court from the mountain of the house to
it: these Cocceius very ingeniously illustrates by the seven trumpets in the Revelation;
which indeed are so many steps or gradual advances towards the kingdom of Christ, and
the glorious and spiritual state of his church in the latter day; which will be introduced
by the blowing of the seventh trumpet, when the mystery of God will be finished, and the
kingdoms of this world become Christ's, Rev_10:7 perhaps the man leading the prophet
up these steps or stairs to the gate may signify the gradual increase of spiritual light and
knowledge of the saints, in the person, offices, and grace of Christ, the way, the truth,
and the life; indeed the whole work of grace on the heart is gradual; it is carried on by
degrees; it is but begun, not yet finished, particularly the work of faith; believers proceed
from one step to another; first see Christ by faith, then go to him, then lay hold on him,
62

63. and retain him; their faith increases, and they go from strength to strength; and
sometimes it grows exceedingly; the advances in it are many and manifest:
and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; of the
same measure. The Hebrew word (w) signifies both a threshold and the upper lintel; and
the one may intend the one; and the other the other, and both these: some think they
point at the two Testaments; or, as others, the two natures in Christ, and the strength of
them, who is the gate, the way to God, the Mediator between him and man, and the
mighty Redeemer. Cocceius, because mention is made of a third threshold, Eze_40:7,
fancies that these three thresholds design the three witnesses, Father, Word, and Spirit;
which three are one, and found in one gate, which is Christ; so that he that believes in
him believes in all three; and he that has the one has the other: but it is a mistake of this
learned man that these three thresholds belong to one gate; for that after mentioned is
the threshold of the inner, and not the outer gate. Jarchi and Kimchi understand not the
thresholds of the gate, but the posts of it.
HENRY 6-26, “He begins with the east gate, because that was the usual way of
entering into the lower end of the temple, the holy of holies being at the west end, in
opposition to the idolatrous heathen that worshipped towards the east. Now, in the
account of this gate, observe, (1.) That he went up to it by stairs (Eze_40:6), for the
gospel-church was exalted above that of the Old Testament, and when we go to worship
God we must ascend; so is the call, Rev_4:1. Come up hither. Sursum corda - Up with
your hearts. (2.) That the chambers adjoining to the gates were but little chambers,
about ten feet square, Eze_40:7. These were for those to lodge in who attended the
service of the house. And it becomes such as are made spiritual priests to God to content
themselves with little chambers and not to seek great things to themselves; so that we
may but have a place within the verge of God's court we have reason to be thankful
though it be in a little chamber, a mean apartment, though we be but door-keepers
there. (3.) The chambers, as they were each of them four-square, denoting their stability
and due proportion and their exact agreement with the rule (for they were each of them
one reed long and one reed broad), so they were all of one measure, that there might be
an equality among the attendants on the service of the house. (4.) The chambers were
very many; for in our Father's house there are many mansions (Joh_14:2), in his house
above, and in that here on earth. In the secret of his tabernacle shall those be hid, and in
a safe pavilion, whose desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of their life,
Psa_27:4, Psa_27:5. Some make these chambers to represent the particular
congregations of believers, which are parts of the great temple, the universal church,
which are, and must be, framed by the scripture-line and rule, and which Jesus Christ
takes the measure of, that is, takes cognizance of, for he walks in the midst of the seven
golden candle-sticks. (5.) It is said (Eze_40:14), He made also the posts. He that now
measured them was the same that made them; for Christ is the builder of his church and
therefore is best able to give us the knowledge of it. And his reducing them to the rule
and standard is called his making them, for no account is made of them further than
they agree with that. To the law and to the testimony. (6.) Here are posts of sixty cubits,
which, some think, was literally fulfilled when Cyrus, in his edict for rebuilding the
temple at Jerusalem, ordered that the height thereof should be sixty cubits, that is, thirty
yards and more, Ezr_6:3. (7.) Here were windows to the little chambers, and windows to
the posts and arches (that is, to the cloisters below), and windows round about (Eze_
63

64. 40:16), to signify the light from heaven with which the church is illuminated; divine
revelation is let into it for instruction, direction, and comfort, to those that dwell in
God's house, light to work by, light to walk by, light to see themselves and one another
by. There were lights to the little chambers; even the least, and least considerable, parts
and members of the church, shall have light afforded them. All thy children shall be
taught of the Lord. But they are narrow windows, as those in the temple, 1Ki_6:4. The
discoveries made to the church on earth are but narrow and scanty compared with what
shall be in the future state, when we shall no longer see through a glass darkly. (8.)
Divers courts are here spoken of, an outermost of all, then an outer court, then an inner,
and then the innermost of all, into which the priests only entered, which (some think)
may put us in mind “of the diversities of gifts, and graces, and offices, in the several
members of Christ's mystical body here, as also of the several degrees of glory in the
courts and mansions of heaven, as there are stars in several spheres and stars of several
magnitudes in the fixed firmament.” English Annotations. Some draw nearer to God
than others and have a more intimate acquaintance with divine things; but to a child of
God a day in any of his courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. These courts had
porches, or piazzas, round them, for the shelter of those that attended in them from
wind and weather; for when we are in the way of our duty to God we may believe
ourselves to be under his special protection, that he will graciously provide for us, nay,
that he will himself be to us a covert from the storm and tempest, Isa_4:5, Isa_4:6. (9.)
On the posts were palm-trees engraven (Eze_40:16), to signify that the righteous shall
flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of God's house, Psa_92:12. The more they are
depressed with the burden of affliction the more strongly do they grow, as they say of the
palm-trees. It likewise intimates the saints' victory and triumph over their spiritual
enemies; they have palms in their hands (Rev_7:9); but lest they should drop these, or
have them snatched out of their hands, they are here engraven upon the posts of the
temple as perpetual monuments of their honour. Thanks be to God, who always causes
us to triumph. Nay, believers shall themselves be made pillars in the temple of our God,
and shall go no more out, and shall have his name engraven on them, which will be their
brightest ornament and honour, Rev_3:12. (10.) Notice is here taken of the pavement of
the court, Eze_40:17, Eze_40:18. The word intimates that the pavement was made of
porphyry-stone, which was of the colour of burning coals; for the brightest and most
sparkling glories of this world should be put and kept under our feet when we draw near
to God and are attending upon him. The stars are, as it were, the burning coals, or
stones of a fiery colour, with which the pavement of God's celestial temple is laid; and, if
the pavement of the court be so bright and glittering, how glorious must we conclude the
mansions of that house to be!
2. The gates that looked towards the north (Eze_40:20) and towards the south (Eze_
40:24), with their appurtenances, are much the same with that towards the east, after
the measure of the first gate, Eze_40:21. But the description is repeated very
particularly. And thus largely was the structure of the tabernacle related in Exodus, and
of the temple in the books of Kings and Chronicles, to signify the special notice God does
take, and his ministers should take, of all that belong to his church. His delight is in
them; his eye is upon them. He knows all that are his, all his living temples and all that
belongs to them. Observe, (1.) This temple had not only a gate towards the east, to let
into it the children of the east, that were famous for their wealth and wisdom, but it had
a gate to the north, and another to the south, for the admission of the poorer and less
civilized nations. The new Jerusalem has twelve gates, three towards each quarter of the
world (Rev_21:13); for many shall come from all parts to sit down there, Mat_8:11. (2.)
64

65. To those gates they went up by steps, seven steps (Eze_40:22-26), which, as some
observe, may remind us of the necessity of advancing in grace and holiness, adding one
grace to another, going from step to step, from strength to strength, still pressing
forward towards perfection - upward, upward, towards heaven, the temple above.
JAMISON, "the stairs — seven in number (Eze_40:26).
threshold — the sill [Fairbairn].
other threshold — Fairbairn considers there is but one threshold, and translates,
“even the one threshold, one rod broad.” But there is another threshold mentioned in
Eze_40:7. The two thresholds here seem to be the upper and the lower.
K&D 6-16, “The Buildings of the East Gate
(See Plate II 1). - Eze_40:6. And he went to the gate, the direction of which was
toward the east, and ascended the steps thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate
one rod broad, namely, the first threshold one rod broad, Eze_40:7. And the guard-
room one rod long and one rod broad, and between the guard-rooms five cubits, and
the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate from the temple hither one rod. Eze_
40:8. And he measured the porch of the gate from the temple hither one rod. Eze_40:9.
And he measured the porch of the gate eight cubits, and its pillars two cubits; and the
porch of the gate was from the temple hither. Eze_40:10. And of the guard-rooms of the
gate toward the east there were three on this side and three on that side; all three had
one measure, and the pillars also one measure on this side and on that. Eze_40:11. And
he measured the breadth of the opening of the gate ten cubits, the length of the gate
thirteen cubits. Eze_40:12. And there was a boundary fence before the guard-rooms of
one cubit, and a cubit was the boundary fence on that side, and the guard-rooms were
six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. Eze_40:13. And he measured the gate
from the roof of the guard-rooms to the roof of them five and twenty cubits broad, door
against door. Eze_40:14. And he fixed the pillars at sixty cubits, and the court round
about the gate reached to the pillars. Eze_40:15. And the front of the entrance gate to
the front of the porch of the inner gate was fifty cubits. Eze_40:16. And there were
closed windows in the guard-rooms, and in their pillars on the inner side of the gate
round about, and so also in the projections of the walls; there were windows round
about on the inner side, and palms on the pillars. - ‫א‬ ‫ָב‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שׁ‬ is not to be rendered,
“he went in at the gate.” For although this would be grammatically admissible, it is not in
harmony with what follows, according to which the man first of all ascended the steps,
and then commenced the measuring of the gate-buildings with the threshold of the gate.
The steps (B in the illustration) are not to be thought of as in the surrounding wall, but
as being outside in front of them; but in the description which follows they are not
included in the length of the gate-buildings. The number of steps is not give here, but
they have no doubt been fixed correctly by the lxx at seven, as that is the number given in
Eze_40:22 and Eze_40:26 in connection with both the northern and southern gates.
From the steps the man came to the threshold (C), and measured it. “The actual
description of the first building, that of the eastern gate, commences in the inside; first
65

66. of all, the entire length is traversed (Eze_40:6-9), and the principal divisions are
measured on the one side; then (Eze_40:10-12) the inner portions on both sides are
given more definitely as to their character, number, and measure; in Eze_40:13-15 the
relations and measurement of the whole building are noticed; and finally (Eze_40:16),
the wall-decorations observed round about the inside. The exit from the gate is first
mentioned in Eze_40:17; consequently all that is given in Eze_40:6-16 must have been
visible within the building, just as in the case of the other gates the measurements and
descriptions are always to be regarded as given from within” (Böttcher). The threshold
(C) was a rod in breadth, - that is to say, measuring from the outside to the inside, - and
was therefore just as broad as the wall was thick (Eze_40:5). But this threshold was the
one, or first threshold, which had to be crossed by any one who entered the gate from the
outside, for the gate-building had a second threshold at the exit into the court, which is
mentioned in Eze_40:7. Hence the more precise definition ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫ו‬ ‫ף‬ ַ‫ס‬ ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,א‬ “and that the
one, i.e., first threshold,” in connection with which the breadth is given a second time.
‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ is neither nota nominativi, nor is it used in the sense of ‫ֹאת‬‫;ז‬ but it is nota accus., and
is also governed by ‫ד‬ ָ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬. And ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ is not to be taken in a pregnant sense, “only one, i.e.,
not broken up, or composed of several” (Böttcher, Hävernick), but is employed, as it
frequently is in enumeration, for the ordinal number: one for the first (vid., e.g., Gen_
1:5, Gen_1:7).
The length of the threshold, i.e., its measure between the two door-posts (from north
to south), is not given; but from the breadth of the entrance door mentioned in Eze_
40:11, we can infer that it was ten cubits. Proceeding from the threshold, we have next
the measurement of the guard-room (G), mentioned in Eze_40:7. According to 1Ki_
14:28, ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ is a room constructed in the gate, for the use of the guard keeping watch at the
gate. This was a rod in length, and the same in breadth. A space of five cubits is then
mentioned as intervening between the guard-rooms. It is evident from this that there
were several guard-rooms in succession; according to Eze_40:10, three on each side of
the doorway, but that instead of their immediately joining one another, they were
separated by intervening spaces (H) of five cubits each. This required two spaces on each
side. These spaces between the guard-rooms, of which we have no further description,
must not be thought of as open or unenclosed, for in that case there would have been so
many entrances into the court, and the gateway would not be closed; but we must
assume “that they were closed by side walls, which connected the guard-rooms with one
another” (Kliefoth). - After the guard-rooms there follows, thirdly, the threshold of the
gate on the side of, or near the porch of, the gate “in the direction from the house,” i.e.,
the second threshold, which was at the western exit from the gate-buildings near the
porch (D); in other words, which stood as you entered immediately in front of the porch
leading out into the court (C C), and was also a cubit in breadth, like the first threshold
at the eastern entrance into the gate. ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ ֵ‫,מ‬ “in the direction from the house,” or,
transposing it into our mode of viewing and describing directions, “going toward the
temple-house.” This is added to ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫א‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ to indicate clearly the position of this porch
as being by the inner passage of the gate-buildings leading into the court, so as to guard
against our thinking of a porch erected on the outside in front of the entrance gate.
Böttcher, Hitzig, and others are wrong in identifying or interchanging ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ ֵ‫מ‬ with ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ִ‫,מ‬
inwardly, intrinsecus (Eze_7:15; 1Ki_6:15), and taking it as referring to ‫ף‬ ַ‫,ס‬ as if the
intention were to designate this threshold as the inner one lying within the gate-
buildings, in contrast to the first threshold mentioned in Eze_40:6.
66

67. In Eze_40:8 and Eze_40:9 two different measures of this court-porch (D) are given,
viz., first, one rod = six cubits (Eze_40:8), and then eight cubits (Eze_40:9). The ancient
translators stumbled at this difference, and still more at the fact that the definition of the
measurement is repeated in the same words; so that, with the exception of the
Targumists, they have all omitted the eighth verse; and in consequence of this, modern
critics, such as Houbigant, Ewald, Böttcher, and Hitzig, have expunged it from the text
as a gloss. But however strange the repetition of the measurement of the porch with a
difference in the numbers may appear at the first glance, and however naturally it may
suggest the thought of a gloss which has crept into the text through the oversight of a
copyists, it is very difficult to understand how such a gloss could have been perpetuated;
and this cannot be explained by the groundless assumption that there was an
unwillingness to erase what had once been erroneously written. To this must be added
the difference in the terms employed to describe the dimensions, viz., first, a rod, and
then eight cubits, as well as the circumstance that in Eze_40:9, in addition to the
measure of the porch, that of the pillars adjoining the porch is given immediately
afterwards. The attempts of the earlier commentators to explain the two measurements
of the porch have altogether failed; and Kliefoth was the first to solve the difficulty
correctly, by explaining that in Eze_40:8 the measurement of the porch is given in the
clear, i.e., according to the length within, or the depth (from east to west), whilst in Eze_
40:9 the external length of the southern (or northern) wall of the porch (from east to
west) is given. Both of these were necessary, the former to give a correct idea of the inner
space of the porch, as in the case of the guard-rooms in Eze_40:8; the latter, to supply
the necessary data for the entire length of the gate-buildings, and to make it possible to
append to this the dimensions of the pillars adjoining the western porch-wall. As a
portion of the gate-entrance or gateway, this porch was open to the east and west; and
toward the west, i.e., toward the court, it was closed by the gate built against it. Kliefoth
therefore assumes that the porch-walls on the southern and northern sides projected
two cubits toward the west beyond the inner space of the porch, which lay between the
threshold and the gate that could be closed, and was six cubits long, and that the two
gate-pillars, with their thickness of two cubits each, were attached to this prolongation of
the side walls. But by this supposition we do not gain a porch (‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫,)א‬ but a simple
extension of the intervening wall between the third guard-room and the western gate. If
the continuation of the side walls, which joined the masonry bounding the western
threshold on the south and north, was to have the character of a porch, the hinder wall
(to the east) could not be entirely wanting; but even if there were a large opening in it for
the doorway, it must stand out in some way so as to strike the eye, whether by
projections of the wall at the north-east and south-east corners, or what may be more
probable, by the fact that the southern and northern side walls receded at least a cubit in
the inside, if not more, so that the masonry of the walls of the porch was weaker
(thinner) than that at the side of the threshold and by the pillars, and the porch in the
clear from north to south was broader than the doorway. The suffix attached to ‫ו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is
probably to be taken as referring to ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫א‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ and not merely to ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫,שׁ‬ and the word
itself to be construed as a plural (‫יו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫:)א‬ the pillars of the gate-porch (E) were two cubits
thick, or strong. This measurement is not to be divided between the two pillars, as the
earlier commentators supposed, so that each pillar would be but one cubit thick, but
applies to each of them. As the pillars were sixty cubits high (according to Eze_40:14),
they must have had the strength of at least two cubits of thickness to secure the requisite
firmness. At the close of the ninth verse, the statement that the gate-porch was directed
67

68. towards the temple-house is made for the third time, because it was this peculiarity in
the situation which distinguished the gate-buildings of the outer court from those of the
inner; inasmuch as in the case of the latter, although in other respects its construction
resembled that of the gate-buildings of the outer court, the situation was reversed, and
the gate-porch was at the side turned away from the temple toward the outer court, as is
also emphatically stated three times in Eze_40:31, Eze_40:34, and Eze_40:37
(Kliefoth).
On reaching the gate-porch and its pillars, the measurer had gone through the entire
length of the gate-buildings, and determined the measure of all its component parts, so
far as the length was concerned. Having arrived at the inner extremity or exit, the
describer returns, in order to supply certain important particulars with regard to the
situation and character of the whole structure. He first of all observes (in Eze_40:10),
with reference to the number and relative position of the guard-houses (G), that there
were three of them on each side opposite to one another, that all six were of the same
measure, i.e., one rod in length and one in breadth (Eze_40:7); and then, that the pillars
mentioned in Eze_40:9, the measurement of which was determined (E), standing at the
gate-porch on either side, were of the same size. Many of the commentators have
erroneously imagined that by ‫ם‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ָ‫ל‬ we are to understand the walls between the guard-
rooms or pillars in the guard-rooms. The connecting walls could not be called ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫;א‬ and
if pillars belonging to the guard-rooms were intended, we should expect to find ‫יו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫.ל‬ -
In Eze_40:11 there follow the measurements of the breadth and length of the doorway.
The breadth of the opening, i.e., the width of the doorway, was ten cubits. “By this we are
naturally to understand the breadth of the whole doorway in its full extent, just as the
length of the two thresholds and the seven steps, which was not given in Eze_40:6 and
Eze_40:7, is also fixed at ten cubits” (Kliefoth). - The measurement which follows, viz.,
“the length of the gate, thirteen cubits,” is difficult to explain, and has been interpreted
in very different ways. The supposition of Lyra, Kliefoth, and others, that by the length
of the gate we are to understand the height of the trellised gate, which could be opened
and shut, cannot possibly be correct. ֶ‫ֹר‬‫א‬, length, never stands for ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ‫,ק‬ height; and
‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in this connection cannot mean the gate that was opened and shut. ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ as
distinguished from ‫ח‬ ַ‫ת‬ֶ‫פּ‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ can only signify either the whole of the gate-building (as
in Eze_40:6), or, in a more limited sense, that portion of the building which bore the
character of a gate in a conspicuous way; primarily, therefore, the masonry enclosing the
threshold on the two sides, together with its roof; and then, generally, the covered
doorway, or that portion of the gate-building which was roofed over, in distinction from
the uncovered portion of the building between the two gates (Böttcher, Hitzig, and
Hävernick); inasmuch as it cannot be supposed that a gate-building of fifty cubits long
was entirely roofed in. Now, as there are two thresholds mentioned in Eze_40:6 and
Eze_40:7, and the distinction in Eze_40:15 between the (outer) entrance-gate and the
porch of the inner gate implies that the gate-building had two gates, like the gate-
building of the city of Mahanaim (2Sa_18:24), one might be disposed to distribute the
thirteen cubits' length of the gate between the two gates, because each threshold had
simply a measurement of six cubits. But such a supposition as this, which is not very
probable in itself, is proved to be untenable, by the fact that throughout the whole
description we never find the measurements of two or more separate portions added
together, so that no other course is open than to assume, as Böttcher, Hitzig, and
Hävernick have done, that the length of thirteen cubits refers to one covered doorway,
68

69. and that, according to the analogy of the measurements of the guard-rooms given in
Eze_40:7, it applies to the second gateway also; in which case, out of the forty cubits
which constituted the whole length of the gate-building (without the front porch), about
two-thirds (twenty-six cubits) would be covered gateway (b b), and the fourteen cubits
between would form an uncovered court-yard (c c) enclosed on all sides by the gate-
buildings. Consequently the roofing of the gate extended from the eastern and western
side over the guard-room, which immediately adjoined the threshold of the gate, and a
cubit beyond that, over the wall which intervened between the guard-rooms, so that only
the central guard-room on either side, together with a portion of the walls which
bounded it, stood in the uncovered portion or court of the gate-building.
According to Eze_40:12, there was a ‫בוּל‬ְ‫,גּ‬ or boundary, in front of the guard-rooms,
i.e., a boundary fence of a cubit in breadth, along the whole of the guard-room, with its
breadth of six cubits on either side. The construction of this boundary fence or barrier
(a) is not explained; but the design of it is clear, namely to enable the sentry to come
without obstruction out of the guard-room, to observe what was going on in the gate
both on the right and left, without being disturbed by those who were passing through
the gate. These boundary fences in front of the guard-rooms projected into the gateway
to the extent described, so that there were only eight (10-2) cubits open space between
the guard-rooms, for those who were going out and in. In Eze_40:12 we must supply
‫ֹה‬‫פּ‬ ִ‫מ‬ after the first ‫ת‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ because of the parallelism. Eze_40:12 is a substantial repetition
of Eze_40:7. - In Eze_40:13 there follows the measure of the breadth of the gate-
building. From the roof of the one guard-room to the roof of the other guard-room
opposite ( ‫ַגּ‬‫ג‬ ְ‫ל‬ is an abbreviated expression for ‫ַג‬‫ג‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ ַ‫)ה‬ the breadth was twenty-five
cubits, “door against door.” These last words are added for the sake of clearness, to
designate the direction of the measurement as taken right across the gateway. The door
of the guard-room, however, can only be the door in the outer wall, by which the sentries
passed to and fro between the room and the court. The measurement given will not allow
of our thinking of a door in the inner wall, i.e., the wall of the barrier of the gateway,
without touching the question in dispute among the commentators, whether the guard-
rooms had walls toward the gateway or not, i.e., whether they were rooms that could be
closed, or sentry-boxes open in front. All that the measuring from roof to roof
presupposes is indisputable is, that the guard-rooms had a roof. The measurement given
agrees, moreover, with the other measurements. The breadth of the gateway with its ten
cubits, added to that of each guard-room with six; and therefore of both together with
twelve, makes twenty-two cubits in all; so that if we add three cubits for the thickness of
the two outer walls, or a cubit and a half each, that is to say, according to Eze_40:42, the
breadth of one hewn square stone, we obtain twenty-five cubits for the breadth of the
whole gate-building, the dimension given in Eze_40:21, Eze_40:25, and Eze_40:29.
There is a further difficulty in Eze_40:14. The ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ whose measurement is fixed in
the first clause at sixty cubits, can only be the gate-pillars (‫יו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫)א‬ mentioned in Eze_
40:9; and the measurement given can only refer to their height. The height of sixty
cubits serves to explain the choice of the verb ‫שׂ‬ַ‫ַע‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬, in the general sense of constituit,
instead of ‫ד‬ ָ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬, inasmuch as such a height could not be measured from the bottom to
the top with the measuring rod, but could only be estimated and fixed at such and such a
result. With regard to the offence taken by modern critics at the sixty cubits, Kliefoth has
very correctly observed, that “if it had been considered that our church towers have also
grown out of gate-pillars, that we may see for ourselves not only in Egyptian obelisks and
69

70. Turkish minarets, but in our own hollow factory-chimneys, how pillars of sixty cubits
can be erected upon a pedestal of two cubits square; and lastly, that we have here to do
with a colossal building seen in a vision, - there would have been no critical difficulties
discovered in this statement as to the height.” Moreover, not only the number, but the
whole text is verified as correct by the Targum and Vulgate, and defended by them
against all critical caprice; whilst the verdict of Böttcher himself concerning the Greek
and Syriac texts is, that they are senselessly mutilated and disfigured. - In the second
half of the verse ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫א‬ stands in a collective sense: “and the court touched the pillars.”
‫ר‬ֵ‫צ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ is not a court situated within the gate-building (Hitzig, Hävernick, and others),
but the outer court of the temple. ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is an accusative, literally, with regard to the gate
round about, i.e., encompassing the gate-building round about, that is to say, on three
sides. These words plainly affirm what is implied in the preceding account, namely, that
the gate-building stood within the outer court, and that not merely so far as the porch
was concerned, but in its whole extent. - To this there is very suitably attached in Eze_
40:15 the account of the length of the whole building. The words, “at the front of the
entrance gate to the front of the porch of the inner gate,” are a concise topographical
expression for “from the front side of the entrance gate to the front side of the porch of
the inner gate.” At the starting-point of the measurement ‫ן‬ ִ‫מ‬ (‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ ֵ‫)מ‬ was unnecessary, as
the point of commencement is indicated by the position of the word; and in ‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫,ל‬ as
distinguished from ‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫,פּ‬ the direction toward the terminal point is shown, so that
there is no necessity to alter ‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ into ‫ד‬ַ‫,ע‬ since ‫ל‬ַ‫,ע‬ when used of the direction in which
the object aimed at lies, frequently touches the ordinary meaning of ‫ד‬ַ‫ע‬ (cf. ‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ ‫ם‬ ָ‫ת‬ ‫צ‬ ְ‫,ק‬
Psa_19:7, and ‫ל‬ַ‫ע‬ ‫ם‬ ָ‫ית‬ ִ‫ל‬ ְ‫ב‬ ַ‫,תּ‬ Isa_10:25); whilst here the direction is rendered perfectly
plain by the ‫ל‬ (in ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫.)ל‬ The Chetib ‫,היאתון‬ a misspelling for ‫ן‬ ‫ית‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫,ה‬ we agree with
Gesenius and others in regarding as a substantive: “entrance.” The entrance gate is the
outer gate, at the flight of steps leading into the gate-building. Opposite to this was the
“inner gate” as the end of the gate-building, by the porch leading into the court. The
length from the outer to the inner gate was fifty cubits, which is the resultant obtained
from the measurements of the several portions of the gate-building, as given in Eze_
40:6-10; namely, six cubits the breadth of the first threshold, 3 x 6 = 18 cubits that of the
three guard-rooms, 2 x 5 = 10 cubits that of the spaces intervening between the guard-
rooms, 6 cubits that of the inner threshold, 8 cubits that of the gate-porch, and 2 cubits
that of the gate-pillars (6 + 18 + 10 + 6 + 8 + 2 = 50).
Lastly, in Eze_40:16, the windows and decorations of the gate-buildings are
mentioned. ‫ת‬ ‫נ‬ ‫לּ‬ ַ‫,ח‬ closed windows, is, no doubt, a contracted expression for ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ‫לּ‬ ַ‫ח‬
‫ים‬ ִ‫פ‬ ֻ‫ק‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫מ‬ ֻ‫ֲט‬‫א‬ (1Ki_6:4), windows of closed bars, i.e., windows, the lattice-work of which
was made so fast, that they could not be opened at pleasure like the windows of
dwelling-houses. but it is difficult to determine the situation of these windows.
According to the words of the text, they were in the guard-rooms and in ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ֵ‫יה‬ֵ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ and
also ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ָ‫,ל‬ and that ‫ה‬ ָ‫ימ‬ִ‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫ל‬ into the interior of the gate-building, i.e., going into the
inner side of the gateway ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫,ס‬ round about, i.e., surrounding the gateway on all
sides. To understand these statements, we must endeavour, first of all, to get a clear idea
of the meaning of the words ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ and ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫.א‬ The first occurs in the singular ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫,א‬ not
only in Eze_40:14, Eze_40:16, and Eze_41:3, but also in 1Ki_6:31; in the plural only in
70

71. this chapter and in Eze_41:1. The second ‫ם‬ ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ or ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is met with only in this chapter,
and always in the plural, in the form ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ mrof e only in Eze_40:16 and Eze_40:30, in
other cases always ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ or with a suffix ‫יו‬ ָ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ after the analogy of ‫ת‬ ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ in Eze_
40:12 by the side of ‫ים‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ in Eze_40:7 and Eze_40:16, ‫י‬ ֵ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ in Eze_40:10, and ‫יו‬ ָ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ or ‫ו‬ ָ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬
in Eze_40:21, Eze_40:29, Eze_40:33, Eze_40:36, from which it is apparent that the
difference in the formation of the plural (‫אילמות‬ and ‫)אילמים‬ has no influence upon the
meaning of the word. On the other hand, it is evident from our verse (Eze_40:16), and
still more so from the expression ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫ו‬ ‫י‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ which is repeated in Eze_40:21, Eze_40:24,
Eze_40:29, Eze_40:33, and Eze_40:36 (cf. Eze_40:26, Eze_40:31, and Eze_40:34),
that ‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ and ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ must signify different things, and are not to be identified, as
Böttcher and others suppose. The word ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ֵ‫,א‬ as an architectural term, never occurs
except in connection with doors or gates. It is used in this connection as early as 1Ki_
6:31, in the description of the door of the most holy place in Solomon's temple, where
‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫א‬ ָ‫ה‬ signifies the projection on the door-posts, i.e., the projecting portion of the wall in
which the door-posts were fixed. Ezekiel uses ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ‫ח‬ ָ‫ת‬ ֶ‫פּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Eze_41:3 in the same sense
in relation to the door of the most holy place, and in an analogous manner applies the
term ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ to the pillars which rose up to a colossal height at or by the gates of the
courts (Eze_40:9, Eze_40:10, Eze_40:14, Eze_40:21, Eze_40:24, etc.), and also of the
pillars at the entrance into the holy place (Eze_41:1). The same meaning may also be
retained in Eze_40:16, where pillars (or posts) are attributed to the guard-rooms, since
the suffix in ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ֵ‫יה‬ֵ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ can only be taken as referring to ‫ים‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ ַ‫.ה‬ As these guard-rooms had
doors, the doors may also have had their posts. And just as in Eze_40:14 ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫ל־א‬ ֶ‫א‬ points
back to the ‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ previously mentioned, and the singular is used in a collective sense; so
may the ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫א‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ in Eze_40:16 be taken collectively, and referred to the pillars mentioned
before.
There is more difficulty in determining the meaning of ‫ם‬ ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ (plural ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ or ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,)א‬
which has been identified sometimes with ‫ם‬ ָ‫,אוּל‬ sometimes with ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫.א‬ Although
etymologically connected with these two words, it is not only clearly distinguished from
‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ as we have already observed, but it is also distinguished from ‫ם‬ ָ‫אוּל‬ by the fact
that, apart from Eze_41:15, where the plural ‫י‬ ֵ‫מּ‬ַ‫אוּל‬ signifies the front porches in all the
gate-buildings of the court, ‫ם‬ ָ‫אוּל‬ only occurs in the singular, because every gate-building
had only one front porch, whereas the plural is always used in the case of ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫.א‬ So far
as the form is concerned, ‫ם‬ ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is derived from ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫;א‬ and since ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫א‬ signifies the
projection, more especially the pillars on both sides of the doors and gates, it has
apparently the force of an abstract noun, projecting work; but as distinguished from the
prominent pillars, it seems to indicate the projecting works or portions on the side walls
of a building of large dimensions. If, then, we endeavour to determine the meaning of
‫ם‬ ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ more precisely in our description of the gate-building, where alone the word
occurs, we find from Eze_40:30 that there were ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ round about the gate-buildings;
and again from Eze_40:16 and Eze_40:25, that the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ had windows, which entered
into the gateway; and still further from Eze_40:22 and Eze_40:26, that when one
71

72. ascended the flight of steps, they were ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫,ל‬ “in front of them.” And lastly, from Eze_
40:21, Eze_40:29, and Eze_40:33, where guard-rooms, on this side and on that side,
pillars (‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,)א‬ and ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ are mentioned as constituent parts of the gate-building or
gateway, and the length of the gateway is given as fifty cubits, we may infer that the
‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ with the guard-rooms and pillars, formed the side enclosures of the gateway
throughout its entire length. Consequently we shall not be mistaken, if we follow
Kliefoth in understanding by ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ those portions of the inner side walls of the gateway
which projected in the same manner as the two pillars by the porch, namely, the
intervening walls between the three guard-rooms, and also those portions of the side
walls which enclosed the two thresholds on either side. For “there was nothing more
along the gateway, with the exception of the portions mentioned,” that projected in any
way, inasmuch as these projecting portions of the side enclosures, together with the
breadth of the guard-rooms and the porch, along with its pillars, made up the entire
length of the gateway, amounting to fifty cubits. This explanation of the word is
applicable to all the passages in which it occurs, even to Eze_40:30 and Eze_40:31, as
the exposition of these verses will show. - It follows from this that the windows
mentioned in Eze_40:16 can only be sought for in the walls of the guard-rooms and the
projecting side walls of the gateway; and therefore that ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ְ‫ו‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ֵ‫יה‬ֵ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is to be taken as a
more precise definition of ‫ים‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫תּ‬ ַ‫ל־ה‬ ֶ‫:א‬ “there were windows in the guard-rooms, and,
indeed (that is to say), in their pillars,” i.e., by the side of the pillars enclosing the door.
These windows entered into the interior of the gateway. It still remains questionable,
however, whether these windows looked out of the guard-rooms into the court, and at
the same time threw light into the interior of the gateway, because the guard-rooms were
open towards the gateway, as Böttcher, Hitzig, Kliefoth, and others assume; or whether
the guard-rooms had also a wall with a door opening into the gateway, and windows on
both sides, to which allusion is made here. The latter is by no means probable, inasmuch
as, if the guard-rooms were not open towards the gateway, the walls between them
would not have projected in such a manner as to allow of their being designated as
‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫.א‬ For this reason we regard the former as the correct supposition. There is some
difficulty also in the further expression ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫;ס‬ for, strictly speaking, there were not
windows round about, but simply on both sides of the gateway. But if we bear in mind
that the windows in the hinder or outer wall of the guard-rooms receded considerably in
relation to the windows in the projecting side walls, the expression ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ can be
justified in this sense: “all round, wherever the eye turned in the gateway.” ‫ן‬ֵ‫כּ‬ ֹ ּ‫ם‬ ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ָ‫,ל‬
likewise in the projecting walls, sc. there were such windows. ‫ן‬ֵ‫כ‬ ְ‫ו‬ implies not only that
there were windows in these walls, but also that they were constructed in the same
manner as those in the pillars of the guard-rooms. It was only thus that the gateway
came to have windows round about, which went inwards. Consequently this is repeated
once more; and in the last clause of the verse it is still further observed, that ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫,א‬ i.e.,
according to Eze_40:15, on the two lofty pillars in front of the porch, there were ‫ים‬ ִ‫ֹר‬‫מּ‬ ִ‫תּ‬
added, i.e., ornaments in the form of palms, not merely of palm branches or palm
leaves. - This completes the description of the eastern gate of the outer court. The
measuring angel now leads the prophet over the court to the other two gates, the north
gate and the south gate. On the way, the outer court is described and measured.
72

73. TRAPP, “Verse 6
Ezekiel 40:6 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went
up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, [which was] one reed
broad; and the other threshold [of the gate, which was] one reed broad.
Ver. 6. Then came he unto the gate.] Henceforth we shall read of gates, greeces,
posts, porches, courts, chambers, windows, &c., after the manner of Solomon’s
temple, now burnt to ashes. Concerning all which, various and very different are the
opinions of interpreters. We shall see hereafter the whole building in heaven.
Meanwhile, for many things here mentioned, we must content ourselves with a
"learned ignorance," and not call it descriptionem insulsam, as that Popish
commenter blasphemed, (a) or think that the holy penman spake he knew not what.
This was basely to "speak evil of the things that he knew not." How much better
those Rabbis who, meeting with many things here inextricable and inexplicable, say,
Elias cum venerit solvet omnia.
PETT, “Verse 6-7
The Measurement of the East Gate.
‘Then he went into the gateway which looked towards the east, and went up its
steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad, and the other
threshold, one reed broad. And the side-rooms (or ‘guard chambers’) were one reed
long and one reed broad. And the space between the side-rooms was five cubits. And
the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate towards the house was one
reed.’
The East Gate was the main approach to the temple and was thus seen as very
important (compare Ezekiel 10:19; Ezekiel 11:1 and see Ezekiel 43:4; Ezekiel 44:2).
73

74. It consisted of an inner and outer gate with an oblong passageway in between, at
each end of which was a vestibule and with guard rooms up the sides, the whole
being fifty cubits long and twenty five cubits wide.
The temple complex as a whole would be oriented east to west, (thus the importance
of the east gate), and consisted of an outer court approached through the gate, and
then, within that outer court, surrounded by it on three sides (north, south and
east), an inner court leading into the sanctuary itself, which sanctuary was
surrounded on three sides (north, south and west) by a small temple yard (a
‘separate place’) within the inner court area. The whole edifice was built on a
platform raising it above the surrounding area, with the inner court also on a
further platform rising above the outer court, and the sanctuary still higher.
Steps (probably seven - compare Ezekiel 40:22; Ezekiel 40:26) led up from outside
the temple to the outer threshold of the gateway (which itself led to the outer court),
which again was one reed broad. And passing through the initial gateway there
were three side-rooms or guard chambers on each side of the open ‘corridor’ within
the gateway, a corridor which led up to the threshold of the porch (or vestibule) at
the far end, which was again one reed broad. The purpose of the measurements was
to demonstrate the continual perfect symmetry of the whole.
‘Five cubits.’ Five and its multiples were a regular measure in the tabernacle and
were indicative of the covenant relationship. Five is the number of covenant. It is
thus prominent in this heavenly temple.
(There were five fingers to the hand with which covenants were confirmed, five
commandments on each tablet of stone in the giving of the covenant, five books of
the Law, and of the Psalms, five loaves in the covenant feeding of the five thousand
of Israel, multiples of five were in common use in the tabernacle, and so on).
This gate, the east gate, along with the north and south gates, granted the only
access to the temple precincts. Between the three they thus ensured that there was a
‘complete’ and sufficient way in to the dwelling-place of God provided for His
74

75. people, as the fact of ‘three’ gates indicated. (Three was the number of completeness
throughout the ancient Near East, often divine, as seven was the number of divine
perfection).
But its construction also brings home that it was an access that was closely guarded
(thus the guard chambers), giving ‘complete’ security (threefold on each side) and
excluding the profane. Let no one dare to enter who was unfit. The raising of the
temple on a platform, which explains the need for the steps, indicated that it was
other-worldly, raised above the outside world, (compare Isaiah 2:2-3), in the world
but not of it. It was not of this world.
So God was indicating to His people by this that they could once more approach
Him with confidence if they were pure, and that a way was provided for them which
none other could use unless they entered the covenant, for nothing profane could
approach Him.
The construction of the gateway is very similar in design to a Solomonic gateway
discovered at Megiddo, and has affinities with Syrian and Palestinian temples such
as that at Carchemish. When God was designing for His people He did so in terms
of their current environment, as He had done previously with the tabernacle and the
sacrificial system.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:6
The east gate. The gate which looketh toward the east; literally, whose face was
toward the east. That this was not the gate in which the angel had been first
observed standing seems implied in the statement that he came to it. That he began
with it is satisfactorily accounted for by remembering that the east gate was the
principal entrance, and stood directly in front of the porch of the temple proper.
The same reasons will explain the fullness of description accorded to it rather than
to the others. It was ascended by stairs, or steps, of which the number seven is
omitted, though it is mentioned in connection with the north (Ezekiel 40:22) and
south (Ezekiel 40:26) gates. "The significance was obvious," writes Plumptre. "Men
75

76. must ascend in heart and mind as they enter the sanctuary, and the seven steps
represented the completeness at last of that ascension." The steps lay outside the
wall, and at their head had a threshold ( ‫ף‬ַ‫,ס‬ properly an "expansion," or "spreading
out") one reed broad, i.e. measuring inwards from east to west, the thickness of the
wall. Its extension from south to north, afterwards stated, was ten cubits, or fifteen
feet (Ezekiel 40:11 ). The last clause, improperly rendered, and the other threshold
(Authorized and Revised Versions), or "the back threshold" (Ewald), of the gate
which was one reed, should be translated, even one threshold, or the first threshold,
as distinguished from the second, to be afterwards specified (Ezekiel 40:7); comp.
Genesis 1:5, "the first (one) day."
KRETZMANN, “v. 6. Then came He, apparently having started from the north
gate, unto the gate which looketh toward the east, for that was the direction in
which the Temple faced, and went up the stairs thereof and measured the threshold
of the gate, of this main entrance, which was one reed broad; and the other
threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad, rather, one rod broad, "even one
threshold one rod broad," this point being emphasized for the sake of remembering
it.
7 The alcoves for the guards were one rod long
and one rod wide, and the projecting walls
between the alcoves were five cubits[b] thick. And
the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing
the temple was one rod deep.
76

77. BARNES, "Eze_40:7
Every little chamber - The guard-chambers (a) for the use of the Levites who kept
watch in the temple.
The threshold of the gate by the porch - The second threshold in the
easternmost gate-way (c).
Porch - Hebrew ‫אולם‬ 'ûlâm; the Septuagint: αἰλάμ ailam; Vulgate: vestibulum. The
word probably means porch or portico, connected with “ail” post or pillar.
CLARKE, "And every little chamber was one reed - These were the chambers
of the buildings which were within the inclosure of the temple round the court, and these
chambers appear to have been numerous. See the map, which has been carefully copied
from that of Calmet.
GILL, "And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad,....
The length and breadth were equal, three yards and a half long and broad; a perfect
square. There were several of these little chambers or apartments in this building, at
each of the gates, and in other places after mentioned; of these chambers which were in
the gates of the courts; as there were also others, according to Kimchi, on the wall of the
mountain of the house; Lipman (x) says there is no mention made of them in the
building of the second temple: these design not the hearts of particular believers, where
Christ has a place, takes up his residence, and takes his rest; nor the many mansions in
Christ's Father's house in heaven, where the saints shall dwell with him to all eternity;
but each of the congregated churches of Christ. The fabric described in this and the
following chapters intends the Gospel church state in general; and these little chambers
the several particular churches which will be set up in all parts of the world, east, west,
north, and south. These may be called "chambers", partly for their secrecy, 2Ki_6:12
here the Lord's hidden ones are, who, though well known to him, are unknown to the
world; here the secrets of God's heart, of his love, grace, and covenant, are made known
to his people; here Christ, whose name is secret, and the mysteries of his grace, are
revealed to babes, while they are hid from the wise and prudent; and besides, the affairs
of Christ's churches should be kept secret, and not published to the world: and partly for
safety; see 1Ki_20:30, church fellowship, the word and ordinances, being the means of
strengthening faith, and preserving from apostasy; salvation is as walls and bulwarks to
them; and the roof of them, which is Christ, see Eze_40:13, secures from all
inclemencies, from the wind, storms, and tempests of divine wrath; he having bore it,
and delivered from it; and from the scorching heat of persecution, and from all
afflictions, as well as from the temptations of Satan, so as to be hurt and destroyed by
either of them: likewise they may be called chambers, because quiet resting places, as
well as secret, safe, and sure ones, Isa_32:18, these are the resting places of God, who
has desired them, and dwells in them; and of Jesus Christ, where his rest is glorious, and
where he gives spiritual rest to his people; and especially these will be such to the saints
77

78. in the latter day, and great shall be the abundance of it: as also because of that
communion and fellowship herein enjoyed, both among themselves, and with Father,
Son, and Spirit; see Son_1:4, to which may be added, that here souls are begotten and
born again to Christ; these are the chambers in which they are conceived and brought
forth, Son_3:4, and these may be said to be "little" chambers, in comparison of the
general assembly and church of the firstborn, which includes all the elect of God, and
redeemed of the Lamb, a number which no man can number; as that is called little in
comparison of the whole world, that lies in wickedness; and besides, those that dwell in
these chambers are little and contemptible in the eyes of the world, as they are low and
mean in their own eyes; even each less than the least of all saints: now these little
chambers or churches are represented of an equal measure, denoting that they will be
exactly according to the pattern of God's word; will have the same officers, the same
doctrines and ordinances, and the same laws and rules; and will be of equal authority,
not having one more power than another, or one over another; but entirely independent
of each other: and being foursquare, as the New Jerusalem is said to be, Rev_21:16, may
denote the perfection of them; that they will now be brought entirely to answer the rule
of the word; and also the firmness and stability of them:
and between the little chambers were five cubits; not a wall five cubits thick, as
the Targum; and so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it (y); but a space of five cubits, or of
two yards and a half, one foot and three inches; so that these chambers were not
contiguous; but a space was left between, which made them more airy; and by which
means they had more of the benefit of the light, and heat of the sun, and afforded
commodious places to walk in; all which shows the churches of Christ to be separate,
distinct, and independent communities; and yet may have a communication with each
other; as well as they all share the advantage of the light and heat of Christ the sun of
righteousness rising on them:
and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed: or
three yards and a half; this gate within was that which lay westward, and was nearer the
temple; between which and the outer gate before mentioned was a porch, on both sides
of which were little chambers; and the threshold or thresholds (one being put for both)
were of the same dimensions with those of the thresholds of the other; and so point to
the same things.
JAMISON, "chamber — These chambers were for the use of the Levites who
watched at the temple gates; guard-chambers (2Ki_22:4; 1Ch_9:26, 1Ch_9:27); also
used for storing utensils and musical instruments.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:7 And [every] little chamber [was] one reed long, and one reed
broad; and between the little chambers [were] five cubits; and the threshold of the
gate by the porch of the gate within [was] one reed.
78

79. Ver. 7. And every little chamber.] Or, Porter’s lodge.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:7
And every little chamber. Proceeding inward beneath a covered porch, the exact
width of the gate and threshold, i.e. ten cubits, the prophet's guide, after having
passed the threshold, conducted him to a series of lodges, ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫,תּ‬ or "guard-
chambers," six in number, three on each side (Ezekiel 40:10 ), one reed or six cubits
square, roofed (Ezekiel 40:11), and separated from each other by a space of five
cubits square, open overhead and closed towards the north or south as the case
might be by a side wall. These "lodges," or "cells," were intended for the Levite
sentinels who kept guard over the house. Beyond the cells stretched the threshold of
the gate by the porch (Hebrew, ‫ָם‬‫ל‬‫אוּ‬ ; the LXX; αἰλάμ: Vulgate, vestibulum, "a
portico") of the gate within; literally, from the house; i.e. the gate fronting one
coming from the temple, hence the gate looking "towards the house." ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ַ‫בּ‬ַ‫ה‬ ֵ‫,מ‬ "from
the house," does not qualify the threshold as if to indicate that this was an interior
threshold in contrast to the former, or exterior, but "the gate," its intention being to
state that the porch in front of which extended the second "threshold" was the
vestibule or portico before the gate which conducted inwards towards the temple, or
on which one first stepped on his way from the temple.
KRETZMANN, “v. 7. And every little chamber, the guard-room for the gate-watch,
was one reed long and one reed broad, and between the little chambers, of which
there seem to have been at least two, were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate
by the porch of the gate within, where there was an entrance portico, was one reed.
8 Then he measured the portico of the gateway;
79

80. GILL, "He measured also the porch of the gate within,
one reed. This was either the measure of the breadth of the porch between the opposite
chambers on both sides; or rather of the length of that space, which was between the
third little chamber and the last gate; and such a space must be supposed to be between
the first gate and the first little chamber, which space were three yards and a half; which
shows how spacious the churches of Christ will be, and how exactly measured.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
Ver. 8. He measured, also the porch.] This porch, which had neither doors nor roof
that we read of, was symbolum coeli: coelum enim undique conspicuum lateque
patens significabat, saith Josephus. (a) It represented heaven.
PETT, “Verses 8-11
‘He also measured the vestibule of the gate towards the house which was one reed.
So he measured the vestibule of the gate, eight cubits, and its posts, two cubits, and
the vestibule of the gate was towards the house. And the side rooms of the gate
eastward were three on this side and three on that side, the three were of the same
size, and the posts were of the same size on this side and on that side. And he
measured the breadth of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits, and the breadth of
the gate, thirteen cubits.’
‘Towards the house’ indicated that this vestibule was at that end of the gateway
nearer the sanctuary, rather than at the outer end. So the inner protecting gate was
also measured by God’s representative. The six guard rooms are again described,
emphasising their importance in relation to the protecting gate. The way to God had
to be fully protected from profanity. There was a way in but it had to be guarded
and kept for those for whom it was allowed. The measuring of them stresses that
they were there and that they had to be taken into account.
80

81. The eight cubit vestibule plus the two one cubit posts, presumably make up the ten
cubit opening of the gateway. Emphasis again is on multiples of five.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:8, Ezekiel 40:9
The divergent measurements of this porch, which are given in these verses, led the
LXX. and the Vulgate to reject Ezekiel 40:8 as spurious, and it is certainly wanting
in some Hebrew manuscripts. Hitzig, Ewald, and Smend have accordingly expunged
it from the text—an altogether unnecessary proceeding. The seeming discrepancy
may be removed by supposing either, with Kliefoth, that Ezekiel 40:8 furnishes the
measurement of the porch from east to west, and Ezekiel 40:9 its measurement from
north to south, with the measurements in addition of the posts ( ‫ים‬ִ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ from ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫,א‬ "a
ram," hence anything curved or twisted), i.e. pillars or jambs; or, with Keil, that
Ezekiel 40:8 states the depth from east to west, and Ezekiel 40:9 the length from
north to south. The "posts," which were sixty cubits high (Ezekiel 40:14), were two
cubits square at the base.
9 it[c] was eight cubits[d] deep and its jambs were
two cubits[e] thick. The portico of the gateway
faced the temple.
BARNES, "Eze_40:9
The porch is now measured from north to south in “wide.” “The breadth of the entry of
the gate” was “ten cubits,” made up of the “eight cubits,” with “a cubit” for “a post” or
pillar on each side Eze_40:11.
Posts - A projection like a ram’s horn; in architecture, a column projecting from the
wall with its base, shaft, and capital, or it may be the “base” only Eze_40:16, Eze_40:49.
81

82. Here “post” represents the lower part of the column. and the dimensions given are those
of the section of the base.
CLARKE, "The porch of the gate - See account of the gates in the plan.
GILL, "Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits,.... This could not
be the length of the porch from gate to gate, or from east to west, as Lipman (z); since
there were five cubits between every little chamber; but the breadth of it from north to
south, and was four yards and two feet over:
and the posts thereof two cubits; these were columns or pillars placed on each side
of the porch, or at the portal of the gate, of two cubits, or a yard and half a foot thick;
which, added to the other eight cubits, made the entrance ten cubits, as in Eze_40:11
what these posts, pillars, or columns signify, see on Eze_40:14,
and the porch of the gate was inward; this was the porch of the inward gate; or this
was the measure of the porch within the gate.
JAMISON, "posts — projecting column-faced fronts of the sides of the doorway,
opposite to one another.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the
posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate [was] inward.
Ver. 9. And the porch of the gate was inward.] Or, This was the porch of the inner
gate.
10 Inside the east gate were three alcoves on each
side; the three had the same measurements, and
the faces of the projecting walls on each side had
82

83. the same measurements.
BARNES, "Eze_40:10
In front of each guard-chamber were columns, whose “posts” (bases) were each one
cubit square.
GILL, "And the little chambers of the gate eastward,.... Where the man now
was, and was measuring; and the like chambers there were in the other gates, and of the
same measure; of which chambers See Gill on Eze_40:7,
were three on this side, and three on that side; three on the right side of the
porch to the north, and three on the left side of it to the south:
they three were of one measure; one reed, or three yards and a half square, as in
Eze_40:7.
and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side; on the right and
left, north and south of the inward gate of the porch, which measure was two cubits,
Eze_40:9.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward [were] three on
this side, and three on that side; they three [were] of one measure: and the posts had
one measure on this side and on that side.
Ver. 10. And the little chambers.] Here lay the doorkeepers, whose office was to
keep out the unclean. [2 Chronicles 23:19] Oh for such officers among us!
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:10
Having reached the furthest limit westward, the guide retraces his steps backward
in an easterly direction, noting that on the side of the covered way opposite to that
already examined the same arrangements existed as to "lodges" and "posts," the
83

84. latter of which ( ‫ים‬ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ) are here first mentioned in connection with the guardrooms,
and must be understood as signifying pillars or jambs in front of the walls. Their
measurements, which were equal, were probably as in Ezekiel 40:9, two cubits
square.
KRETZMANN, “v. 10. And the little chambers of the gate eastward, in addition to
those flanking the entrance, were three on this side and three on that side; they
three were of one measure, the same size as those mentioned in verse 7, and the
posts, the pillars or half-columns supporting the pediments or the portico, had one
measure on this side and on that side. V 11. And He measured the breadth of the
entry of the gate, the entire width of the eastern entrance, ten cubits, and the length
of the gate, either the height or, more likely, the depth of the gateway, thirteen
cubits.
11 Then he measured the width of the entrance of
the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was
thirteen cubits.[f]
BARNES, "Eze_40:11
The length of the gate - The length of the gateway (including the porch, E.) from
the court to the uncovered space. The threshold was “six cubits,” and the porch “six.” In
addition one cubit was probably allowed in front of the porch, as before the porch of the
temple itself Eze_40:49.
GILL, "And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits,....
Five yards, two feet and a half: this was the measure of the eastern gate, whether
outward or inward; for they were both of a measure, as appears from the thresholds
being alike:
84

85. and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits; that is, the height of it; it was seven
yards and three inches high; a prodigious gate this! a fit emblem of our Lord Jesus
Christ, as the open door, the gate of life, through which whoever enters shall be saved;
and there is room for multitudes to enter.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:11
The breadth of the entry (literally, opening) of the gate, ten cubits. Obviously this
measurement was taken from north to south of the gate-entrance (Ezekiel 40:6), and
represented the whole breadth of the doorway and the threshold, or one-fifth of the
entire length of the gate-building. The second portion of the verse, the length of the
gate thirteen cubits, is explained by Bottcher, Hitzig, Havernick, Keil (with whom
Plumptre agrees), as signifying the length of the covered way from the east entrance,
since it is supposed the whole length of forty cubits (the length of the gate without
the porch) would hardly be roofed in; so that assuming a similar covered way of
thirteen cubits at the other end of the gate-building, as one came "from the house,"
there would be an open space, well, or uncovered courtyard, of fourteen cubits in
length and six broad, enclosed on all sides by gate-buildings. The roofs extending
from the east and west would be supported on the "posts" of the chambers
mentioned in Ezekiel 40:10. Smend, however, infers, from the windows in the posts
within the gate (Ezekiel 40:16), that the whole extent was roofed in, and accordingly
can offer no explanation of the clause; Kliefoth and Schroder prefer to regard the
thirteen cubits as the height of the gate, although the word translated "length"
never elsewhere has this meaning.
12 In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit
high, and the alcoves were six cubits square.
GILL, "The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this
85

86. side,.... Or, "a border" (a) of half a yard and three inches to the front of the chambers;
where those that belonged to them might walk, or have seats to sit on; such a space there
was before the three little chambers on the north side of the porch:
and the space was one cubit on that side: a space or border of the same measure
was to the front of the three little chambers on the south side of the porch: this may
denote the Christian liberty of the members of Gospel churches; which they may use
without any breach of piety towards God, or of charity one to another:
and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that
side; they were of the same measure, those on one side, as those of the other, even six
cubits square; or one reed, which is the same; see Eze_40:7; see Gill on Eze_40:7.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:12 The space also before the little chambers [was] one cubit [on
this side], and the space [was] one cubit on that side: and the little chambers [were]
six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
Ver. 12. The space also before the little chambers.] Which space served either for
seats, walks, or eaves rather at either end.
PETT, “Verse 12
‘And there was a barrier in front of the side rooms, one cubit on this side and one
cubit on that side. And the guard rooms were six cubits on this side and six cubits on
that side.’
Detail is given of the guard rooms in order to draw attention to their importance,
and to demonstrate their symmetrical perfection. They would, without any question,
fulfil their functions. They had to be six cubits so as to make up the twenty five
cubits across (five squared) when taken with the thirteen cubit wide corridor.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:12
The space also before the little chambers; more correctly, and a border before the
86

87. ledges. Though the construction of this border, fence, or barrier (comp. Ezekiel
27:4; Ezekiel 43:13, Ezekiel 43:17; Exodus 19:12) is not described, its design most
likely was to enable the guardsman, by stepping beyond his coil, to observe what
was going on in the gate without either interrupting or being interrupted by the
passengers. As the barrier projected one cubit on each side of the ten-cubit way,
only eight cubits remained for persons going in or out.
KRETZMANN, “v. 12. The space also, literally, "the limit or boundary,"
apparently a low barrier wall, before the little chambers, where they flanked the
entrance portico, was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that
side, the barrier thus serving to keep those who entered in the center of the passage
amid preventing their crowding into the niche-like cells of the guard-rooms; and the
little chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.
13 Then he measured the gateway from the top of
the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the
opposite one; the distance was twenty-five
cubits[g] from one parapet opening to the
opposite one.
BARNES, "Eze_40:13
This measurement is across the gate-building from north to south. The breadth of the
gate-building was exactly half its length Eze_40:15.
GILL, "He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the
roof of another,.... That is, the whole porch, from the extreme part of the roof of one of
the little chambers on the north side, to the extreme part of the roof of another of the
87

88. little chambers on the south; of the roof of these chambers, and the spiritual meaning of
it; see Gill on Eze_40:7,
the breadth was five and twenty cubits; reckoning six cubits to one chamber on
one side, and six to one chamber on the other side, which make twelve; and a cubit and a
half to each back wall of the chambers on the north and south; or two cubits to the
spaces before the chambers, and a cubit and a half to each of the caves of the chambers,
which either way make fifteen cubits; and ten cubits the breadth of the gate; in all five
and twenty cubits; or fourteen yards and three inches:
door against door; not the door of the outward gate against the door of the inward
gate; nor the door of one of the little chambers at the east, to the door of another at the
west, running lengthways, and so affording a sight quite through the temple; but the
door of one of them on the north side over against the door of another on the south, they
answering exactly to each other; which still more confirms the similarity and equality of
Gospel churches; See Gill on Eze_40:7.
PETT, “Verse 13
‘And he measured the gate from the top of one side room to the top of another, a
breadth of twenty five cubits, door to door.’
The twenty five cubits is possibly represented by adding the six cubits of two
opposite side rooms, to the thirteen cubits which is ‘the breadth of the gate’ (i.e. of
the inner corridor). Thus the important multiple of five, the covenant number, is
maintained (the sixes and the thirteen being required for this reason). ‘Door to door’
might suggest a back door in the wall of each guard room leading into the outer
court, so that the rooms could be entered or left by means of the outer court without
using the main gateway.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:13
The breadth of the gate from the roof of one little chamber or lodge to another,
measuring from door to door, was five and twenty cubits, which were thus made up:
10 cubits of footway + 12 (2 x 6) cubits for the two guard-rooms + 3 (2 x say 1.5)
cubits for the thickness of the two side walls = 25 cubits in all. According to Ezekiel
40:42, the length of a hewn stone was one cubit and a half. The doors from which
88

89. the measurements were taken must have been in the side walls at the back of the
guard- looms.
KRETZMANN, “v. 13. He measured then the gate, the entire width of the gate-
buildings or entrance porticoes, from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of
another, the entire distance between the outside walls; the breadth was five amid
twenty cubits, door against door, literally, "opening against opening,'' that is, the
measuring was done straight through the interior, the passage being ten cubits, the
total depth of the guard-rooms twelve cubits, and the two outer walls, three cubits.
14 He measured along the faces of the projecting
walls all around the inside of the gateway—sixty
cubits.[h] The measurement was up to the
portico[i] facing the courtyard.[j]
BARNES, "Eze_40:14
Posts of threescore cubits - Sixty cubits were the length of a series of columns.
This gives us another feature of the gate-building. Between the porch (E) and the two
most western guard-chambers was a space of five cubits (through which the road
passed), forming a kind of hall with columns along the sides. This hall is called the
“arches” Eze_40:16. A hall of the same dimensions was between the boundary wall and
eastern guard-chambers Eze_40:31. It is probable that in one of these halls (that of the
eastern gateway of the inner court) the prince “ate bread” on solemn festivals Eze_44:3.
Unto the post of the court round about the gate - This hall or colonnade
extended the whole breadth of the building to the pavement (Eze_40:18, H, Plan II).
Outside the building on the pavement was a series of pillars.
GILL, "He made also posts of threescore cubits,.... Jerom thinks, that between
the outward wall which surrounded this building, and the building itself, these posts or
89

90. pillars were placed for ornament, which took up the space of sixty cubits; but rather
these design the posts or columns of the gate, which supported the arch over it, on which
were rooms or stories, and these were sixty cubits high; for of their height is this
measure to be understood. So the Targum,
"and he made posts, sixty cubits was their height;''
in the Targum, in the Polyglot Bible by Montanus, it is,
"and he made sixty posts, their height a cubit:''
and to this agree Jarchi and Kimchi; these were thirty five yards high, the height of the
temple ordered to be built by Cyrus, Ezr_6:3. The man that measured is said to "make"
these posts, he being the builder as well as the measurer of this edifice; and might be
said to make these as, by measuring, he pointed out the size and proportion of them:
these posts may design the true members of Gospel churches, such who are pillars in the
house of God; of which see more on Eze_40:16, compare the phrase of "making" these
posts or pillars with Rev_3:12,
even unto the post of the court round about the gate; that is, there was the same
measure to every post or pillar in every court, at every gate round about; at the southern
and northern gates, as at this eastern one; they were all exactly of the same measure as
the posts in this; so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post
of the court round about the gate.
Ver. 14. Even unto the post,] i.e., The height was the same everywhere. See these
things best set forth by pictures at the end of Castalio’s and Lavater’s annotations
on the text.
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:14. Of threescore cubits, &c.— Of twenty cubits [LXX], and at
the posts of the courts were gates [or arched passages] round about. The meaning is,
that the angel described, or made a delineation of the height of the columns or
pillars which were to support the stories or rooms over the arched gate.
PETT, “Verse 14-15
90

91. ‘He also made posts of sixty cubits, and the court to the post, the gate round about.
And from the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch
of the gate were fifty cubits’
The sixty cubits would be the gateposts at the outer end of the gate, forming a
deliberately imposing gateway, common in antiquity. It was what those who were
without would see. The phrase ‘and the court to the post, the gate round about’ is a
little obscure and may mean that the distance between where the court was entered
(the inner gate), and the outer gate was filled by the whole gate construction, the
distance being fifty cubits, or it may signify that the outer court came up to the
gateposts, externally to the gate itself, at each side of the gate, but of course inside
the walls, as the gate construction would protrude out into the outer court. Either
way the length of the whole of the construction of the gate (from outer gate to inner
gate) was fifty cubits.
The whole intention is to give the impression of a magnificent gateway protecting
the way into the temple precincts (lest the temple be defiled), and manifesting the
glory of God.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:14
He made also posts. In using the verb "made" the prophet either went back in
thought to the time when the man who then explained the building had fashioned it
(Hengstenberg); or he employed the term in the sense of constituit, i.e. fixed or
estimated, "inasmuch as such a height could not be measured from the bottom to
the top with the measuring-red" (Keil). The "posts," the ‫ים‬ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ of Ezekiel 40:9, were
sixty cubits high, and corresponded to the towers in modern churches. To the
objection sometimes urged against what is called the "exaggerated" height of these
columns, Kliefoth replies, "If it had been considered that our church towers have
grown up out of gate-pillars, that one can see, not merely in Egyptian obelisks and
Turkish minarets, but also in our own hollow factory chimneys, how upon a base of
two cubits, square pillars of sixty cubits high can be erected, and that finally the talk
is of a colossal building seen in vision, no critical difficulties would have been
discovered in this statement as to height." The last clause, even unto the post of the
91

92. court round about the gate, should read, and the court reached unto the post ( ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫א‬
being used collectively), the gate being round about (Revised Version); or, the court
round about the gate reached to the pillars (Keil); or, at the pillar the court was
round about the gate (Kliefoth). The sense is, that the court lay round about the
inner egress from the gate. The Authorized Version, with which Dr. Currey, in the
'Speaker's Commentary,' agrees, thinks of an inner hall between the porch of the
gate and the two most western guard-chambers, round the sides of which the sixty-
cubit columns stood. Ewald, following the corrupt text of the LXX; translates, "And
the threshold of the outer vestibule twenty cubits, the gate court abutting on the
chambers round about."
15 The distance from the entrance of the gateway
to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.[k]
BARNES, "Eze_40:15
The whole length of the gate-building was thus made up:
Thickness of boundary wall 6 cubits
Hall of the entrance 5 cubits
Three guard-chambers (6 cubits) 18 cubits
Spaces between guard-chambers 10 cubits
Hall of the porch 5 cubits
The porch 6 cubits
Total 50 cubits
GILL, "And from the face of the gate of the entrance,.... That is, from the
outward gate as you went into the porch, and was to the east, so called from people's
passing and repassing (b) in it; so Jarchi takes it to be the eastern gate; the Targum calls
it the middle gate:
unto the face of the porch of the inner gate; which opened at the other end of the
porch, into the outward court, and was to the west: from gate to gate
92

93. were fifty cubits; as he measured the breadth of the porch before, Eze_40:13, here the
length; there were three chambers six cubits long, which made eighteen; and between
each chamber were five cubits, which were ten cubits; and the space between the
chambers and the gates at each end were six cubits each; Eze_40:8, which make twelve
more; and then allow ten cubits for the thickness of both walls of each gate, and there
will be fifty cubits, or twenty nine yards and half a foot.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:15
The whole length of the gate, from the outer entrance to the inner exit fifty cubits,
was thus composed—
1. An outer threshold—6 cubits
2. Three guard-chambers, six cubits each—18 cubits
3. Two spaces between the chambers, five cubits each—10 cubits
4. An inner threshold—6 cubits
5. A porch before the gate—8 cubits
6. One post, or pillar—2 cubits
Total—50 cubits
93

94. 16 The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the
gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet
openings all around, as was the portico; the
openings all around faced inward. The faces of the
projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.
BARNES, "Eze_40:16
The “narrow” (closed and (?)latticed “windows” lit up both the guard-chambers and
the hall. On the square base of the “post” stood the shaft in the form of a palm-tree, as
we see in ancient buildings in the east.
GILL, "And there were narrow windows to the little chamber,.... The walls
being sloped both within and without, that the light let in might be spread the more: as
those "little chambers" signify the several congregated churches of Christ in the Gospel
dispensation; See Gill on Eze_40:7, so these windows design the word and ordinances
therein administered, which are the means of letting light into them; see Son_2:9, in
attending on these, the light of God's countenance is enjoyed, which lies in the
discoveries of his love; in the manifestations of himself; in his gracious presence, and in
communion with him; than which nothing is more desirable or delightful: through these
ordinances Christ the sun of righteousness shines in upon his people; he looks in at
these windows, and shows himself through these lattices; he is seen through the glass of
the Gospel; he is held forth in the ordinance of the supper; and by means thereof the
souls of God's people are enlightened, comforted, and warmed: also in this way are
communicated the illuminations of the Spirit, both at first conversion, and in after
discoveries of the things freely given of God; of the doctrines of the Gospel; of the
blessings of grace, and of the glories of heaven. The Gospel itself is a great and glorious
light; and the ministers of it are the light of the world, and of the churches; and by the
light being diffused through these little chambers, the churches, those who are in them
see to walk on in Christ, as they have received him, and becoming his Gospel, and their
profession of it; and also see to work, not for life, justification, and salvation, but to
evidence their faith, and adorn their profession; to glorify God by their shining lights,
and to cause others to glorify him; and by the whole, the light of joy, peace, and comfort,
is transmitted to all the inhabitants of Zion. These windows are said to be "narrow", or
"shut", or "closed" (c); that is, comparatively, not absolutely, for then they would be of
no use. The ordinances of the Gospel dispensation are no doubt clearer, and the light of
it larger, than of the legal dispensation, but this light has been darkened by the Papacy;
and though it increased at the Reformation, yet before the latter day glory will break
94

95. forth it will be as a twilight, neither clear nor dark, day nor night, Zec_14:6 and though
the light that then will break out will be exceeding great, as the light of the sun, and that
as the light of seven days, Isa_30:26, yet in comparison of the light of the New
Jerusalem state, when there will be no need of the sun or moon, but the Lord will be the
everlasting light of his people; and in comparison of the ultimate glory, when the saints
shall see face to face; the light even of this dispensation will be like what is let in at
narrow windows; see Rev_21:23.
And to their posts within the gate round about; that is, to the posts of the doors
that led into these chambers, over the lintel of them, were windows to let in light to those
that were entering them, as well as were in them; and so there were to all the chambers
round about the porch on one side and the other, between the two gates:
and likewise to the arches; or "porches" (d); to these doors, to which there were
windows giving light to those that passed through:
and the windows were round about inward; in all the chambers within the grand
porch, on the north and south:
and upon each post were palm trees; that is, on every post, column, or pillar,
belonging to the chambers; and very probably on all the other before mentioned, Eze_
40:9, these posts or pillars signify either the ministers of the Gospel; so called for their
strength, being mighty in the Scriptures, able ministers of the New Testament, capable
of retaining and defending the truths of the Gospel, and of bearing reproach and
persecution for them, and also the infirmities of weak believers; and for their stability,
being steadfast and immovable in the work and cause of Christ, and not to be taken off
from it either by the frowns or flatteries of men; and for their usefulness, in supporting
the cause and interest of the Redeemer, and the minds of weak Christians, as well as the
glorious truths of the Gospel; and may with great propriety be called the pillar and
ground of truth; see Pro_9:1, yea, all true believers, and proper members of the churches
of Christ, are pillars there, and such as shall never go out, Rev_3:12, the word (e) used
has the signification of strength, as pillars should be strong; and such believers are, not
in themselves, but in Christ, in his power and grace, and through his Spirit; whereby
they can do all things, perform all duties, exercise all grace, and engage with all enemies.
They are like pillars that stand firm and stable; grounded in the love of God; secured in
election grace; settled in the everlasting covenant; laid on the sure foundation Christ,
and established in the truths of the Gospel; so that they never go out of the heart of God,
the hands of Christ, the family of the saints, or church of God. They are as pillars; some
more useful to support in an external way the interest of religion, giving liberally to the
maintenance of ministers, the relief of the poor, and the defraying of all necessary
charges; and others to strive and contend for, and so maintain and preserve, the truths
and ordinances of the Gospel; and others to comfort and confirm weak believers. Now
on these posts or pillars were "palm trees" painted, two on each, one on one side, and
one on the other, as appears from Eze_40:26, which are also an emblem of true believers
in Christ; see Psa_92:12 comparable to them for their uprightness, Jer_10:5 these
looking upwards to Christ by faith, and moving heavenwards in their affections and
desires, and being upright in heart and life; and for their bearing pressures, and growing
the more under them, as the palm tree does. Saints have many weights on them, a body
of sin and death, reproaches, afflictions, and persecution; but they bear up under all, and
95

96. are not left to desert the cause, they are engaged in; yea, grow the more hereby, in
numbers and grace, like the children of Israel, Exo_1:12 the force of the palm tree is in
its top or head; if that is taken away it dies: Christ is the believers' head, from him they
have their life, grace, strength, nourishment, and fruitfulness; could they be separated
from him, all would be gone. The palm tree grows best in sunny places, is fruitful, an
ever green, and lasts long: and such are the people of God; they grow most under the
warm beams of divine love, and rays of the sun of righteousness; in the churches of
Christ, where the Gospel is preached, and ordinances administered, which make their
hearts burn within them; they are fruitful in grace and good works, retain their leaf of
profession, and never perish. Once more, the palm tree is a token of joy and victory, and
has been used on such occasions, Lev_23:40, and may denote the victory and joy upon
it, which saints have through Christ, over sin, Satan, the world, and death.
JAMISON, "narrow — latticed [Henderson]. The ancients had no glass, so they had
them latticed, narrow in the interior of the walls, and widening at the exterior. “Made
fast,” or “firmly fixed in the chambers” [Maurer].
arches — rather, “porches.”
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:16 And [there were] narrow windows to the little chambers,
and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and
windows [were] round about inward: and upon [each] post [were] palm trees.
Ver. 16. Narrow windows,] i.e., Narrowed, the better to let in light, and so
shadowing out that spiritual illumination and joy wrought in the hearts of the
children of light. See Isaiah 42:7; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:19-20, Micah 7:8, Luke 2:32,
John 3:19; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:35-36; John 12:46.
Were palm trees.] As for ornament, so in token of victory gotten by the saints, who
do overcome. [Romans 8:31-37 1 Corinthians 15:54-55]
PETT, “Verse 16
“And there were narrowing windows in the side rooms, and to their posts within the
gate round about, and likewise to the colonnade. And windows were round about
inward. And on each post were palm trees.’
96

97. Windows of the kind described (compare 1 Kings 6:4) were scattered all round the
gateway, providing light and air, (the meaning of the word translated ‘colonnade’ is
a technical architectural term and is uncertain), and palm trees were engraved on
the posts. This latter was a common decoration in Solomon’s temple symbolising
creation (1 Kings 6:29-35). Palm trees were also symbols of beauty and fruitfulness
(see Leviticus 23:40; 1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 6:32; 1 Kings 6:35; 1 Kings 7:36; 2
Chronicles 3:5; Song of Solomon 7:7; Psalms 92:12-14; Nehemiah 8:15; Zechariah
14:16-21). The detail of the whole would confirm to any sceptics that Ezekiel was
actually describing something that he had seen, and that what he claimed to have
seen had thus at least some degree of reality and was not just an illusion.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:16
And there were narrow (Hebrew, closed) windows, probably of lattice-work, so
fixed as to prevent either egress or ingress. That these "windows" ( ‫וֹנוֹת‬ ‫לּ‬ַ‫,ח‬ so called
from being perforated) were intended to impart light to the gateway, either in whole
or in part, is apparent, though it is difficult to form a clear idea of how they were
situated. They were in the chambers, and in their posts and in the arches, or
colonnades. In the chambers, or "lodges," they were most likely in the back walls,
and in or near the posts, or pillars, belonging to the doors of these chambers, the
clause, "and in their posts," being regarded as epexegetic of the preceding, and
designed to furnish a more precise explanation of the particular part of the guard-
room in which the windows were. Similar windows existed in the Solomonic temple
(1 Kings 6:4). The "arches," or "colonnades" ( ‫ת‬ִ‫מּי‬ ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,)א‬ were probably wall-
projections on the sides of the chambers, to that light was admitted from three sides.
Thus to one standing within, the whole gateway appeared studded round and round
with windows. The description of the gate closes with the statement that upon each
post were palm trees, which may signify either that the shaft was fashioned like a
palm tree, as is sometimes seen in ancient buildings in the East (Dr. Currey,
Plumptre) or that it was ornamented with representations of palm branches or palm
trees (Keil, Ewald, Kliefoth). Hengstenberg's idea, that "whole palms beside the
pillars are meant," is favored by Smend, who cites, in addition to Ezekiel 40:26,
97

98. Ezekiel 41:18, etc; and 1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 7:36.
KRETZMANN, “v. 16. And there were narrow windows to the little chambers,
small latticed openings for light, slanting inward from the outside of the wall, so as
to offer as much light as possible, and to their posts within the gate round about,
pillars projecting from the walls enclosing these windows, and likewise to the
arches, or galleries; and windows were round about inward, on the walls of the
passage and in the cells, so that they could be seen, no matter which way a person
turned; and upon each post were palm-trees, ornaments having the shape of palm-
trees.
The Outer Court
17 Then he brought me into the outer court.
There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had
been constructed all around the court; there were
thirty rooms along the pavement.
BARNES, "The “outward” or outer “court” (o, Plan II) corresponds to what was in
Herod’s temple the court of Women, into which all Jews, but not Gentiles were
admitted.
Eze_40:17
Chambers - (I) See Jer_35:2.
A pavement - (H) Of mosaic work 2Ch_7:3; Est_1:6 which formed a border of forty-
four cubits. On each side of the court in which there were gates, i. e., on east, north, and
98

99. south. It was called the “lower pavement” to distinguish it from the pavement of the
inner court; the outer court being lower than the inner Eze_40:31.
CLARKE, "The outward court - This was the court of the people.
GILL, "Then brought he me into the outward court,.... The divine and glorious
Person in human form, having brought the prophet up to the eastern gate, and through
it, and the porch that belonged to it, to the inner gate of it, which lay westward; and
having measured that gate, its threshold, the porch, the posts or pillars, and little
chambers in it; introduced him into a spacious piece of ground, that lay open to the air,
and surrounded the whole building; and answers to the court of the Israelites in the
temple, where they worshipped promiscuously, good and bad: and so may design the
outward visible state of the Gospel church, consisting of good and bad, of wise and
foolish virgins; like a field that has both wheat and tares in it; or a corn floor that has
wheat and chaff upon it; which in the latter day will grow worse and worse, and be given
to the Gentiles, Rev_11:2 but shall be recovered again, and make a considerable part of
this fabric; which represents the state of the church, and the outward administration of
the word and ordinances in it, and the visible fellowship of the saints together in them.
And, lo, there were chambers; in the outward court, in various parts of it; which
signify, as before, visible congregated churches, formed according to the order of the
Gospel; in which the word is preached, ordinances administered, and saints have
fellowship one with another. It is a different word here used from that in Eze_40:7, and
is by some rendered "cells, storehouses, treasuries" (f); and here, the unsearchable
riches of Christ are preached, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in him are
brought forth, and presented to the view of the saints.
And a pavement made for the court round about; as this court went round about
the whole building, so there was a pavement upon it all around. The word (g) used has
the signification of a "burning coal". Probably this pavement appeared as made of stones
of various colours, of black, white, and red, like a chequered work of black and white
marble; or as made of the porphyry stone, which is variegated with divers colours. This
pavement was for those that dwelt in the chambers to walk in, and converse together:
and it may denote the walk of the saints, both in the ordinances of the Gospel, and in
their outward conversation, as becoming it; in love to them that are within, and in
wisdom towards those that are without: and this is walking as on a pavement, on firm
ground, in a plain and even way, where there is no occasion of stumbling; it is walking
clean, in righteousness and holiness, and not in the mire and dirt of sin; and it is
pleasant walking in the courts of the Lord, and in the ways and paths of wisdom; and
beautiful it is to see the saints walk harmoniously and comfortably together here,
conversing with each other, and building up one another upon their most holy faith.
Thirty chambers were upon a pavement; according to some, fifteen on each side of
the eastern gate, as you came out of it into the court; or rather, according to Cocceius's
tables, these were all around the court, eight to the east, eight to the north, eight to the
south, and six to the west; or, as Villalpandus, seven to the east and west each, and eight
to the north and south apiece. This suggests that there will be visible congregated
99

100. churches in the latter day in all parts of the world, east, west, north, and south; see Isa_
43:5.
JAMISON, "pavement — tesselated mosaic (Est_1:6).
chambers — serving as lodgings for the priests on duty in the temple, and as
receptacles of the tithes of salt, wine, and oil.
K&D 17-19, “The Outer Court Described and Measured
Eze_40:17. And he led me into the outer court, and behold there were cells and
pavement made round the court; thirty cells on the pavement. Eze_40:18. And the
pavement was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates,
(namely) the lower pavement. Eze_40:19. And he measured the breadth from the front
of the lower gate to the front of the inner court, about a hundred cubits on the east side
and on the north side. - Ezekiel having been led through the eastern gate into the outer
court, was able to survey it, not on the eastern side only, but also on the northern and
southern sides; and there he perceived cells and ‫ה‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ‫,ר‬ pavimentum, mosaic pavement,
or a floor paved with stones laid in mosaic form (2Ch_7:3; Est_1:6), made round the
court; that is to say, according to the more precise description in v. 18, on both sides of
the gate-buildings, of a breadth corresponding to their length, running along the inner
side of the wall of the court, and consequently not covering the floor of the court in all its
extent, but simply running along the inner side of the surrounding wall as a strip of
about fifty cubits broad, and that not uniformly on all four sides, but simply on the
eastern, southern, and northern sides, and at the north-west and south-west corners of
the western side, so far, namely, as the outer court surrounded the inner court and
temple (see Plate I b b b); for on the western side the intervening space from the inner
court and temple-house to the surrounding wall of the outer court was filled by a special
building of the separate place. It is with this limitation that we have to take ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫.ס‬
f‫עשׂוּ‬y may belong either to ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫ה‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ‫ר‬ ְ‫ו‬ or merely to ‫ה‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ‫,ר‬ so far as grammatical
considerations are concerned; for in either case there would be an irregularity in the
gender, and the participle is put in the singular as a neuter. If we look fairly at the fact
itself, not one of the reasons assigned by Kliefoth, for taking f‫עשׂוּ‬y as referring to ‫ה‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ‫ר‬
only, is applicable throughout. If the pavement ran round by the side of the gate-
building on three sides of the court, and the cells were by or upon the pavement, they
may have stood on three sides of the court without our being forced to assume, or even
warranted in assuming, that they must of necessity have filled up the whole length on
every side from the shoulder of the gate-building to the corner, or rather to the space
that was set apart in every corner, according to Eze_46:21-24, for the cooking of the
sacrificial meals of the people. We therefore prefer to take ‫שׂוּי‬ָ‫ע‬ as referring to the cells
and the pavement; because this answers better than the other, both to the construction
and to the fact. In Eze_40:18 the pavement is said to have been by the shoulder of the
gates. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ר‬ָ‫ע‬ ְ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is in the plural, because Ezekiel had probably also in his mind the two
gates which are not described till afterwards. ‫ף‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ָ‫,כּ‬ the shoulder of the agate-buildings
regarded as a body, is the space on either side of the gate-building along the wall, with
100

101. the two angles formed by the longer side of the gate-buildings and the line of the
surrounding wall. This is more precisely defined by '‫ת‬ ַ‫מּ‬ֻ‫ע‬ ְ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ֹר‬‫א‬ ‫,השׁ‬ alongside of the
length of the gates, i.e., running parallel with it (cf. 2Sa_16:13), or stretching out on both
sides with a breadth corresponding to the length of the gate-buildings. The gates were
fifty cubits long, or, deducting the thickness of the outer wall, they projected into the
court to the distance of forty-four cubits. Consequently the pavement ran along the inner
sides of the surrounding wall with a breadth of forty-four cubits. This pavement is called
the lower pavement, in distinction from the pavement or floor of the inner court, which
was on a higher elevation.
All that is said concerning the ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ל‬ is, that there were thirty of them, and that they
were ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ה‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ‫ר‬ ָ‫ה‬ (see Plate I C). The dispute whether ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ signifies by or upon the
pavement has no bearing upon the fact itself. As Ezekiel frequently uses ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ for ‫ל‬ַ‫,ע‬ and
vice versâ, the rendering upon can be defended; but it cannot be established, as Hitzig
supposes, by referring to 2Ki_16:17. If we retain the literal meaning of ‫ל‬ ֶ‫,א‬ at or against,
we cannot picture to ourselves the position of the cells as projecting from the inner edge
of the pavement into the unpaved portion of the court; for in that case, to a person
crossing the court, they would have stood in front of (‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫)ל‬ the pavement rather than
against the pavement. The prep. ‫ל‬ ֶ‫,א‬ against, rather suggests the fact that the cells were
built near the surrounding wall, so that the pavement ran along the front of them, which
faced the inner court in an unbroken line. In this case it made no difference to the view
whether the cells were erected upon the pavement, or the space occupied by the cells was
left unpaved, and the pavement simply joined the lower edge of the walls of the cells all
round. The text contains no account of the manner in which they were distributed on the
three sides of the court. But it is obvious from the use of the plural ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫,ל‬ that the
reference is not to thirty entire buildings, but simply to thirty rooms, as ‫ה‬ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ does not
signify a building consisting of several rooms, but always a single room or cell in a
building. Thus in 1Sa_9:22 it stands for a room appointed for holding the sacrificial
meals, and that by no means a small room, but one which could accommodate about
thirty persons. In Jer_36:12 it is applied to a room in the king's palace, used as the
chancery. Elsewhere ‫ה‬ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ is the term constantly employed for the rooms in the court-
buildings and side-buildings of the temple, which served partly as a residence for the
officiating priests and Levites, and partly for the storing of the temple dues collected in
the form of tithes, fruits, and money (vid., 2Ki_23:11; Jer_35:4; Jer_36:10; 1Ch_9:26;
Neh_10:38 -40). Consequently we must not think of thirty separate buildings, but have
to distribute the thirty cells on the three sides of the court in such a manner that there
would be ten on each side, and for the sake of symmetry five in every building, standing
both right and left between the gate-building and the corner kitchens. - In Eze_40:19 the
size or compass of the outer court is determined. The breadth from the front of the lower
gate to the front of the inner court was 100 cubits. ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫תּ‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫תּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ the gate of the lower
court, i.e., the outer gate, which was lower than the inner. ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫תּ‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫תּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is not an adjective
agreeing with ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫,שׁ‬ for apart from Isa_14:31 ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שׁ‬ is never construed as a feminine; but it
is used as a substantive for ‫ר‬ֵ‫צ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫תּ‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫תּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ the lower court, see the comm. on Eze_8:3.
‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫ל‬ ִ‫מ‬ denotes the point from which the measuring started, and ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫ל‬ ‫ר‬ֵ‫צ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ the direction
in which it proceeded, including also the terminus: “to before the inner court,”
equivalent to “up to the front of the inner court,” The terminal point is more precisely
101

102. defined by ‫חוּץ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ from without, which Hitzig proposes to erase as needless and unusual,
but without any reason. For, inasmuch as the gateways of the inner court were built into
the outer court, as is evident from what follows, ‫חוּץ‬ ִ‫מ‬ simply affirms that the measuring
only extended to the point where the inner court commenced within the outer, namely,
to the front of the porch of the gate, not to the boundary wall of the inner court, as this
wall stood at a greater distance from the porch of the outer court-gate by the whole
length of the court-gate, that is to say, as much as fifty cubits. From this more precise
definition of the terminal point it follows still further, that the starting-point was not the
boundary-wall, but the porch of the gate of the outer court; in other words, that the
hundred cubits measured by the man did not include the fifty cubits' length of the gate-
building, but this is expressly excluded. This is placed beyond all doubt by Eze_40:23
and Eze_40:27, where the distance of the inner court-gate from the gate (of the outer
court) is said to have been a hundred cubits. - The closing words ‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ have been very
properly separated by the Masoretes from what precedes, by means of the Athnach, for
they are not to be taken in close connection with ‫ד‬ ָ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬; nor are they to be rendered, “he
measured...toward the east and toward the north” for this would be at variance with the
statement, “to the front of the inner court.” They are rather meant to supply a further
appositional definition to the whole of the preceding clause: “he measured from...a
hundred cubits,” relating to the east side and the north side of the court, and affirm that
the measuring took place from gate to gate both on the eastern and on the northern side;
in other words, that the measure given, a hundred cubits, applied to the eastern side as
well as the northern; and thus they prepare the way for the description of the north gate,
which follows from Eze_40:20 onwards.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, [there
were] chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers
[were] upon the pavement.
Ver. 17. Then brought he me into the outward court.] In this temple were more
courts and more chambers than ever were in Solomon’s. Heaven is large, and full of
mansions. [John 14:2]
And a pavement made.] More costly and stately than that of Ahasuerus. [Esther 1:6]
God’s people are said to be living stones; [1 Peter 2:5] more precious than
sapphires; [Isaiah 54:11] firm as a pavement by faith, and low by humility;
submitting to their teachers, [Hebrews 13:17] and obeying from the heart the form
of doctrine delivered unto them. [Romans 6:17]
102

103. PETT, “Verse 17-18
“Then he brought me to the outer court, and lo there were chambers, fronted by a
pavement, erected round about the court. Thirty chambers were fronted by the
pavement. And the pavement was beside the gates, corresponding to the length of
the gates, even the lower pavement.”
Chambers were built around the outer court. The purpose of the chambers, which
were built on the wall, with the pavement in front, is not mentioned, but see
Jeremiah 35:2. They were probably used as meeting places, and for the general
convenience of worshippers. ‘Thirty’ (three intensified) demonstrates a
completeness of provision for worshippers. All that was needed was here. They were
built on a ‘lower pavement’ There was a ‘higher pavement’ in the inner court. An
increase in height at each stage demonstrated the increasing holiness of the place in
question.
PETT, “Verses 17-19
The Measurement of the Outer Court (Ezekiel 40:17-19).
The outer court surrounded the inner court and the sanctuary on three sides, (the
inner court and the sanctuary being surrounded by another wall with three gates in
it), the fourth side of the sanctuary along with the building behind it being against
the west wall. The outer court was for the use of God’s people generally, the inner
court being reserved for the priests.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:18
See drawing, Inner and Outer Gates for Ezekiel's Temple
103

104. Legend for the Inner and Outer Gates.
A, stair of seven steps.
T, threshold of 6 x 10 cubits.
C, chambers of 6 cubits square.
S, spaces between the chambers.
P, porch of gate, 6 x 5 cubits.
O, outer wall, 6 x 6 cubits.
W, wall of gate, 6 x 5 cubits.
w, w, thickness of chamber wall, 1½ cubit.
f, f, barriers or fence before chambers, 6 x 1 cubits.
104

105. l, l, lines to which covering of way reached.
E, gate pillars, 2 cubits square, 60 cubits high.
H, F, walls of threshold and porch, 14 x 5 cubits.
b, b, chambers for washing.
c, c, tables for slaughtering.
d, d, table for knives, etc.
e, e, tables for flaying flesh.
A', stair of eight stairs
Ezekiel 40:17-19
105

106. The outer court. Emerging from the doorway inwards, the prophet, accompanied by
his celestial guide, stepped into the outward court, i.e. the area surrounding the
temple buildings. There the first thing observed was that chambers and a pavement
ran round the court. The chambers were cells, or rooms— ‫כוֹת‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ִ‫ל‬ always signifying
single rooms in a building (see Ezekiel 42:1; 1 Chronicles 9:26)—whose dimensions,
exact sites, and uses are not specified, though, as they were thirty in number, it is
probable they were arranged on the east, north, and south sides of the court, five
upon each side of the gate, and standing somewhat apart from each other; that they
were large enough to contain as many as thirty persons (see 1 Samuel 9:22; and
comp. Jeremiah 35:2); and that they were designed for sacrificial meals and such-
like purposes (see Ezekiel 44:1, etc.). In pre-exilic times such halls had been
occupied by distinguished person s connected with the temple service (see Ezekiel
8:8-12; 2 Kings 23:11; Jeremiah 35:4, etc.; Jeremiah 36:10; Ezra 10:6). The
pavement was a tessellated floor (comp. Esther 1:6; 2 Chronicles 7:3), which ran
round the court and was named the lower pavement, to distinguish it from that laid
in the inner court which stood at a higher elevation than the outer. As another note
of position, it is stated to have been by the side (literally, shoulder) of the gates over
against—or, answerable to (Revised Version)—the length of the gates. This can only
mean that the breadth of the pavement was fifty cubits (the length of the gates,
Ezekiel 40:15) less six cubits (the thickness of the wall, Ezekiel 40:5), or forty-four
cubits, and that it ran along the inner length of the wall on either side of the gates.
The breadth of the court from the forefront of the lower gate, i.e. from the inner end
of the east gate or the edge of the pavement, unto the forefront of the inner court
without was an hundred cubits. Whether the measurement was up to the wall of the
inner court, within which, on this hypothesis, its gate must have wholly lain, or only
up to the door of the inner court, which, on this understanding, must have projected
beyond its wall, is obscure. The first interpretation derives support from the
circumstance that the terminus ad quem of the measurement is said to have been,
not the inner gate, but the inner court; while the second finds countenance in the use
of the preposition ‫חוּץ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ which seems to indicate that the measuring proceeded from
the western extremity of the outer gate to the eastern extremity of the inner gate,
and appears to be confirmed by Ezekiel 40:23 and Ezekiel 40:27, as well as by the
consideration that in this way the symmetry of the building would be better
preserved than by making the outer gate project into the court and the inner gate lie
wholly within the inner wall. In this way the hundred cubits marked the distance
between the extremities of the gates, the whole breadth of the court being two
hundred cubits, i.e. a hundred cubits between the gates, with two gates' lengths of
fifty cubits each added. The same measurements applied to the north gate, which
the seer next approached.
106

107. KRETZMANN 17-20, “v. 17. Then brought He me into the outward court, that
before and around the outer pillars, and, lo, there were chambers, cells or small
apartments, and a pavement, a floor of tesselated mosaic, made for the court round
about, on the three open sides; thirty chambers were upon the pavement, thus
enclosing the court on these three sides.
v. 18. And the pavement by the side of the gates, it was constructed there, over
against the length of the gates, exactly the length of the gates, was the lower
pavement, thereby distinguished from the upper or inner court.
v. 19. Then He measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate, from that
of the lower pavement, or court, unto the forefront of the inner court without, that
is, to the entrance of the inner court, as measured from outside, an hundred cubits
eastward and northward, the same dimensions being true of the north side as of the
east side.
v. 20. And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, He measured
the length thereof and the breadth thereof, just as He had done on the east entrance,
the description of this section, therefore, being very brief.
18 It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as
wide as they were long; this was the lower
pavement
107

108. GILL, "And the pavement by the sides of the gates over against the length of
the gates was the lower pavement. That is, this pavement, which went along by
every gate, and answered the length of them, and what appertained to them, east, west,
north, and south, was either lower than the pavement in the inward court, adjoining to
this, to which there was an ascent by steps; or the middle part of this pavement rose up
in a convex form, and on all sides there was a declivity; by which means all filth was
washed away, and it was kept clean, and always fit to walk on. This distinction of a
higher and lower pavement, whether on one account or another, may point out; the one,
the believer's walk by faith on Christ; and the other, his walk in the ordinances of Christ,
and in all becoming conversation.
JAMISON, "The higher pavement was level with the entrance of the gates, the lower
was on either side of the raised pavement thus formed. Whereas Solomon’s temple had
an outer court open to alterations and even idolatrous innovations (2Ki_23:11, 2Ki_
23:12; 1Ch_20:5), in this there was to be no room for human corruptions. Its compass
was exactly defined, one hundred cubits; and the fine pavement implied it was to be
trodden only by clean feet (compare Isa_35:8).
19 Then he measured the distance from the inside
of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner
court; it was a hundred cubits[l] on the east side
as well as on the north.
BARNES, "Eze_40:19
There were eastern, northern, and southern gates of entrance from the outer to the
inner court (B).
Without - Not as in the margin, but looking outward, i. e., the outward front of the
inner gate toward the outer court.
GILL, "Then he measured the breadth from the fore front of the lower
gate,.... That is, from the front of the inner eastern gate before mentioned, Eze_40:7,
108

109. called the lower gate, in respect of the gate opposite to it, which led into the inner court,
to which there was an ascent of eight steps; and which the Targum calls the middle gate,
because it lay between the eastern outward gate, and the gate of the inward court. Now
there were from hence,
unto the fore front of the inner court without, an hundred cubits; to the
outside of the gate was such a length, or fifty eight yards and one foot:
eastward and northward; as so it was from east to west, so from north to south, and
from south to north; there was just the same distance from the gate that led into the
outward court to that which led into the inward court, on all sides; see Eze_40:23 a man
may be a long while an outward court worshipper before he is an inward court
worshipper; the passage through the one to the other is long.
PETT, “Verse 19
“Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront
of the outside of the inner court, a hundred cubits both on the east and on the
north.”
Thus the outer court was one hundred cubits, from the inmost part of the gateway
to the inner court, all round on three sides.
The Measurement of the North and South Gates (Ezekiel 40:20-27).
These two gates were an identical reproduction of the east gate, the ‘three’ gates
representing ‘complete’ access. This time the number of steps leading up to them is
given. It is seven, the number of divine perfection. The temple was raised above the
earth by a divinely perfect amount, and accessed in a divinely perfect way. The
number seven had huge significance to the ancients throughout the Ancient Near
East. It was the ‘perfect’ number and often indicated divine activity and perfection.
The North Gate
109

110. 20 Then he measured the length and width of the
north gate, leading into the outer court.
GILL, "And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north,.... Or
the north gate of this building: having finished the dimensions of the eastern gate, those
of the north gate are taken:
he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof; as he had the eastern
gate, and which were the same; and so of the south gate, Eze_40:24, which denotes the
uniformity in religion in the latter day, in the way of entrance into the churches, and in
doctrine, discipline, worship, and ordinances.
JAMISON, "The different approaches corresponded in plan. In the case of these two
other gates, however, no mention is made of a building with thirty chambers such as was
found on the east side. Only one was needed, and it was assigned to the east as being the
sacred quarter, and that most conveniently situated for the officiating priests.
K&D 20-27, “The North Gate and the South Gate of the Outer Court (1 Plate I A)
The description of these two gate-buildings is very brief, only the principal portions
being mentioned, coupled with the remark that they resembled those of the east gate.
The following is the description of the north gate. - Eze_40:20. And the gate, whose
direction was toward the north, touching the outer court, he measured its length and
its breadth, Eze_40:21. And its guard-rooms, three on this side and three on that, and
its pillars and its wall-projections. It was according to the measure of the first gate,
fifty cubits its length, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. Eze_40:22. And its
windows and its wall-projections and its palms were according to the measure of the
gate, whose direction was toward the east; and by seven steps they went up, and its
wall-projections were in front of it. Eze_40:23. And a gate to the inner court was
opposite the gate to the north and to the east; and he measured from gate to gate a
hundred cubits. - With the measuring of the breadth of the court the measuring man had
reached the north gate, which he also proceeded to measure now. In Eze_40:20 the
words ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫ו‬ to ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫יצ‬ ִ‫ח‬ ַ‫ה‬ are written absolutely; and in Eze_40:21 the verb ‫ָה‬‫י‬ ָ‫ה‬ does not
belong to the objects previously enumerated, viz., guard-rooms, pillars, etc., but these
objects are governed by ‫ד‬ ָ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ yb denrevog e, and ‫ָה‬‫י‬ ָ‫ה‬ points back to the principal
110

111. subject of the two verses, ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫:ה‬ it (the gate) was according to the measure... (cf. Eze_
40:15 and Eze_40:13). For the use of ‫ב‬ in definitions of measurement, “25 ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ַ‫א‬ ָ‫”בּ‬ (by
the cubit, sc. measured), as in Exo_27:18, etc., see Gesenius, §120. 4, Anm. 2. The “first
gate” is the east gate, the one first measured and described. In Eze_40:23 the number of
steps is given which the flight leading into the gateway had; and this of course applies to
the flight of steps of the east gate also (Eze_40:6). In Eze_40:22, ‫ת‬ ַ‫דּ‬ ִ‫מ‬ ְ‫כּ‬ is not to be
regarded as doubtful, as Hitzig supposes, or changed into ַ‫;כּ‬ for even if the windows of
the east gate were not measured, they had at all events a definite measurement, so that it
might be affirmed with regard to the windows of the north gate that their dimensions
were the same. This also applies to the palm-decorations. With regard to the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬
(Eze_40:21), however, it is simply stated that they were measured; but the measurement
is not given. ‫ם‬ ֶ‫ֵיה‬‫נ‬ ְ‫פּ‬ ִ‫ל‬ (Eze_40:22, end) is not to be altered in an arbitrary and
ungrammatical way into ‫ה‬ ָ‫ימ‬ִ‫נ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫,ל‬ as Böttcher proposes. The suffix ‫ם‬ ֶ‫ה‬ refers to the steps.
Before the steps there were the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ of the gate-building. This “before,” however, is
not equivalent to “outside the flight of steps,” as Böttcher imagines; for the measuring
man did not go out of the inside of the gate, or go down the steps into the court, but
came from the court and ascended the steps, and as he was going up he saw in front (vis-
à-vis) of the steps the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ of the gate, i.e., the wall-projections on both sides of the
threshold of the gate. In Eze_40:23 it is observed for the first time that there was a gate
to the inner court opposite to the northern and the eastern gate of the outer court
already described, so that the gates of the outer and inner court stood vis-à-vis. The
distance between these outer and inner gates is then measured, viz., 100 cubits, in
harmony with Eze_40:19.
In Eze_40:24-27 the south gate is described with the same brevity. Eze_40:24. And he
led me toward the south, and behold there was a gate toward the south, and he
measured its pillars and its wall-projections according to the same measures. Eze_
40:25. And there were windows in it and its wall-projections round about like those
windows; fifty cubits was the length, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. Eze_
40:26. And seven steps were its ascent and its wall-projections in the front of them, and
it had palm-work, one upon this side and one upon that on its pillars. Eze_40:27. And
there was a gate to the inner court toward the south, and he measured from gate to
gate toward the south a hundred cubits. - This gate also was built exactly like the two
others. The description simply differs in form, and not in substance, from the
description of the gate immediately preceding. ‫ת‬ ‫דּ‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫כּ‬ ֶ‫לּ‬ ֵ‫א‬ ָ‫,ה‬ “like those measures,” is a
concise expression for “like the measures of the pillars already described at the north
and east gates.” For Eze_40:25, compare Eze_40:16 and Eze_40:21; and for Eze_40:26,
vid., Eze_40:22. Eze_40:26 is clearly explained from Eze_40:16, as compared with
Eze_40:9. And lastly, Eze_40:27 answers to the 23rd verse, and completes the
measuring of the breadth of the court, which was also a hundred cubits upon the south
side, from the outer gate to the inner gate standing opposite, as was the case according
to Eze_40:19 upon the eastern side. Hävernick has given a different explanation of Eze_
40:27, and would take the measurement of a hundred cubits as referring to the distance
between the gates of the inner court which stood opposite to each other, because in Eze_
40:27 we have ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ִ‫מ‬ in the text, and not ‫ן‬ ִ‫מ‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫;ה‬ so that we should have to render the
passage thus, “he measured from a gate to the gate toward the south a hundred cubits,”
and not “from the gate (already described) of the outer court,” but from another gate,
111

112. which according to the context of the verse must also be a gate of the inner court. But it
is precisely the context which speaks decidedly against this explanation. For since,
according to Eze_40:18, the measuring man did not take the prophet into the inner
court, for the purpose of measuring it before his eyes, till after he had measured from (a)
gate to the south gate of the inner court, the distance which he had previously measured
and found to be a hundred cubits is not to be sought for within the inner court, and
therefore cannot give the distance between the gates of the inner court, which stood
opposite to one another, but must be that from the south gate of the outer court to the
south gate of the inner. This is the case not only here, but also in Eze_40:23, where the
north gate is mentioned. We may see how little importance is to be attached to the
omission of the article in ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ִ‫מ‬ from the expression ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ִ‫מ‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שׁ‬ in Eze_40:23, where
neither the one gate nor the other is defined, because the context showed which gates
were meant. Hävernick's explanation is therefore untenable, notwithstanding the fact
that, according to Eze_40:47, the size of the inner court was a hundred cubits both in
breadth and length. - From the distance between the gates of the outer court and the
corresponding gates of the inner, as given in Eze_40:27, Eze_40:23, and Eze_40:19, we
find that the outer court covered a space of two hundred cubits on every side, - namely,
fifty cubits the distance which the outer court building projected into the court, and fifty
cubits for the projection of the gate-building of the inner court into the outer court, and
a hundred cubits from one gate-porch to the opposite one (50 + 50 + 100 = 200).
Consequently the full size of the building enclosed by the wall (Eze_40:5), i.e., of the
temple with its two courts, may also be calculated, as it has been by many of the
expositors. If we proceed, for example, from the outer north gate to the outer south gate
upon the ground plan (Plate I), we have, to quote the words of Kliefoth, “first the
northern breadth of the outer court (D) with its two hundred cubits; then the inner
court, which measured a hundred cubits square according to Eze_40:47 (E), with its
hundred cubits; and lastly, the south side of the outer court with two hundred cubits
more (D); so that the sanctuary was five hundred cubits broad from north to south. And
if we start from the entrance of the east gate of the court (A), we have first of all the
eastern breadth of the outer court, viz., two hundred cubits; then the inner court (e) with
its hundred cubits; after that the temple-buildings, which also covered a space of a
hundred cubits square according to Eze_41:13-14, including the open space around
them (G), with another hundred cubits; and lastly, the ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ְ‫ז‬ִ‫גּ‬ (J), which was situated to
the west of the temple-buildings, and also covered a space of a hundred cubits square
according to Eze_41:13-14, with another hundred cubits; so that the sanctuary was also
five hundred cubits long from east to west, or, in other words, formed a square of five
hundred cubits.”
PETT, “Verses 20-27
‘And the gate of the outer court whose prospect is towards the north, he measured
its length and breadth. And its side rooms were three on this side and three on that
side. And its posts and its colonnades were of the same measurements as the first
112

113. gate. Its length was fifty cubits and its breadth twenty five cubits. And its windows
and colonnades, and its palm trees were of the same measurements as the gate
whose prospect is towards the east. And they went up to it by seven steps. And its
colonnades were before them. And there was a gate to the inner court over against
the other gate, both on the north and on the east, and he measured from gate to gate
one hundred cubits. And he led me towards the south, and behold, a gate towards
the south. And he measured its posts and its colonnades, and there were windows in
it and in its colonnades round about, like those windows. The length was fifty cubits
and the breadth twenty five cubits. And there were seven steps to go up to it, and its
colonnades were before them. And it had palm trees, one on this side and one on
that side, on its posts. And there was a gate to the inner court towards the south,
and he measured from gate to gate towards the south one hundred cubits.’
So all three gateways to the outer court were identical representing complete access
and complete protection from profanity. Entry was available for those within the
covenant, whose hearts were right, for this was a heavenly temple and entry was by
seven steps. These can be compared with the seven gates leading into the
underworld in Sumerian and Babylonian myths. The difference being that these led
up to God. They were for His people. All others were excluded.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:20-23
The north gate. This was in all respects similar to that upon the east, though its
description proceeds in the reverse order, beginning with the three "chambers," or
lodges, on each side of the footway (Ezekiel 40:21), going on to the "posts,"
"arches," and "windows," and ending with the outside steps, seven in number
(Ezekiel 40:22), which are here first mentioned in connection with the gates. Its
dimensions were the same as those of the "first" gate, fifty cubits long and twenty-
five cubits broad. It stood exactly in front of a corresponding gate into the inner
court, and the distance between the two gates was, as before, a hundred cubits.
113

114. 21 Its alcoves—three on each side—its projecting
walls and its portico had the same measurements
as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits
long and twenty-five cubits wide.
CLARKE, "And the little chambers thereof were three, etc. - See the plan.
Arches - Porch. The arch was not known at this period.
GILL, "And the little chambers thereof were three on this side, and three on
that side,.... As in the eastern gate, and the measures the same, Eze_40:7. Gospel
churches in the latter day will be all on the same plan, and modelled according to the
same pattern, and be in just the same order, one as another:
and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were after the same measure
of the first gate; the eastern gate: believers will be all pillars in the church of God, and
partakers of the same like precious faith:
the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits;
see Eze_40:13.
KRETZMANN 21-27, “v. 21. And the little chambers thereof, the guard-rooms,
were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts, or pillars, thereof, and
the arches thereof, the galleries, or porticoes, were after the measure of the first
gate; the length thereof was fifty cubits, measuring from the outer entrance, and the
breadth five and twenty cubits, from outer wall to outer wall of the niches.
v. 22. And their windows and their arches and their palm-trees were after the
measure of the gate that looketh toward the east, and they went up unto it by seven
steps; and the arches thereof, the porches, or pediments, were before them,
projecting over against them.
114

115. v. 23. And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north and
toward the east, so that the gates of the outer and of the inner court were exactly in
line with each other; and He measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
v. 24. After that He brought me toward the south, the entrance portico of which is
described just as briefly, and behold a gate toward the south; and He measured the
posts thereof and the arches thereof, the pillars and the porches, according to these
measures, their dimensions being identical with those of the other entrances.
v. 25. And. there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like
those windows, the same kind of latticed openings as on the east side; the length was
fifty cubits and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
v. 26. And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before
them; and it had palm-trees, one on this side and another on that side, upon the
posts thereof.
v. 27. And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south; and He measured
from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. The symmetry and beauty of
this figurative Temple are but a faint picture of the greater perfection of the Lord's
temple, of His Church.
22 Its openings, its portico and its palm tree
decorations had the same measurements as those
of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it,
with its portico opposite them.
115

116. GILL, "And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were
after the measure of the gate that looked towards the east,.... Eze_40:14,
signifying that the light of the churches, their privileges, and flourishing condition, will
be alike everywhere, as in one part of the world, so in another; see Isa_52:8,
and they went up unto it by seven steps; or stairs, Eze_40:6, the number of them
is not there mentioned as here, but the same in both; See Gill on Eze_40:6,
and the arches thereof were before them; the steps; or "within" them, as the
Septuagint; the steps led to the arches of the gate, or to the porch of it, which were more
inward.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees,
[were] after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up
unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof [were] before them.
Ver. 22. And their windows.] See Ezekiel 40:16.
And they went up unto it by seven steps.] Whereby was noted the saints’ progress in
knowledge and holiness, [Luke 17:5 Romans 1:17 Revelation 22:11] still climbing up
toward the heavenly temple. [Psalms 84:7]
23 There was a gate to the inner court facing the
north gate, just as there was on the east. He
measured from one gate to the opposite one; it
was a hundred cubits.
116

117. GILL, "And the gate of the inward court was over against the gate toward
the north, and toward the east,.... Or, "and as to the east" (h); that is, the north gate
of the inner court was directly opposite to the north gate of the outward court; just as the
eastern gate of the inward court was in a straight line opposite to the eastern gate of the
outward court:
and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits; from the north gate of
the outward court to the north gate of the inward court; and it was exactly of the same
distance from one another as on the left side; see Eze_40:19.
JAMISON, "and toward the east — an elliptical expression for “The gate of the
inner court was over against the (outer) gate toward the north (just as the inner gate was
over against the outer gate) toward the east.”
The South Gate
24 Then he led me to the south side and I saw the
south gate. He measured its jambs and its portico,
and they had the same measurements as the
others.
CLARKE, "According to these measures - The same measures that had been
used at the eastern court.
GILL, "After that he brought me toward the south,.... Having taken the
dimensions of the east and north gates, the prophet was had on the south side of the
building:
117

118. and behold a gate toward the south; that led to the southern part of this fabric, and
to the outward court there, exactly like the other two; there was no difference in them,
which raised the prophet's wonder and attention; for, as Lipman (k) says, there was no
outward court in the second temple, but to the east of the inward; and it did not
encompass the other sides; and so the more wonderful:
and he measured the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according, to
these measures; the measures of the east and north gates, which were just alike; for
these all signified but one gateway or door into the church below, into heaven above, or
into the presence of God here and hereafter, which is Christ, Joh_14:6.
25 The gateway and its portico had narrow
openings all around, like the openings of the
others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five
cubits wide.
GILL, "And there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round
about,.... That is, in the little chambers, though not expressed; and in the porches of
them on each side, as you passed from the outer to the inner gate:
like those windows; that were in the chambers that were in the east and north gates,
Eze_40:7,
the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits; see Eze_
40:13.
26 Seven steps led up to it, with its portico
opposite them; it had palm tree decorations on the
118

119. faces of the projecting walls on each side.
GILL, "And there were seven steps to go up to it,.... To the south gate, as there
were to the east and north gates, Eze_40:6,
and the arches thereof were before them; See Gill on Eze_40:22,
and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the
posts thereof; that is, on the posts of this gate were palm trees, two on each post, one
on one side, and the other on the other: this verse shows us how many palm trees were
painted on the posts, and how they were disposed of; See Gill on Eze_40:16.
27 The inner court also had a gate facing south,
and he measured from this gate to the outer gate
on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.
GILL, "And there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round
about,.... That is, in the little chambers, though not expressed; and in the porches of
them on each side, as you passed from the outer to the inner gate:
like those windows; that were in the chambers that were in the east and north gates,
Eze_40:7,
the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits; see Eze_
40:13.
HENRY 27-38, “In these verses we have a delineation of the inner court. The survey
of the outer court ended with the south side of it. This of the inner court begins with the
119

120. south side (Eze_40:27), proceeds to the east (Eze_40:32), and so to the north (Eze_
40:35); for here is no gate either of the outer or inner court towards the west. It should
seem that in Solomon's temple there were gates westward, for we find porters towards
the west, 1Ch_9:24; 1Ch_26:8. But Josephus says that in the second temple there was
no gate on the west side. Observe, 1. These gates into the inner court were exactly
uniform with those into the outer court, the dimensions the same, the chambers
adjoining the same, the galleries or rows round the court the same, and the very
engravings on the posts the same. The work of grace, and its workings, are the same, for
substance, in grown Christians that they are in young beginners, only that the former
have got so much nearer their perfection. The faith of all the saints is alike precious,
though it be not alike strong. There is a great resemblance between one child of God and
another; for all they are brethren and bear the same image. 2. The ascent into the outer
court at each gate was by seven steps, but the ascent into the inner court at each gate was
by eight steps. This is expressly taken notice of (Eze_40:31, Eze_40:34, Eze_40:37), to
signify that the nearer we approach to God the more we should rise above this world and
the things of it. The people, who worshipped in the outer court, must rise seven steps
above other people, but the priests, who attended in the inner court, must rise eight
steps above them, must exceed them at least one step more than they exceed other
people.
The Gates to the Inner Court
28 Then he brought me into the inner court
through the south gate, and he measured the
south gate; it had the same measurements as the
others.
GILL, "And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate,.... Having
done with the outer court, east, north, and south, the prophet is brought into the inner
court by the south gate, which was nearest to enter by. No mention is made of a western
gate, there was one in Solomon's temple; for there were porters appointed westward by
David, and fixed by Solomon, 1Ch_9:24, but Josephus (l) says, in the second temple the
western part had no gate, but a continued wall; for those that came out of the captivity,
as Kimchi on Eze_40:5 observes, built it (as much as they could) according to the form
120

121. of what they saw in Ezekiel's temple, which shall be in time to come.
And he measured the south gate according to these measures; the gate which
led into the inner court; for the south gate, which led to the outward court, he had
measured before, Eze_40:21.
JAMISON 28-37, “The inner court and its gates.
according to these measures — namely, the measures of the outer gate. The figure
and proportions of the inner answered to the outer.
K&D 28-37, “The Gates of the Inner Court
(Vid., Plate I B and Plate II II). - Eze_40:28. And he brought me into the inner court
through the south gate, and measured the south gate according to the same measures;
Eze_40:29. And its guard-rooms, and its pillars, and its wall-projections, according to
the same measures; and there were windows in it and in its wall-projections round
about: fifty cubits was the length, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. Eze_40:30.
And wall-projections were round about, the length five and twenty cubits, and the
breadth five cubits. Eze_40:31. And its wall-projections were toward the outer court;
and there were palms on its pillars, and eight steps its ascendings. Eze_40:32. And he
led me into the inner court toward the east, and measured the gate according to the
same measures; Eze_40:33. And its guard-rooms, and its pillars, and its wall-
projections, according to the same measures; and there were windows in it and its
wall-projections round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and
twenty cubits. Eze_40:34. And its wall-projections were toward the outer court; and
there were palms on its pillars on this side and on that side, and eight steps its ascent.
Eze_40:35. And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to the
same measures; Eze_40:36. Its guard-rooms, its pillars, and its wall-projections; and
there were windows in it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five
and twenty cubits. Eze_40:37. And its pillars stood toward the outer court; and palms
were upon its pillars on this side and on that; and its ascent was eight steps. - In Eze_
40:27 the measuring man had measured the distance from the south gate of the outer
court to the south gate of the inner court, which stood opposite to it. He then took the
prophet through the latter (Eze_40:28) into the inner court, and measured it as he went
through, and found the same measurements as he had found in the gates of the outer
court. This was also the case with the measurements of the guard-rooms, pillars, and
wall-projections, and with the position of the windows, and the length and breadth of
the whole of the gate-building (Eze_40:29); from which it follows, as a matter of course,
that this gate resembled the outer gate in construction, constituent parts, and
dimensions. This also applied to both the east gate and north gate, the description of
which in Eze_40:32-37 corresponds exactly to that of the south gate, with the exception
of slight variations of expression. It is true that the porch is not mentioned in the case of
either of these gates; but it is evident that this was not wanting, and is simply passed
over in the description, as we may see from Eze_40:39, where the tables for the
sacrifices are described as being in the porch (‫ם‬ ָ‫אוּל‬ ָ‫.)בּ‬ There are only two points of
difference mentioned in Eze_40:31, Eze_40:34, and Eze_40:37, by which these inner
121

122. gates were distinguished from the outer. In the first place, that the flights of steps to the
entrances to these gates had eight steps according to the closing words of the verses just
cited, whereas those of the outer gates had only seven (cf. Eze_40:22 and Eze_40:26);
whilst the expression also varies. ‫ו‬ָ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬ ַ‫מ‬ being constantly used here instead of ‫ו‬ ָ‫ת‬ ‫ל‬ֹ‫ע‬ (Eze_
40:26). ‫ת‬ ‫ל‬ֹ‫,ע‬ from ‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ֹ‫,ע‬ the ascending, are literally ascents, i.e., places of mounting, for
a flight of steps or staircase. ‫ו‬ָ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬ ַ‫,מ‬ the plural of ‫ה‬ֶ‫ֲל‬‫ל‬ ַ‫,מ‬ the ascent (not a singular, as
Hitzig supposes), has the same meaning.
The second difference, which we find in the first clause of the verses mentioned, as of a
more important character. It is contained in the words, “and its ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ (the projecting
portions of the inner side-walls of the gateway) were directed toward the outer court”
(‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ and ְ‫ל‬ indicating the direction). The interpretation of this somewhat obscure
statement is facilitated by the fact that in Eze_40:37 ‫ו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ stands in the place of ‫ו‬ ָ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬
(Eze_40:31 and Eze_40:34). ‫ו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ are the two lofty gate-pillars by the porch of the gate,
which formed the termination of the gate-building towards the inner court in the case of
the outer gates. If, then, in the case of the inner gates, these pillars stood toward the
outer court, the arrangement of these gates must have taken the reverse direction to that
of the outer gates; so that a person entering the gate would not go from the flight of steps
across the threshold to the guard-rooms, and then across the second threshold to the
porch, but would first of all enter the porch by the pillars in front, and then go across the
threshold to the guard-rooms, and, lastly, proceed across the second threshold, and so
enter the inner court. But if this gate-building, when looked at from without,
commenced with the porch-pillars and the front porch, this porch at any rate must have
been situated outside the dividing wall of the two courts, that is to say, must have been
within the limits of the outer court. And further, if the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ or wall-projections
between the guard-rooms and by the thresholds, were also directed toward the outer
court, the whole of the gate-building must have been built within the limits of that court.
This is affirmed by the first clauses of Eze_40:31, Eze_40:34, and Eze_40:37, which
have been so greatly misunderstood; and there is no necessity to alter ‫ו‬ָ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫ו‬ in Eze_
40:37 into ‫ו‬ ָ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫,ו‬ in accordance with Eze_40:31 and Eze_40:34. For what is stated in
Eze_40:31 and Eze_40:34 concerning the position or direction of the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ also
applies to the ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫;א‬ and they are probably mentioned in Eze_40:37 because of the
intention to describe still further in Eze_40:38 what stood near the ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫.א‬ Kliefoth very
properly finds it incomprehensible, “that not a few of the commentators have been able,
in spite of these definite statements in Eze_40:13, Eze_40:34, and Eze_40:37, to adopt
the conclusion that the gate-buildings of the inner gates were situated within the inner
court, just as the gate-buildings of the outer gates were situated within the outer court.
As the inner court measured only a hundred cubits square, if the inner gates had stood
within the inner court, the north and south gates of the inner court would have met in
the middle, and the porch of the east gate of the inner court would have stood close
against the porches of the other two gates. It was self-evident that the gate-buildings of
the inner gates stood within the more spacious outer court, like those of the outer gates.
Nevertheless, the reason why the situation of the inner gates is so expressly mentioned
in the text is evidently, that this made the position of the inner gates the reverse of that
of the outer gates. In the case of the outer gates, the first threshold was in the
surrounding wall of the outer court, and the steps stood in front of the wall; and thus the
122

123. gate-building stretched into the outer court. In that of the inner gates, on the contrary
the second threshold lay between the surrounding walls of the inner court, and the gate-
building stretched thence into the outer court, and its steps stood in front of the porch of
the gate. Moreover, in the case of the east gates, for example, the porch of the outer gate
stood toward the west, and the porch of the inner gate toward the east, so that the two
porches stood opposite to each other in the outer court, as described in Eze_40:23 and
Eze_40:27.”
In Eze_40:30 further particulars respecting the ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ are given, which are
apparently unsuitable; and for this reason the verse has been omitted by the lxx, while J.
D. Michaelis, Böttcher, Ewald, Hitzig, and Maurer, regard it as an untenable gloss.
Hävernick has defended its genuineness; but inasmuch as he regards ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ as
synonymous with ‫ם‬ ָ‫,אוּל‬ he has explained it in a most marvellous and decidedly
erroneous manner, as Kliefoth has already proved. The expression ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫,ס‬ and the
length and breadth of the ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ here given, both appear strange. Neither of the length
of the twenty-five cubits nor the breadth of the five cubits seems to tally with the other
measures of the gate-building. So much may be regarded as certain, that the twenty-five
cubits' length and the five cubits' breadth of the ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ cannot be in addition to the total
length of the gate-building, namely fifty cubits, or its total breadth of twenty-five cubits,
but must be included in them. For the ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ were simply separate portions of the side-
enclosure of the gateway, since this enclosure of fifty cubits long consisted of wall-
projections (‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫,)א‬ three open guard-rooms, and a porch with pillars. The open space
of the guard-rooms was 3 x 6 = 18 cubits, and the porch was six cubits broad in the clear
(Eze_40:7 and Eze_40:8), and the pillars two cubits thick. If we deduct these 18 + 6 + 2
= 26 cubits from the fifty cubits of the entire length, there remain twenty-four cubits for
the walls by the side of the thresholds and between the guard-rooms, namely, 2 x 5 = 10
cubits for the walls between the three guard-rooms, 2 x 6 = 12 cubits for the walls of the
threshold, and 2 cubits for the walls of the porch; in all, therefore, twenty-four cubits for
the ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫;א‬ so that only one cubit is wanting to give us the measurement stated, viz.,
twenty-five cubits. We obtain this missing cubit if we assume that the front of the wall-
projections by the guard-rooms and thresholds was a handbreadth and a half, or six
inches wider than the thickness of the walls, that is to say, that it projected three inches
on each side in the form of a moulding. - The breadth of the ‫ת‬ ‫מּ‬ַ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ in question, namely
five cubits, was the thickness of their wall-work, however, or the dimension of the
intervening wall from the inside to the outside on either side of the gateway. That the
intervening walls should be of such a thickness will not appear strange, if we consider
that the surrounding wall of the court was six cubits thick, with a height of only six
cubits (Eze_40:5). And even the striking expression ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ becomes intelligible if
we take into consideration the fact that the projecting walls bounded not only the
entrance to the gate, and the passage through it on the two sides, but also the inner
spaces of the gate-building (the guard-rooms and porch) on all sides, and, together with
the gates, enclosed the gateway on every side. Consequently Eze_40:30 not only as a
suitable meaning, but furnishes a definite measurement of no little value for the
completion of the picture of the gate-buildings. The fact that this definite measure was
not given in connection with the gates of the outer court, but was only supplemented in
the case of the south gate of the inner court, cannot furnish any ground for suspecting its
genuineness, as several particulars are supplemented in the same manner in this
123

124. description. Thus, for example, the number of steps in front of the outer gates is first
given in Eze_40:22, where the north gate is described. Still less is there to surprise us in
the fact that these particulars are not repeated in the case of the following gates, in which
some writers have also discovered a ground for suspecting the genuineness of the verse.
From the south gate the measuring man led the prophet (Eze_40:32) into the inner
court toward the east, to measure for him the inner east gate, the description of which
(Eze_40:33 and Eze_40:34) corresponds exactly to that of the south gate. Lastly, he led
him (Eze_40:35) to the inner north gate for the same purpose; and this is also found to
correspond to those previously mentioned, and is described in the same manner. The
difficulty which Hitzig finds in ‫ר‬ֵ‫צ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ל־ה‬ ֶ‫א‬ in Eze_40:32, and which drives him into
various conjectures, with the assistance of the lxx, vanishes, if instead of taking ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ‫דּ‬
‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ along with ‫ר‬ֵ‫צ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ ‫י‬ ִ‫ימ‬ִ‫נ‬ ְ‫פּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ as a further definition of the latter, we connect it with
‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫יא‬ ִ‫ב‬ְ‫וי‬ as an indication of the direction taken: he led me into the inner court, the way (or
direction) toward the east, and measured the gate (situated there). The words, when
taken in this sense, do not warrant the conclusion that he had gone out at the south gate
again. - ‫ד‬ ַ‫ד‬ ָ‫וּמ‬ in Eze_40:35 is an Aramaic form for ‫ד‬ ָ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ in Eze_40:32 and Eze_40:28.
PETT, “Verses 28-31
The Inner Court - the Court of the Priests .
It is extraordinary to me that given that the difference between priest and laity has
been cancelled by the new covenant, so that all God’s people are royal priests (1
Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10), some would argue on the
basis of this vision (and belief in a millennium) that the difference is once again to be
introduced by God in Israel. This is especially strange in the light of Isaiah 62:6.
For the truth is that this vision of the inner court spoke directly to Ezekiel’s time.
Then the difference between priest and laity was still maintained, and the way to
God was still shown to be difficult because He was substantially unapproachable by
man because of His awful holiness. At the root of this vision of the heavenly temple
established by God on earth is the fact that His people had to be made aware of this
extreme holiness, for it was a lesson that they had still not learned. That was why
they had become idolatrous. But the detail of the heavenly temple demonstrated
quite clearly that He dwelt in unapproachable light and was so holy that the way
into His presence was heavily restricted and protected from those who were
124

125. unworthy. And all must come through the shedding of blood and through a
carefully revealed ritual.
But once this temple was transferred to Heaven, and Jesus was made High Priest
(Hebrews 9:24), and the one sacrifice for all had been offered (Hebrews 9:28), the
way into His presence was opened up for all His people and they had direct access
into His presence (Hebrews 10:19; Revelation 7:9). Christ’s priesthood would then
replace the earthly priesthood, for He would take their place by entering into a more
glorious and unchanging priesthood (Hebrews 7:11-12; Hebrews 7:24), and His
people too would become ‘royal priests’ (1 Peter 5:9) with access into the presence of
God. Thus the significance of the temple was transformed and there was no way in
which it could go backwards to the picture described here.
But this does not mean that we can enter the presence of God lightly. The blood has
been shed, the price has been paid, and it is with reverence and awe that we must
ensure that we are cleansed in that blood before we approach Him (1 John 1:5-10).
We too must remember that God is holy.
Having recognised this principle let us go back to the lessons that this heavenly
temple on earth has to teach us.
The Measurement of the South Gate of the Inner Court.
‘Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate, and he measured the
south gate in accordance with this measurement, and its side rooms, and its posts,
and its colonnades, in accordance with these measurements. It was fifty cubits long
and twenty five cubits broad. And there were colonnades round about, twenty five
cubits long and five cubits broad. And its colonnades were toward the outer court,
and palm trees were on its posts, and the ascent to it had eight steps.’
The descriptions of the gates of the inner court are abbreviated because they were
much like the East gate of the outer court. Note again that the measurements are in
125

126. multiples of five. This is covenant territory. And the palm trees, symbols of creation
and fruitfulness, are prominent. The fact that there are such gates indicates that the
inner court was also surrounded by a wall. The vestibule faces outwards towards
the outer court.
There were eight steps up to the inner court, one more than for the outer court. This
is probably in order to stress that entry becomes more difficult, and the way harder,
the nearer men approach to God. Having climbed the seven steps of divine
perfection there is yet one more step to go. It reveals an increasing degree of
holiness. The inner court was barred to all but priests, those especially set apart and
prepared to deal with holy things. God was too holy to be approached lightly or by
any not especially chosen and prepared.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:28-31
The south gate of the inner court. The construction and measurements of this
corresponded with those of the gates in the outer court, with only two points of
difference, viz. that it possessed a flight of eight steps instead of seven, and that the
arches, or wall-projections, were toward the outer court. The difference in the
number of the steps was doubtless of symbolic significance, and pointed not only to
the higher sanctity in general which attached to the inner court, but to the truth
that, as one approached the dwelling-place of Jehovah, an increasing measure and
degree of holiness were demanded—what Plumptre styles "an ever-ascending
sursum corda." The seven steps of the outer door added to the eight steps of this
amount to fifteen, with which corresponds the number of the pilgrim-psalms, which
are supposed to have been sung, one upon each step, by the choir of Levites as they
ascended first into the outer and then into the inner court. The statement that the
wall-projections were towards the outer court showed that, in walking through the
inner gateway, one would reverse the order of the outer gate, i.e. would first pass
through the porch, then cross the threshold to the guard-rooms, next step upon the
second threshold, and finally enter the inner court.
KRETZMANN, “Verses 28-49
126

127. The Inner Court with its Gates, Cells, and Sacrificial Tables
v. 28. And He brought me to the inner court by the south gate, that is, through this
gate, so that they were now within the holy court; and He measured the south gate
according to these measures, those used for the other parts of the building,
v. 29. and the little chambers thereof, the guard-rooms, and the posts thereof and
the arches thereof, according to these measures; and there were windows in it and in
the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long and five and twenty cubits
broad.
v. 30. And the arches round about, the pediments, or galleries, were five and twenty
cubits long and five cubits broad.
v. 31. And the arches thereof were toward the utter court, the wall projections
extending into the outer court, and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof, as
ornaments sculptured in relief, and the going up to it had eight steps, for the inner
court rose higher above the outer court than the latter did above the exterior.
v. 32. And He brought me, as they continued their walk throughout the complex of
Temple-buildings, into the inner court toward the east; and He measured the gate
according to these measures, those employed in the other parts of the building.
v. 33. And the little chambers thereof and the posts thereof and the arches thereof
were according to these measures; and there were windows therein and in the
arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long and five and twenty cubits
broad, the same dimensions as the other approaches.
v. 34. And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm-trees were
127

128. upon the posts thereof on this side and on that side; and the going up to it had eight
steps, the symmetry of the entire structure thus being shown once more.
v. 35. And He brought me to the north gate and measured it according to these
measures:
v. 36. the little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the
windows to it round about; the length was fifty cubits and the breadth five and
twenty cubits.
v. 37. And the posts thereof, the pillars bearing the special pediments, were toward
the utter court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof on this side and on that
side; and the going up to it had eight steps.
v. 38. And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates,
literally, "And a cell with its entry was at either pillar at the gates," or at pillars at
the gates, for the cell seems to have had a door leading to each of the three interior
gates, where they washed the burnt offering, a rite which, in the old Temple, had
been performed in the Priests' Court only.
v. 39. And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on
that side to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin-offering and the trespass-
offering, that is, to cut up the carcasses of the slain animals according to the rules
observed by the priests from olden times.
v. 40. And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, on the
outside of the Temple-hall, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the
porch of the gate, against the wall of the left side, were two tables.
v. 41. Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the
gate, on either side of the approach to the inner hail; eight tables whereupon they
128

129. slew their sacrifices, cutting them up according to the prescribed formulas. These
tables were evidently of wood, as the next sentence indicates.
v. 42. And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, rather, "and
four tables at the ascent," the stairway, "of hewn stone," of a cubit and an half long
and a cubit and an half broad and one cubit high, apparently lower than the
wooden tables, whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the
burnt offering and the sacrifice, the knives and cleavers which they used for
dividing the carcasses.
v. 43. And within were hooks, double staples or forked hooks, an hand broad,
fastened round about, for the purpose of suspending the slain animals; and upon the
tables was the flesh of the offering, placed upon them for the purpose indicated.
v. 44. And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner
court, these two cells being immediately at the entrance of the court, which was at
the side of the north gate, and their prospect was toward the south, that is, the one
faced in that direction; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward
the north, so that the two faced each other.
v. 45. And He said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is
for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house, that is, in charge of the
Temple-buildings, superintendents of the entire Temple area. "That the singers are
here so prominent is explained by the fact that in the state of exaltation of the
community of God more ample material will be given them for new songs, so that in
the worship of the new Temple the singing must play a chief part. "
(Hengstenberg. )
v. 46. And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the
keepers of the charge of the altar, the superintendents of the sacrificial part of the
Temple-worship; these are the Sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, for in this line
the priesthood was to continue, 1Ki_2:35, which come near to the Lord to minister
unto Him, and the priests were also active in the liturgical part of the Temple-
129

130. worship.
v. 47. So He measured the court, an hundred cubits long and an hundred cubits
broad, four-square, and the altar, namely, that of burnt offering, that was before
the house, out before the entrance of the Holy Place.
v. 48. And He brought me to the porch of the house, the large portico which was
before the Sanctuary proper, and measured each post, or pillar, of the porch, five
cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the breadth of the gate was three
cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.
v. 49. The length of the porch was twenty cubits and the breadth eleven cubits; and
He brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it, ten in number; and there
were pillars by the posts, one on this side and another on that side, like the towers
Jachin and Boaz in the Temple of Solomon. Cf 1 Kings 7. The effort of some
commentators to find exact parallels and to draw minute pictures of the new Temple
according to this description are bound to be futile. It is evident throughout that an
ideal structure is here pictured, one whose exact dimensions may he expounded only
with a per-feet understanding of the essence of the Church.
29 Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico
had the same measurements as the others. The
gateway and its portico had openings all around.
It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits
wide.
130

131. GILL, "And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the
arches thereof, according to these measures,.... These were at the gate of the
inner court; and so they stand in Cocceius's tables; and were of the same measure with
the little chambers, posts, and arches, that were at the several outward gates before
described; and design the churches and members of them as spiritual worshippers, who,
besides the outward form, have the power of godliness:
and there were windows in it, and in the arches thereof round about; these
are not said to be narrow, as the other; which perhaps may denote the greater and more
increasing light of the churches, ministers, and members:
it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad: that is, the space or
portico where these chambers were; and this was the same measure with that where the
other chambers were, Eze_40:13.
30 (The porticoes of the gateways around the
inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five
cubits deep.)
CLARKE, "And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long -
That the five cubits broad should be read twenty-five is evident from Eze_40:21, Eze_
40:25, Eze_40:29, Eze_40:33, and Eze_40:36, The word ‫ועשרים‬ veesrim, twenty, has
probably been lost out of the text. Indeed the whole verse is wanting in two of
Kennicott’s MSS., one of De Rossi’s, and one of mine, (Cod. B.) It has been added in the
margin of mine by a later hand. It is reported to have been anciently wanting in many
MSS.
GILL, "And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long,.... That
is, high; this was the height of them; these were the frontispiece of the gate to the inner
court without, and faced the outward court, as appears by the following verse; these
were a kind of portico over the eight steps to this gate after mentioned; they were
131

132. fourteen yards and three inches high, from the bottom to the top of them:
and five cubits broad; two yards and a half, one foot and three inches; and which very
probably were the breadth of the steps that came up to them: none of these arches were
in the second temple, as Lipman (m) observes.
JAMISON, "This verse is omitted in the Septuagint, the Vatican manuscript, and
others. The dimensions here of the inner gate do not correspond to the outer, though
Eze_40:28 asserts that they do. Havernick, retaining the verse, understands it of
another porch looking inwards toward the temple.
arches — the porch [Fairbairn]; the columns on which the arches rest [Henderson].
31 Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees
decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.
BARNES, "Utter court - Translate outward court Eze_40:37; Eze_42:1, Eze_42:7,
Eze_42:14; Eze_44:19; Eze_46:20-21.
Arches toward the outward court - See Eze_40:14 note.
Eight steps - So for the east Eze_40:34 and north gates Eze_40:37. From the
precincts to the outer court were “seven” steps, from the outer to the inner court “eight,”
making together the number of the Psalms Ps. 120–134, supposed by some to have been
called Psalms of Degrees, because they were sung by the choir of Levites upon the steps
(“degrees”) of the temple-courts. In later times these Psalms were used as pilgrims’
songs by the Jews who went up from their abodes in foreign countries to Jerusalem on
the solemn feasts.
GILL, "And the arches thereof were toward the outward court,.... And so not
within the gate of the inward court, but on the outside of it, towards the outward court,
at the front of the gate as you went in:
and palm trees were upon the posts thereof; of the gate, or of these arches or
porticos; signifying that none should enter here but righteous persons; this is the gate of
the righteous, Psa_118:19; see Gill on Eze_40:16;
132

133. and the going up to it had eight steps; one more than the ascent to the outward
gates; some say eight more, and make these to be fifteen, answerable to the fifteen steps
by which the Levites went up from the court of the women to the court of Israel (n), and
sung upon them the fifteen songs of degrees, mentioned in the Psalms: but here are only
eight; and denote the gradual progress of believers in faith and holiness; and that the
nearer they come to the holy of holies, the greater their proficiency should be, and more
advances made in the knowledge of divine things.
JAMISON, "eight steps — The outer porch had only seven (Eze_40:26).
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:31 And the arches thereof [were] toward the utter court; and
palm trees [were] upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it [had] eight steps.
Ver. 31. And palm trees.] See on Ezekiel 40:16.
Eight steps.] See on Ezekiel 40:22.
32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the
east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the
same measurements as the others.
GILL, "And he brought me into the inner court toward the east,.... Into that
part of it which lay to the east, having gone through that which lay to the south:
and he measured the gate according to these measures; that is, the eastern gate
of the inner court; for the eastern gate that led to the outward court he measured first,
Eze_40:6, and this was according to the measure of that, and of the rest.
133

134. PETT, “Verses 32-37
The Measurements of the East and North Gates of the Inner Court.
‘And he brought me to the inner court towards the east, and he measured the gate in
accordance with these measurements, and its side rooms, and its posts, and its
colonnades, in accordance with these measurements. And there were windows in it
and in the colonnades round about. It was fifty cubits long and twenty five cubits
broad. And its colonnades were towards the outer court, and palm trees were on its
posts, on this side and on that side. And the ascent to it had eight steps. And he
brought me to the north gate, and he measured it according to these measurements,
its side rooms, and its posts, and its colonnades. And there were windows in it round
about. The length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty five cubits. And its posts
were towards the outer court, and the palm trees were on its posts, on this side and
on that side. And the ascent to it had eight steps.’
All that has been said about the south gate applies in threefold measure (north,
south and east).
33 Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico
had the same measurements as the others. The
gateway and its portico had openings all around.
It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits
wide.
134

135. GILL, "And the little chambers thereof,.... These, and what follow in this verse,
are exactly the same with those of the south gate of the inner court, Eze_40:29.
34 Its portico faced the outer court; palm trees
decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps
led up to it.
GILL, "And the arches thereof were toward the outward court,.... As those of
the south gate, Eze_40:31, and the palm trees on the posts, and the steps up to it, the
same as there.
35 Then he brought me to the north gate and
measured it. It had the same measurements as the
others,
GILL 35-37, "And he brought me to the north gate,.... That is, of the inner court,
for he had measured before the north gate that led to the outward court, Eze_40:20, and
here the little chambers, posts, arches, and steps, in all things agree with those of the
other gates: what were observed in it different from the rest, an account is given of it in
the following verse.
36 as did its alcoves, its projecting walls and its
portico, and it had openings all around. It was
135

136. fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
37 Its portico[m] faced the outer court; palm trees
decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps
led up to it.
JAMISON, "posts — the Septuagint and Vulgate read, “the porch,” which answers
better to Eze_40:31-34. “The arches” or “porch” [Maurer].
The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices
38 A room with a doorway was by the portico in
each of the inner gateways, where the burnt
offerings were washed.
BARNES, "The chambers - Render it: and chambers, not yet described. They were
north of the altar, by the “posts” or pillars in front and along the sides of the gate-
building. There were several gates in the gate-building.
GILL, "And the chambers, and the entries thereof, were by the posts of the
gates,.... Of the north gate; the plural for the singular; for not at the other gates, only at
136

137. the north gate, were the sacrifices slain and washed; as under the law, only on the north
side of the altar, Lev_1:11, now, by the posts of this gate, or at the entrance of it on one
side,
stood a cell or chamber, and a door into it (o), as the words may be rendered; for
they are singular in the text:
where they washed the burnt offering; its legs and inwards, Lev_1:9, according to
the law, there were lavers in Solomon's temple, to wash the sacrifices in, 2Ch_4:6, but
there was no such cell or chamber there for such a purpose as here: and as this refers to
Gospel times, and to the church in the latter day, no legal sacrifice can be intended here,
which are all abolished; but this must be mystically and spiritually understood, and
designs no other than the sacrifice of Christ, a sweet smelling savour to God: that this
kind of offering was typical of the sacrifice of Christ is clear from Heb_13:11, which
whether of the herd, a bullock, represented Christ in his strength and laboriousness; or
of the flock, and was either a sheep, an emblem of the innocence and patience of Christ;
or a goat, which pointed him out as in the likeness of sinful flesh, traduced as a sinner,
and made so by imputation; or of fowls, turtle doves, denoting his meekness and
modesty; and all without spot or blemish signified the purity of his, nature and life; and
these being burnt with fire were expressive of the pain and shame he endured when he
bore our sins, and the wrath of God was poured on him as fire; the washing of the burnt
offering denotes the purity of Christ's sacrifice, being offered up without spot. Some, as
Polanus, have thought the ordinance of baptism is here designed, as the Lord's supper is
by the tables next mentioned; and it is a note of Starchius upon the passage, that,
"he who is washed in the divine laver may be regaled with the heavenly feast.''
JAMISON, "chambers ... entries — literally, “a chamber and its door.”
by the posts — that is, at or close by the posts or columns.
where they washed the burnt offering — This does not apply to all the gates but
only to the north gate. For Lev_1:11 directs the sacrifices to be killed north of the altar;
and Eze_8:5 calls the north gate, “the gate of the altar.” And Eze_40:40 particularly
mentions the north gate.
K&D 38-47, “The Cells and Arrangements for the Sacrificial Worship by and in the
Inner Court
Eze_40:38. And a cell with its door was by the pillars at the gates; there they had to
wash the burnt-offering. Eze_40:39. And in the porch of the gate were two tables on
this side and two tables on that, to slay thereon the burnt-offering, the sin-offering, and
the trespass-offering. Eze_40:40. And at the shoulder outside, to one going up to the
opening of the gate toward the north, stood two tables; and at the other shoulder, by
the porch of the gate, two tables. Eze_40:41. Four tables on this side and four tables on
that side, at the shoulder of the gate; eight tables on which they were to slaughter. Eze_
40:42. And four tables by the steps, hewn stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and
137

138. a half broad, and a cubit high; upon these they were to lay the instruments with which
they slaughtered the burnt-offerings and other sacrifices. Eze_40:43. And the double
pegs, a span long, were fastened round about the house; but the flesh of the sacrifice
was placed upon the tables. Eze_40:44. And outside the inner gate were two cells in the
inner court, one at the shoulder of the north gate, with its front side toward the south;
one at the shoulder of the south gate, with the front toward the north. Eze_40:45. And
he said to me, This cell, whose front is toward the south, is for the priests who attend to
the keeping of the house; Eze_40:46. And the cell whose front is toward the north is for
the priests who attend to the keeping of the altar. They are the sons of Zadok, who
draw near to Jehovah of the sons of Levi, to serve Him. Eze_40:47. And he measured
the court, the length a hundred cubits, and the breadth a hundred cubits in the square,
and the altar stood before the house. - The opinions of modern commentators differ
greatly as to the situation of the cells mentioned in Eze_40:38, since Böttcher and Hitzig
had adjusted a text to suit their own liking, founded upon the Septuagint and upon
decidedly erroneous suppositions. The dispute, whether ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫בּ‬ is to be rendered in or
by the ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ may be easily set at rest by the simple consideration that the ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ in front
of the porch of the gate were pillars of two cubits long and the same broad (Eze_40:9),
in which it was impossible that a room could be constructed. Hence the ‫ה‬ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ could only
be by (near) the pillars of the gate. To ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫בּ‬ there is also added ‫ים‬ ִ‫ר‬ָ‫ע‬ ְ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ (by the gates)
in loose coordination (vid., Ewald, §293e), not for the purpose of describing the position
of the pillars more minutely, which would be quite superfluous after Eze_40:9, but to
explain the plural ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ and extend it to the pillars of all the three inner gates, so that
we have to assume that there was a ‫ה‬ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ by the pillars of all these gates (Plate I O). This
is also demanded by the purpose of these cells, viz., “for the cleansing or washing of the
burnt-offering.” As the sacrifices were not taken through one gate alone, but through all
the gates, the Sabbath-offering of the prince being carried, according to Eze_46:1-2,
through the east gate, which was closed during the week, and only opened on the
Sabbath, there must have been a cell, not by the north gate alone (Böttcher, Hävernick),
or by the east gate only (Ewald, Hitzig), but by every gate, for the cleansing of the burnt-
offering. Hävernick, Hitzig, and others are wrong in supposing that ‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ ‫ע‬ ָ‫ה‬ is a
synecdochical designation applied to every kind of animal sacrifice. This is precluded not
only by the express mention of the burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, and trespass-offerings
(Eze_40:39), and by the use of the word ‫ן‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ְ‫ר‬ ָ‫ק‬ in this sense in Eze_40:43, but chiefly by
the circumstance that neither the Old Testament nor the Talmud makes any allusion to
the washing of every kind of flesh offered in sacrifice, but that they merely speak of the
washing of the entrails and legs of the animals sacrificed as burnt-offerings (Lev_1:9),
for which purpose the basins upon the mechonoth in Solomon's temple were used (2Ch_
4:6, where the term ‫ץ‬ ַ‫ח‬ ָ‫ר‬ used in Lev_1:9 is interpreted by the apposition ‫ה‬ֵ‫ֲשׂ‬‫ע‬ ַ‫ת־מ‬ ֶ‫א‬
ָ‫ל‬ ‫ע‬ ָ‫ה‬ä ָ‫י‬). A room at every gate (not by every pillar) was sufficient for this purpose. If
there had been a ‫ה‬ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ of this kind on each side of the gate, as many have assumed on
symmetrical grounds, this would have been mentioned, just as in the case of the
slaughtering-tables (Eze_40:39-42). The text furnishes no information as to the side of
the doorway on which it stood, whether by the right or the left pillars. On the ground
plan we have placed the one at the east gate, on the right side, and those by the north
and south gates on the western side (Plate I O O O).
Moreover, according to Eze_40:39-41, there were twice two tables on each side, eight
138

139. therefore in all, which served for slaughtering. Two pairs stood “in the porch of the
gate,” i.e., in the inner space of the porch, one pair on this side, the other pair on that,
i.e., on the right and left sides to a person entering the porch, probably near the wall (see
Plate II II f f). The expression ‫ט‬ ‫ח‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ֵ‫ֲל‬‫א‬, to slaughter at the tables (Eze_40:39 and
Eze_40:40), stands for “to use when slaughtering” - that is, for the purpose of laying the
slaughtered flesh upon. This is apparent from the fact itself in Eze_40:39. For the
slaughtering was not performed within the front porch, but outside, and somewhere
near it. The front porch of the gate-building was not a slaughter-house, but the place
where those who entered the gate could assemble. The only purpose, therefore, for
which the tables standing here could be used was to place the sacrificial flesh upon when
it was prepared for the altar, that the priests might take it thence and lay it upon the
altar. ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫א‬ ְ‫בּ‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is to be understood as signifying the inner space of the porch; this is
required by the antithesis in Eze_40:40, where two pair of tables outside the porch are
mentioned. Two of these stood “by the shoulder outside to one going up to the gate
opening, the northern” (Plate II II d d). The meaning of these not very intelligible words
is apparent from the second half of the verse, which adds the correlative statement as to
the two opposite tables. When it is said of these tables that they stood by the other
shoulder (‫ף‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ָ‫כּ‬ ַ‫ל־ה‬ ֶ‫א‬ ) which the porch of the gate had, not only is ‫ח‬ ַ‫ת‬ֶ‫פּ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ of the
first hemistich more precisely defined hereby as the gate-porch, but ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫פ‬ ְּ‫ח‬ ַ‫ה‬ is also
rendered intelligible, namely, that as it corresponds to ‫ת‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ‫ח‬ ַ‫א‬ ַ‫,ה‬ it is an adjective
belonging to ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ף‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ָ‫כּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ “at the northern shoulder outside to a person going up the steps
to the opening of the gate” (‫ה‬ַ‫חוּצ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ the outer side, in contrast to the inside of the porch,
‫ם‬ ָ‫אלּ‬ ָ‫,בּ‬ Eze_40:39). The shoulder of the gate, or rather of the porch of the gate, is the
side of it, and that the outer side. Consequently these four tables stood by the outer sides
of the porch, two by the right wall and two by the left. In Eze_40:41, what has already
been stated concerning the position of the tables mentioned in Eze_40:39 and Eze_
40:40 is summed up: Four tables stood on each side of the porch, two inside, and two
against the outer wall, eight tables in all, which were used for slaughtering purposes.
There is nothing strange in ‫ף‬ ֶ‫ת‬ ֶ‫כ‬ ְ‫ל‬ as an abbreviated expression for ‫ף‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ָ‫כּ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫א‬ ְ‫ל‬
‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שּׁ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Eze_40:40, as want of clearness was not to be feared after Eze_40:40. In
addition to these there were four other tables (‫ה‬ָ‫ע‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ְ‫ר‬ ַ‫א‬ ְ‫,ו‬ and four, Eze_40:42) of stone,
from which it may be inferred that the four already mentioned were of wood. The four
stone tables stood ‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ ‫ע‬ָ‫,ל‬ i.e., at (near) the flight of steps (cf. ‫י‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫ת‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ‫,ק‬ at the entrance to
the city, Pro_8:3), and were of hewn square stones, as no doubt the steps also were (see
Plate II II e e). It yields no sense whatever to render ‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ ‫ע‬ָ‫ל‬ “for the burnt-offering” (lxx
and others); and the expression ‫ת‬ ‫ל‬ֹ‫ע‬ in Eze_40:26 thoroughly warrants our translating
‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ ‫,ע‬ a flight of steps or staircase). These stone tables served as flesh-benches, on which
the slaughtering tools were laid. ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ֵ‫ֲל‬‫א‬ ‫יחוּ‬ִ‫ַנּ‬‫י‬ ְ‫ו‬ belong together, the ‫ו‬ being inserted “as if
at the commencement of a new sentence after a pause in the thought” (cf. Pro_23:24;
Pro_30:28; Gen_50:9, Böttcher). It is not expressly stated, indeed, that these four tables
were distributed on the two sides of the steps; but this may be inferred with certainty
from the position of the other tables. Moreover, the twelve tables mentioned were not
merely to be found at one of the gate-porches, but by all three of the inner fates, as was
the case with the washing-cells (Eze_40:38), for sacrificial animals were taken to the
altar and slaughtered at every gate; so that what is stated in Eze_40:39-42 with
139

140. reference to one porch, namely, the porch of the east gate, to judge from ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ‫פ‬ָ‫צּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Eze_
40:40, is applicable to the porches of the south and north gates also.
In Eze_40:43 another provision for the slaughtering of the sacrificial animals is
mentioned, concerning which the opinions of the older translators and commentators
are greatly divided. but the only explanation that can be sustained, so far as both the
usage of the language and the facts are concerned, is that adopted by the Chaldee, viz.,
‫ין‬ ִ‫ל‬ ְ‫ק‬ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫ע‬ ְ‫ו‬ ‫ין‬ ִ‫ק‬ ְ‫ַפ‬‫נ‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫פ‬ ‫ד‬ ַ‫ח‬ ‫ין‬ ִ‫יע‬ ִ‫ב‬ ְ‫ק‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫מּוּד‬ַ‫ע‬ ְ‫ב‬ ‫ית‬ ֵ‫בּ‬ , et uncini egrediebantur (longitudine) unius
palmi defixi in columnis domus macelli, to which not only Böttcher, but Roediger (Ges.
Thes. p. 1470) and Dietrich (Lex.) have given their adhesion. For ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫תּ‬ ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫,שׁ‬ from ‫ת‬ ַ‫פ‬ ָ‫,שׁ‬ to
set or stand (act.), signifies stakes or pegs (in Psa_68:14, the folds constructed of
stakes), here pegs a span long on the wall, into which they were inserted, and from which
they projected to the length of a span. In the dual it stands for double pegs, forked pegs,
upon which the carcases of the beasts were hung of the purpose of flaying, as Dav.
Kimchi has interpreted the words of the Chaldee. The article indicates the kind, viz., the
pegs required for the process of slaughtering. This explanation is also in harmony with
the verb ‫ים‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫,מוּכ‬ Hophal of ‫,כוּן‬ fastened, which by no means suits the rendering
originated by the lxx, viz., ledges round the edge or the rim of the table. The only
remaining difficulty is the word ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫,בּ‬ which Böttcher interprets as signifying “in the
interior of the gate-porch and pillars” (Roediger, in interiore parte, nempe in ea atrii
parte, ubi hostiae mactandae essent), on the just ground that the interior of the front
porch could not be the place for slaughtering, but that this could only be done outside,
either in front of or near the porch. But even in interiore parte atrii is not really suitable,
and at all events is too indefinite for ‫ים‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫.מוּכ‬ It would therefore be probably more correct
to render it “fastened against the house,” i.e., to the outer walls of the gate-porch
buildings, so that ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ would stand for buildings in the sense of ‫ָה‬‫י‬ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫,בּ‬ although I cannot
cite any passage as a certain proof of the correctness of this rendering. But this does not
render the explanation itself a doubtful one, as it would be still more difficult to interpret
‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫בּ‬ if ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫תּ‬ ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ were explained in any other way. ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ‫ס‬ refers to the three outer
sides of the porch. The description of the slaughtering apparatus closes in Eze_40:43
with the words, “and upon the tables (mentioned in Eze_40:39-42) came the flesh of the
offering.” ‫ן‬ ָ‫בּ‬ ְ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ק‬ the general word for sacrificial offerings, as in Lev_1:2 ff.
In Eze_40:44-46 we have a description of cells for the officiating priests, and in Eze_
40:45 and Eze_40:46 two such cells are plainly mentioned according to their situation
and purpose (vid., Plate I F F). But it is impossible to bring the Masoretic text of Eze_
40:44 into harmony with this, without explaining it in an arbitrary manner. For, in the
first place, the reference there is to ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫ל‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫ר‬ָ‫,שׁ‬ cells of the singers; whereas these cells,
according to Eze_40:45 and Eze_40:46, were intended for the priests who performed
the service in the temple-house and at the altar of burnt-offering. The attempt of both
the earlier and the more recent supporters of the Masoretic text to set aside this
discrepancy, by arguing that the priests who had to attend to the service in the temple
and at the altar, according to Eze_40:45 and Eze_40:46, were singers, is overturned by
the fact that in the Old Testament worship a sharp distinction is made between the
Levitical singers and the priests, i.e., the Aaronites who administered the priesthood;
and Ezekiel does not abolish this distinction in the vision of the temple, but sharpens it
still further by the command, that none but the sons of Zadok are to attend to the
priestly service at the sanctuary, while the other descendants of Aaron, i.e., the Aaronites
140

141. who sprang from Ithamar, are only to be employed in watching at the gate of the house,
and other non-priestly occupations (Eze_44:10 ff.). Consequently Ezekiel could not
identify the priests with the singers, or call the cells intended for the officiating priests
singers' cells. Moreover, only two cells, or cell-buildings, are mentioned in Eze_40:45
and Eze_40:46, and their position is described in the same words as that of the cells
mentioned in Eze_40:44, so that there can be no doubt as to the identity of the former
and the latter cells. In Eze_40:44 the supposed singers' cells are placed at the north gate,
with the front toward the south, which only applies, according to Eze_40:45, to the one
cell intended for the priests who attended to the service in the holy place; and again, in
Eze_40:44, another cell is mentioned at the east gate, with the front toward the north,
which was set apart, according to Eze_40:46, for the priests who attended to the altar
service. Consequently, according to our Masoretic text of the 44th verse, there would be
first singers' cells (in the plural), and then one cell, at least three cells therefore; whereas,
according to Eze_40:45 and Eze_40:46, there were only two. And lastly, the ‫ד‬ ַ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ in
Eze_40:44 can only be understood by our taking it in the sense of “another,” in
opposition to the usage of the language. For these reasons we are compelled to alter
‫שׁרים‬ into ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫ת‬ ְ‫,שׁ‬ and ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ into ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ‫,א‬ after the lxx, and probably also ‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ into ‫ם‬ ‫ר‬ ָ‫דּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬
and in consequence of this to adopt the pointing ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫,ל‬ and to read ָ‫ֶיה‬‫נ‬ָ‫פּ‬ instead of
‫ם‬ ֶ‫ֵיה‬‫נ‬ ְ‫.פּ‬ Further alterations are not requisite or indicated by the lxx, as the rest of the
deviations in their text are to be explained from their free handling of the original.
According to the text with these alterations, even in Eze_40:44 there are only two cells
mentioned. They were situated “outside the inner gate.” This definition is ambiguous, for
you are outside the inner gate not only before entering the gate, i.e., while in the outer
court, but also after having passed through it and entered the inner court. Hence there
follows the more precise definition, “in the inner court.” If, then, we read ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ‫א‬ for ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬,
there follows, in prefect accordance with the fact, a more precise statement as to the
situation of both the one and the other of these cells, ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ‫א‬ and ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ corresponding to one
another. The second ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,א‬ instead of ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ‫,א‬ which is grammatically the more correct, is to
be attributed to a constructio ad sensum, as the ‫ת‬ ‫כ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ל‬ were not separate rooms, but
buildings with several chambers. One cell stood by the shoulder (side) of the north gate,
with the front (‫ים‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫)פ‬ toward the south; the other at the shoulder of the south gate, with
the front toward the north. They stood opposite to one another, therefore, with their
fronts facing each other. Instead of the south gate, however, the Masoretic text has ‫ר‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫שׁ‬
‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ the east gate; and Eze_40:46 contains nothing that would be expressly at
variance with this, so that ‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ could be defended in case of need. But only in case of
need - that is to say, if we follow Kliefoth in assuming that it stood on the left of the
gateway to persons entering through the east gate, and explaining the fact that its front
turned toward the north, on the ground that the priests who resided in it were charged
with the duty of inspecting the sacrifices brought through the east gate, or watching the
bringing in of the sacrifices, so that this cell was simply a watchman's cell after all. But
this assumption is founded upon a misinterpretation of the formula ‫ר‬ ַ‫מ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ‫ת‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ‫מ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫מ‬ , to
keep the keeping of the altar. This formula does not mean to watch and see that nothing
unlawful was taken to the altar, but refers to the altar service itself, the observance of
everything devolving upon the servants of the altar in the performance of the sacrificial
worship, or the offering of the sacrifices upon the altar according to the precepts of the
141

142. law. If, then, this duty was binding upon the priests who resided in this cell, it would
have been very unsuitable for the front of the cell to be turned toward the north, in
which case it would have been absolutely impossible to see the altar from the front of the
cell. This unsuitability can only be removed by the supposition that the cell was built at
the south gate, with the front toward the north, i.e., looking directly toward the altar. For
this reason we must also regard ‫ים‬ ִ‫ד‬ ָ‫קּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ as a corruption of ‫ם‬ ‫ר‬ ָ‫דּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ and look for this
second cell at the south gate, so that it stood opposite to the one built at the north gate. -
All that remains doubtful is, whether these two cells were on the east or the west side of
the south and north gates, a point concerning which we have no information given in the
text. In our sketch we have placed them on the west side (vid., Plate I f), so that they
stood in front of the altar and the porch-steps. The concluding words of Eze_40:46, in
which ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ֵ‫ה‬ refers to the priests mentioned in Eze_40:45 and Eze_40:46, state that in
the new sanctuary only priests of the sons of Zadok were to take charge of the service at
the altar and in the holy place; and this is still further expanded in Eze_44:10 ff. -
Finally, in Eze_40:47 the description of the courts is concluded with the account of the
measure of the inner court, a hundred cubits long and the same in breadth, according to
which it formed a perfect square surrounded by a wall, according to Eze_42:10. The only
other observation made is, that it was within this space that the altar of burnt-offering
stood, the description of which is given afterwards in Eze_43:13 ff. (see Plate I H).
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:38 And the chambers and the entries thereof [were] by the
posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.
Ver. 38. Where they washed the burnt offering.] All must be pure and clean in
God’s service.
“ Pura Deus mens est, ”& c.
This washing of the burnt offering prefigured baptism, saith Polanus, as did the
tables, [Ezekiel 40:39] the Lord’s Supper, wherein Christ the Lamb of God is slain
in our sight.
PETT, “Verses 38-41
‘There was a chamber with its door by the posts at the gates. There they washed the
142

143. burnt offering. And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side and on that
side, on which to slay the burnt offering, and the sin offering and the guilt offering.
And on the side outside as one ascends to the entry of the gate toward the north,
were two tables, and on the other side which belonged to the porch of the gate, were
two tables. Four tables were on this side and four tables were on that side, by the
side of the gate. Eight tables on which they slew the offerings.’
The tables for the slaying of the sacrifices were seemingly partly in the vestibule and
partly outside. There were eight in all, four inside and four outside (that is one
reading. There may have been more tables depending on whether we see repetition
here). They are described here as being at the northern gate but the idea is probably
that they were similarly at all three gates. The shedding of blood before approach to
God was ever necessary
PETT, “Verses 38-43
The Equipment for Sacrifice (Ezekiel 40:38-43).
Full provision was made for sacrificial activity, including whole (burnt) offerings,
sin offerings and guilt offerings. Approach to God still required the full sacrificial
rites, the same as before the exile. So there were eight or more tables for the slaying
of sacrifices (probably at each gate) and four to carry the sacrificial instruments.
The emphasis is therefore laid on the fact that none could approach God without the
shedding of blood for sin and guilt, together with worship and thanksgiving
offerings. The whole (burnt) offering was an offering of total surrender to God, and
in its different uses included worship, praise, thanksgiving and atonement. The sin
and guilt offerings were on the other hand basic. They represented a sacrifice for
the taking away of the guilt of sin (Leviticus 4:1 to Leviticus 5:17). There is no way
in which they can be seen as memorial offerings. Their meaning is clearly identified.
A man sins. The sin or guilt offering is necessary in order to ‘bear’ the man’s sin
(This once for all cancels the idea that they can just be dismissed as memorial
offerings as is required by the millennium theory). Once the tabernacle was taken
143

144. up into Heaven, however, these would be unnecessary, as the one offering for sin for
ever would already have been made.
It is no argument against this to say that animal sacrifices did not really take away
sins, but only did so as pointing forward to Christ. That is true, but at the time that
they were instituted they were the only way known by which sin could be taken
away, and the complexity of the sacrificial system was because of the complexity of
the problem of sin. To reproduce this in a ‘memorial system’ replacing the simplicity
of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) would be ludicrous in the extreme. Solemn
ceremonies carried out and animals killed in large numbers in a complicated system
were necessary before full enlightenment came. Once, however, it came, and the full
price was paid at the cross, they were no longer necessary. And in a land noted for
the fact that killing between man and beast had ceased it would be shameful (Isaiah
11:6-9).
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:38
The chambers. As the verse explains, these were different from the guard-rooms in
the gates (Ezekiel 40:7, Ezekiel 40:21) and the chambers on the pavement (Ezekiel
40:17), although the same Hebrew word is employed to designate the latter. The
cells under consideration were expressly designed for washing "the inwards and the
legs" of the victims brought for sacrifice (Le Ezekiel 1:9). Whether such a cell stood
at each of the three gates, as the plural seems to indicate, although described only in
connection with the north (Keil, Kliefoth, Plumptre), or merely at one gate, and that
the north—because, according to the Law (Le Ezekiel 1:11; Ezekiel 6:1-14 :18;
Ezekiel 7:2), on the north side of the altar burnt, sin, and trespass offerings were to
be killed (Havernick, Hengstenberg)—or the east, which is alluded to in vet, s. 39, 40
(Hitzig, Ewald, Smend), is controverted, though the former view seems the
preferable, seeing that, according to Ezekiel 46:1, Ezekiel 46:2, the priests were to
prepare burnt offerings and peace offerings for the prince at the posts of the east
gate. The situation of the cells is stated to have been by (or, beside) the posts of (i.e.
at) the gates (see on Ezekiel 46:14), but on which side of the gates, whether near the
right or left pillar, no information is furnished. Keil and Kliefoth place those at the
south and north gates on the west side; that at the east gate Keil locates on its north
side, Kliefoth placing one in the side wall at each side of the gate.
144

145. 39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables
on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin
offerings[n] and guilt offerings were slaughtered.
BARNES, "In the porch - Not under the covered portico, which was only ten cubits
broad Eze_40:9, but in the angles formed by the porch and gate-front. If the gate-
building projected with its porch forward on to the pavement of the inner court, the
tables were fitly placed for carrying out the directions of the Law.
CLARKE, "The porch of the gate - The north gate of the court of the priests. See
Q in the plan.
Two tables - Some say of marble. See dddd in the plan.
GILL, "And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two
tables on that side,.... This is still the north gate of the inward court, which had a
porch that reached from the outward to the inner gate of it, in which were three little
chambers on each side, Eze_40:36, between each of which were a space of five cubits,
Eze_40:7, so that there were two such spaces on each side; and in these spaces, as
Starckius well conjectures, these tables were placed, two on one side, and two on the
other: the use of them was,
to slay thereon the burnt offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass
offering; all typical of the sacrifice of Christ: concerning the "burnt offering", as such;
see Gill on Eze_40:38; and as for the "sin offering" and "trespass offering", which in the
Hebrew language signify sin and guilt itself, they represented Christ, who had no sin in
his nature, nor ever did any in his life, yet was made sin for his people; having all their
sins laid upon him, with all that belong unto them, or are deserved by them: these were,
the one for errors, strayings, and sins of ignorance; the other for known and wilful sins;
and both show that Christ is a sacrifice for all sorts of sin, even for the most vile and
enormous: now these tables were for those sacrifices to be slain upon them, or to be laid
145

146. upon them, being slain; and signify in Gospel times the table of the Lord, 1Co_10:21 or
the ordinance of the Lord's supper; in which there is not a reiteration, but a
commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ; here he is evidently set forth as crucified and
slain; his death as a sacrifice is shown, and held forth to the faith of the Lord's people,
for their joy and comfort, Gal_3:1.
HENRY 39-49, “In these verses we have an account,
I. Of the tables that were in the porch of the gates of the inner court. We find no
description of the altars of burnt-offerings in the midst of that court till Eze_43:13. But,
because the one altar under the law was to be exchanged for a multitude of tables under
the gospel, here is early notice taken of the tables, at our entrance into the inner court;
for till we come to partake of the table of the Lord we are but professors at large; our
admission to that is our entrance into the inner court. But in this gospel-temple we meet
with no altar till after the glory of the Lord has taken possession of it, for Christ is our
altar, that sanctifies every gift. Here were eight tables provided, whereon to slay the
sacrifices, Eze_40:41. We read not of any tables for this purpose either in the tabernacle
or in Solomon's temple. But here they are provided, to intimate the multitude of spiritual
sacrifices that should be brought to God's house in gospel-times, and the multitude of
hands that should be employed in offering up those sacrifices. Here were the shambles
for the altar; here were the dressers on which they laid the flesh of the sacrifice, the
knives with which they cut it up, and the hooks on which they hung it up, that it might
be ready to be offered on the altar (Eze_40:43), and there also they washed the burnt-
offerings (Eze_40:38), to intimate that before we draw near to God's altar we must have
every thing in readiness, must wash our hands, our hearts, those spiritual sacrifices, and
so compass God's altar.
II. The use that some of the chambers mentioned before were put to. 1. Some were for
the singers, Eze_40:44. It should seem they were first provided for before any other that
attended this temple-service, to intimate, not only that the singing of psalms should still
continue a gospel-ordinance, but that the gospel should furnish all that embrace it with
abundant matter for joy and praise, and give them occasion to break forth into singing,
which is often foretold concerning gospel times, Psa_96:1; Psa_98:1. Christians should
be singers. Blessed are those that dwell in God's house, they will be still praising him. 2.
Others of them were for the priests, both those that kept the charge of the house, to
cleanse it, and to see that none came into it to pollute it, and to keep it in good repair
(Eze_40:45), and those that kept the charge of the altar (Eze_40:46), that came near to
the Lord to minister to him. God will find convenient lodging for all his servants. Those
that do the work of his house shall enjoy the comforts of it.
III. Of the inner court, the court of the priests, which was fifty yards square, Eze_
40:47. The altar that was before the house was placed in the midst of this court, over-
against the three gates, and, standing in a direct line with the three gates of the outer
court, when the gates were set open all the people in the outer court might through them
be spectators of the service done at the altar. Christ is both our altar and our sacrifice, to
whom we must look with an eye of faith in all our approaches to God, and he is salvation
in the midst of the earth (Psa_74:12), to be looked unto from all quarters.
IV. Of the porch of the house. The temple is called the house, emphatically, as if no
other house were worthy to be called so. Before this house there was a porch, to teach us
not to rush hastily and inconsiderately into the presence of God, but gradually, that is,
146

147. gravely, and with solemnity, passing first through the outer court, then the inner, then
the porch, ere we enter into the house. Between this porch and the altar was a place
where the priests used to pray, Joe_2:17. In the porch, besides the posts on which the
doors were hung, there were pillars, probably for state and ornament, like Jachin and
Boaz - He will establish; in him is strength, Eze_40:49. In the gospel church every thing
is strong and firm, and every thing ought to be kept in its place and to be done decently
and in order.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:39-42
The tables. These were twelve in number, of which eight were used for slaughtering
purposes, i.e. either for slaying the sacrifices or for laying upon them the carcasses
of the slaughtered victims; and the remaining four for depositing thereon the
instruments employed in killing the animals. Of the eight, four stood within the
porch of the gate, two on each side, and four without—two on the side as one goeth
up to the entry of the north gate; rather, at the shoulder to one going up to the gate
opening towards the north, i.e. on the outside of the porch north wall; and two on
the other side or shoulder, i.e. on the outside of the porch south wall. This
determines the gate in question to have been, not the north gate, as the Authorized
Version has conjectured, but the east gate, whose side walls looked towards the
north and south. The third quaternion of tables appears to have been planted at the
steps, presumably two on' each side, i.e. if with Kliefoth, Keil, and Schroder, ‫ָה‬‫ל‬‫ָעוֹ‬‫ל‬
be translated "at the ascent," or "going up," i.e. at the staircase (comp. Ezekiel
40:26). If, however, with the Authorized and Revised Versions, Ewald,
Hengstenberg, Smend, and others, ‫ָה‬‫ל‬‫ָעו‬‫ל‬ be read "for the burnt offering," then the
exact position of the tables is left undetermined, though in any case they must have
been near the slaughtering-tables. As they were designed for heavy instruments,
they were constructed of hewn stones a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half
broad, and one cubit high; from which it may be argued the eight previously
mentioned were made of wood.
40 By the outside wall of the portico of the
gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the
147

148. north gateway were two tables, and on the other
side of the steps were two tables.
BARNES, "On either side of the entrance of the north gate (from the inner court),
were two tables on the one side and two tables on the other side of the porch.
GILL, "And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north
gate, were two tables,.... Or, "the door of the north gate" (p); not the first, upon
coming up the eight steps; but passing through that gate, and along the porch where the
three little chambers and the two tables on each side were, before mentioned; and
coming to the inmost gate, which opens directly into the inward court, on the outside of
that towards the altar, were two other tables, for the same use as before:
and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables;
there were two on one side of the gate, and two on the other, that is, the last gate of the
porch, in all eight tables; four within the spaces between the little chambers in the porch,
and four as you come out of it, on each side of the last gate.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the
north gate, [were] two tables; and on the other side, which [was] at the porch of the
gate, [were] two tables.
Ver. 40. As one goeth up to the entry of the north.] Hereby was signified, say some,
that our corrupt affections must be mortified, and our lives laid down, if need be,
for the truth’s sake, seem it never so hard to be done. Sicut a Septentrione venti
flant asperi, as north winds are cold and comfortless.
41 So there were four tables on one side of the
gateway and four on the other—eight tables in
148

149. all—on which the sacrifices were slaughtered.
CLARKE, "Four tables - These were in the porch of the north gate, in the court of
the priests: on them they slew, flayed, and cut up the victims. See dddd in the plan.
GILL, "Four tables were on this side, and four tables were on that side, by
the side of the gate,.... These are the same tables repeated, to observe more diligently
the situation and use of them; there were four on the right hand, two between the little
chambers in the porch, and two on the outside of the inmost gate; and there were four
on the left hand, two between the little chambers there, and two on the other side of the
said gate:
eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices; the four tables last mentioned
were for the same use as the four first; See Gill on Eze_40:39.
42 There were also four tables of dressed stone
for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half
long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.[o]
On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering
the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.
BARNES, "Omit “the” and “were.” These “four tables” are not the same as those
mentioned before. The eight tables (T) were for slaying and preparing the victims, and
149

150. were probably of wood, these (S) were of “hewn stone.” There may be in the number
twelve a reference to the twelve tribes of Israel.
GILL, "And the four tables were of hewn stone,.... These are either the same
tables as before, the four that were on one side, and the four that were on the other; they
were all made of hewn stone: in the second temple they were made of marble; so it is
said in the Misnah (q),
"the marble tables were between the pillars;''
and they were made of marble, as the commentators (r) say, because that cools the flesh,
and preserves it from corruption: they were both decent and durable; and may denote
the continuance of the ordinance of the Lord's supper till his second coming; and which
is a decent and becoming ordinance, as well as perpetual: or these were other four tables,
as Cocceius thinks; and which he places without the porch, near the cell or chamber,
where the burnt offering was washed, Eze_40:38, and these are said to be for that, as
follows,
for the burnt offering: and also for the sin offering, and for the trespass offering,
though they are not mentioned:
of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad; just a foursquare:
and one cubit high; these were the dimensions of each table:
whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt
offering and the sacrifice: the knives with which they slew the creatures offered, and
cut them to pieces, and the bowls and basins in which they received their blood; these
were laid upon the tables, as the sacrifices were: and may signify, that in the ordinance
of the Lord's supper are not only represented the sacrifice of Christ, but the means,
instruments, causes, and occasion of it; the sins of his people, for which he was wounded
and bruised in his body, and with which he was pierced in his soul; and here we may
look on him whom we have thus pierced, and mourn; and yet rejoice that there is healing
by his stripes, pardon by his blood, and atonement by his sacrifice.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:42 And the four tables [were] of hewn stone for the burnt
offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit
high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt
offering and the sacrifice.
Ver. 42. Wherewith they slew the burnt offering.] The faithful ministers of the do
daily execute their priestly offices, and have their instruments according. See Acts
10:13, Romans 15:15-16, Philippians 2:17. The saints also, as spiritual priests, &c.
150

151. [Romans 12:1 1 Peter 2:9]
PETT, “Verse 42-43
‘And there were four tables for the burnt offering, of hewn stone, a cubit and a half
long, and a cubit and a half broad, and a cubit in height. On these were laid the
instruments with which they slew the burnt offering and sacrifice. And hooks a
handbreadth long were fastened within round about. And on the tables was the
flesh of the oblation.’
The tables for the tools required for sacrifice are described here, each foursquare to
symbolise perfection. The hooks were probably intended for hanging animal flesh
on. So in the heavenly tabernacle, while situated on earth after the exile, it is made
clear that the old order as far as sacrifices were concerned was to continue.
Atonement had to be made for sin if men were to meet with God. It would be
different once full atonement had been made once and forever. Similar dressed
slaughter stones were discovered in the excavations at Ebla.
But if this was a heavenly temple where priests could not literally enter, why was the
detail necessary? It was, of course, to provide a basic pattern so that when the
priests in the earthly temple carried out their duties it was recognised that in some
way this was affecting the situation with regard to the heavenly temple. By their
actions they were approaching Heaven.
43 And double-pronged hooks, each a
handbreadth[p] long, were attached to the wall all
around. The tables were for the flesh of the
151

152. offerings.
BARNES, "Hooks - The alternative renderings given in the margin indicate the
doubtfulness of the translation of the original word. The form is dual, and indicates that
it is some object usually found in pairs. Some suggest that they were borders or ledges
set, on either side of the tables, a handbreadth from the edges, to prevent the
instruments placed on them from falling off. If the rendering “hooks” be adopted, it is to
be explained thus: that these hooks were set on the wall “within,” that each hook was
forked (hence, the “dual” form), and projected from the wall one span; and that on these
hooks were hung the carcasses of the slain animals.
GILL, "And within were hooks, a hand broad, fastened round about,.... These,
very probably, were fastened on the posts of the gate, near which were the washing room
for the sacrifices, Eze_40:38, on which they were hung, when they were flayed, or the
skin took off: in the slaughter house in the second temple, to the north of the altar, there
were eight low stone pillars, upon which were boards of cedar foursquare, and iron
hooks were fixed in them; and there were three rows of them in each, on which they
hung the sacrifices (s), which were one above another; on the lowest they hung a lamb,
on the middlemost a ram, and on the highest a bullock; these hooks stood out a hand's
breadth from the pillars (t): such like iron hooks were fixed on the walls and pillars in
the court, where they slew the passover lamb, on which they hung it, and skinned it (u):
this may denote either, as Cocceius suggests, the exaltation of Christ, who suffered and
was raised for our justification; or rather the lifting of him up, and holding him forth to
view, as a suffering Saviour, in the ministry of the word, and in the ordinance of the
supper.
And upon the tables was the flesh of the offering: here another word is used, and
may design that part of the flesh of the sin offering that was eaten by the priest, Lev_
6:25 so that these tables were feasting tables also; as the table of the Lord, or the
ordinance of the Lord's supper, is a feast of fat things, a feast of love; a table where the
flesh of Christ is laid, which is meat indeed, and only to be fed upon by those that are
made kings and priests unto God. Now these tables being many show that there will be a
large number of Gospel churches everywhere; and wherever they are there will be tables:
the ordinance of the Lord's supper will be celebrated in the four parts of the world; at
present it is chiefly in the northern part, and where these tables were seen in this vision.
JAMISON, "hooks — cooking apparatus for cooking the flesh of the sacrifices that
fell to the priests. The hooks were “fastened” in the walls within the apartment, to hang
the meat from, so as to roast it. The Hebrew comes from a root “fixed” or “placed.”
152

153. TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:43 And within [were] hooks, an hand broad, fastened round
about: and upon the tables [was] the flesh of the offering.
Ver. 43. And within were hooks.] Where hung the beasts when they were flayed, and
afterwards the priests’ and offerers’ portions, till after the sacrifice they were shared
out.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:43
The hooks. The word ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫תּ‬ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ occurs again only in Psalms 68:13, where it signifies
"sheepfolds," or "stalls;" its older form ( ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫ת‬ ְ‫פ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫מ‬ ) appearing in Genesis 49:14 and
5:16. As this sense is unsuitable, recourse must be had to its derivation (from ‫ת‬ַ‫פ‬ ָ‫,שׁ‬
"to put, set, or fix"), which suggests as its import here either, as Ewald, Kliefoth,
Hengstenberg, Havernick, and Smend, following the LXX . and Vulgate, prefer,
"ledges," or "border guards," on the edge of the tables, to keep the instruments or
flesh from falling off; or, as Kimchi, Gesenius, Furst, Keil, Schroder, and Plumptre,
after the Chaldean paraphrast, explain, "pegs" fastened in the wall for hanging the
slaughtered caresses before they were flayed. In favor of the first meaning stand the
facts that the second clause of this verse speaks of" tables," not of "walls," and that
the measure of the shephataim is one of breadth rather than of length; against it are
the considerations that the dual form, shephataim, fits better to a forked peg than to
a double border, and that the shephataim are stated to have been fastened "in the
house" (ba-baith), which again suits the idea of a peg fastened in the outer wall of
the porch, rather than of a border fixed upon a table. The last clause of this verse is
rendered by Ewald, after the LXX; "and over the tables" (obviously those standing
outside of the porch) "were covers to protect them from rain and from drought;"
and it is conceivable that coverings might have been advantageous for both the
wooden tables and the officiating priests; only the Hebrew must be changed before
it can yield this rendering.
153

154. The Rooms for the Priests
44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court,
were two rooms, one[q] at the side of the north
gate and facing south, and another at the side of
the south[r] gate and facing north.
BARNES, "Without - Outside of the gate in the inner court. See N, Plan II.
Singers - These were Levites of particular families, those of Heman, Asaph, and
Merari, whose genealogy is carefully traced up to Levi (see marginal reference). These
chambers (N, Plan II) may have been for the “singers and priests” who were for the time
being engaged in the services of the temple. Other chambers (Eze_42:1 ff) were for the
use of the “priests” at other times; and the Levites and singers, when “not” on duty,
would find accommodation in the thirty chambers of the outer court. If there is a
departure here from the symmetry elsewhere observed, it may be accounted for by the
fact that as the sacrifices were to be made on the “north” side of the altar, and therefore
the “tables” for the sacrifices were on that side only, so those who had charge of the
house and its singers might have rooms near. Others correct the Hebrew text by the
Septuagint, and read the passage thus: And without the “inner gate” two chambers (i. e.,
rows of chambers) “in the inner court, one at the side of the north gate, and their
prospect toward the south, one at the side of the south gate, and the prospect toward the
north.”
GILL, "And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers,.... These
singers are true believers in Christ, members of Gospel churches; whose duty and
privilege it is to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; which is a part of internal,
spiritual, and evangelical worship, Eph_5:19, these are the spiritual harpers, that have
harps in their hands, and make melody in their hearts, and are able to sing the songs of
electing, redeeming, calling, pardoning, justifying, and adopting grace; these deservedly
have a place in the churches of Christ, in the inward court, being inward court
worshippers, even all such who sing with the spirit and the understanding; for these
154

155. chambers were in the inward court: the prophet being brought through the inner
northern gate, into the open space between the inward court, saw these chambers; for it
follows,
in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; in that part of the
court which lay near the north gate, where now the prophet and his guide were:
and their prospect was toward the south; that is, some of these chambers, one row
of them, were by the side of the north gate, and these faced the south; north and south
being opposite to each other:
one at the side of the east gate, having the prospect toward the north: another
row of chambers for the singers was in that part of the inner court which was on the side
of the east gate, on the north side of it, and so faced the north part of the court. The
Septuagint version, if admitted, makes the sense of it more clear, but different,
"and he brought me into the inner court, and behold two chambers in the inner court;
one at the back of the gate that looks to the north, bearing to the south; and one at the
back of the gate to the south, looking to the north.''
JAMISON, "the chambers of the singers — two in number, as proved by what
follows: “and their prospect (that is, the prospect of one) was toward the south, (and)
one toward the north.” So the Septuagint.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:44 And without the inner gate [were] the chambers of the
singers in the inner court, which [was] at the side of the north gate; and their
prospect [was] toward the south: one at the side of the east gate [having] the
prospect toward the north.
Ver. 44. Were the chambers of the singers.] These were to set forth that pastors
should have all necessary help in their places by the other church officers. The
Levites were singers and porters. [1 Chronicles 23:2; 1 Chronicles 23:5]
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:44. And without the inner gate, &c.— And he brought me to the
inner gate, where there were two chambers in the inner court; one at the northern
side of the gate, which looked to the south; the other at the southern side of the gate,
which looked to the north. Houbigant.
155

156. PETT, “Verses 44-46
The Chambers for the Priests (Ezekiel 40:44-46).
‘And outside the inner gate were chambers for the singers in the inner court, which
were at the side of the north gate. And their prospect was towards the south, and
one at the east gate having the prospect towards the north. And he said to me, “This
chamber, whose prospect is towards the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the
charge of the house. And the chamber whose prospect is towards the north is for the
priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who,
from among the sons of Levi, come near to Yahweh to minister to him.”
There were a number of chambers outside the inner gate, all but two of which were
for the singers who sang in the inner court. The two were set aside for the priests,
the one facing south (‘this chamber’ - being no doubt indicated by the hand of the
speaker) for those who had charge of the house (see Ezekiel 44:10-14), the one facing
north for those who had charge of the altar (see Ezekiel 44:15-21).
Singers are described elsewhere in 1 Chronicles 6:31-32 where they were Levites,
but it may be that the point being made here is that the singers here were priests,
(and therefore more holy and allowed into the inner court), the Levites being no
longer worthy due to past failure, and that all the chambers facing south were thus
for the priests who had the lesser privilege of ‘charge of the house’ and of ‘singing’.
But only ‘the sons of Zadok’ (compare Ezekiel 44:15; 1 Samuel 2:31-33; 2 Samuel
15:24-29; 1 Kings 1:5-26; 1 Kings 1:32-35; 1 Kings 2:26-27; 1 Kings 2:35; 1
Chronicles 6:3-8; 1 Chronicles 24:3) were from now on to be allowed to enter the
sanctuary and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices before Yahweh (Ezekiel
44:15). They were the keepers of ‘the charge of the altar’. Thus a distinction was
now to be made between differing ‘families’ of priests with ‘the sons of Zadok’ now
stated to be especially favoured because they had shown particular loyalty to
Yahweh in the period of the kings (Ezekiel 44:15). There was thus to be a limiting of
the priestly function for the majority. See further on Ezekiel 44:10-21.
156

157. ‘Sons of Zadok’ were seen as descended from Zadok of the house of Aaron (1
Chronicles 6:8; 1 Chronicles 6:53), who had loyally supported David, and had
ensured the accession of Solomon thereby obtaining the high priesthood (1 Kings
2:35), which remained Zadokite (1 Chronicles 6:10; 1 Chronicles 6:15 with Haggai
1:1) into the future. But loyal Yahwist priests from other parts of the family who
sided with their loyal stance may well have joined with them, and been adopted as
‘sons of Zadok’, while some of their own who chose the way of idolatry may well
have united with others and distanced themselves from the sons of Zadok. For ‘sons
of’ primarily came to mean ‘those who behaved like’ (compare ‘the sons of Belial’).
And ‘the sons of Zadok’ were probably seen as a narrow-minded clique by other
priests.
This enunciation of detail would have been particularly impressive to Ezekiel’s
hearers, and have helped to convince them that he really had seen the invisible
temple of Yahweh already established in the land. The fact that chambers had been
so set aside confirmed that God would in the future restore Israel’s way of worship.
The heavenly temple was conveying a message rather than being for practical
utilisation.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:44-46
The chambers of the ringers According to Ezekiel 40:44, these, of which the number
is not recorded, were situated in the inner court, outside of the inner gate, at the side
of the north gate, and looked towards the south, one only being located at the side of
the east gate with a prospect towards the north. Interpreted in this way, they cannot
have been the same as the "priests' chambers" mentioned in Ezekiel 40:45, Ezekiel
40:46, though these also looked in the same direction. The language, however, seems
to indicate that they were the same, and on this hypothesis it is difficult to
understand how they should be called "the chambers of the singers," and at the
same time be assigned to the priests, "the keepers of the charge of the house" and
"the keepers of the charge of the altar." Hengstenberg. Kliefoth, Schroder, and
others hold that Ezekiel purposed to suggest that in the vision-temple before him the
choral service was no longer to be left exclusively in the hands of the Levites as it
had been in the Solomonic temple (1 Chronicles 6:33-47; 1 Chronicles 15:17; 2
Chronicles 20:19), but that the priests were to participate therein. Dr. Currey
imagines the chambers may have been occupied in common by the singers and the
157

158. priests when engaged on duty at the temple. The LXX. text reads, "And he led me
unto the inner court, and behold two chambers in the inner court, one at the back of
the gate which looks towards the north, and bearing towards the south, and one at
the back of the gate which looks towards the south, and bearing towards the north;"
and in accordance with this Rosenmüller, Hitzig, Ewald, Keil, and Smend propose
sundry emendations on the Hebrew text. Since, however, it cannot be certified that
the LXX. did not paraphrase or mistranslate the present rather than follow a
different text, it is safer to abide by the renderings of the Authorized and Revised
Versions. Yet one cannot help feeling that the LXX. translation has the merit of
clearness and simplicity.
45 He said to me, “The room facing south is for
the priests who guard the temple,
BARNES, "The priests, whose chambers (L) are here provided, were those whose
business it was to exercise this oversight which had devolved upon them as descendants
of Aaron Num_3:32.
GILL, "And he said unto me,.... The illustrious Person that appeared in a human
form, measuring the several parts of the temple, said to the prophet, as follows:
this chamber, whose prospect is toward the south; the row of chambers that
were on the side of the north gate, facing the south:
is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house; that observe the
keeping of it; observe all the laws and ordinances of God's house, and are careful that the
worship of God may be maintained and preserved, to his glory, and their mutual
edification: and which is, or should be, the concern, not of ministers only, but of all true
believers, who are priests unto God; that present their bodies and souls before him, as a
holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice, which is their reasonable service; and offer up the
spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to him, through Christ, Rev_1:6.
158

159. PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:45
The priests, the keepers of the charge of the house. Under the Law the Levite
families of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari had the charge of the tabernacle and all its
belongings (Numbers 3:25, etc.); but of these Levites who kept the charge of the
sanctuary, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest had the oversight. Hence the priests
alluded to by Ezekiel as the keepers of the charge of the house were most likely those
who superintended the Levites in the execution of their tasks.
46 and the room facing north is for the priests
who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,
who are the only Levites who may draw near to
the Lord to minister before him.”
BARNES, "The position of the “chamber” looking to the north commanded a view of
the brasen altar and the sacrifices, which were prepared at the north side of the altar.
The sons of Zadok - The priests were all descended from one or other of the two
sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar. David distributed the priestly offices between the
families of Zadok, the representative of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, the representative of
Ithamar 1Ch_24:3. From the time of Solomon not only the high priesthood, but the
priesthood itself, so far as concerned its service, that of offering upon the two altars,
seems to have been confined to the descendants of Zadok (see 1Ch_6:49-53). Perhaps
the other offices, such as those mentioned in Eze_40:45, were performed by the
descendants of Abiathar and Ithamar. Compare 1Sa_2:36, and below, Eze_43:19; Eze_
44:15; Eze_48:11. The priests who had charge of the sacrifices were distinguished from
the rest of the Levitical priests, “as they which come near to the Lord, and Eze_42:13 the
priests that approach unto the Lord.”
GILL, "And the chamber whose prospect is towards the north,.... The row of
chambers on the side of the east gate; that side of it that was towards the north, and
which the chambers in it faced:
159

160. is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar; the ministers of the
Gospel, that take care of the altar, of public worship; that preach the Gospel, and
administer ordinances; and who are to be taken care of themselves, and live of the
Gospel, and have everything provided for them that is necessary, 1Co_9:13,
these are the sons of Zadok, among the sons of Levi; these Levites, or priests,
were of the family of Zadok; who descended from Aaron, and was the eldest house of
Aaron, to whom the priesthood belonged; though it had been usurped a long time by the
family of Ithamar; but, in Solomon's time, Abiathar, of that family, was dispossessed of
it, and Zadok was placed in his stead, whose name signifies "just", or righteous; and was
a type of Christ, the holy and just One, whose spiritual children and offspring are here
meant:
which come near to the Lord to minister unto him; both preachers and people,
who have near access to God through Christ, and minister before him in holy things, in
praying, preaching, administering ordinances, and attending on the same.
JAMISON, "Zadok — lineally descended from Aaron. He had the high priesthood
conferred on him by Solomon, who had set aside the family of Ithamar because of the
part which Abiathar had taken in the rebellion of Adonijah (1Ki_1:7; 1Ki_2:26, 1Ki_
2:27).
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:46 And the chamber whose prospect [is] toward the north [is]
for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these [are] the sons of Zadok
among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.
Ver. 46. Which come near.] Exodus 19:22, Leviticus 10:3; Leviticus 21:17-18;
Leviticus 21:21; Leviticus 21:23.
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:46. These are the sons of Zadok— The high priest-hood
belonged to the eldest sons of the house of Aaron; so that the office originally
appertained to the family of Zadok; though that of Ithamar exercised it for some
time; from Eli, who was high-priest in the time of Samuel, to Abiathar, whom
Solomon dispossessed, and restored the high priesthood to the former line by
placing Zadok in his room. The family of Zadok alone is mentioned in this vision,
probably because they continued attached to the worship of the true God, when the
priests of Ithamar's line forsook it, and fell into idolatry. See chap. Ezekiel 43:19,
Ezekiel 44:15, Ezekiel 48:11.
160

161. PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:46
The keepers of the charge of the altar. These formed another body of priests, whose
duties generally were to officiate in the temple-worship, and more specifically to
sacrifice and burn incense upon the altars (Leviticus 1-6.). Under the Law the
priests were all descendants of Aaron (Exodus 27:20, Exodus 27:21; Exodus 28:1-4;
Exodus 29:9, Exodus 29:44; Exodus 40:15). By David these were divided into two
classes—the sons of Eleazar, at the head of whom stood Zadok; and the sons of
Ithamar, with Ahimelech as their chief (1 Chronicles 24:3). In the vision-temple the
sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi have the sole right of drawing near to the
Lord to minister unto him (see on Ezekiel 43:15).
47 Then he measured the court: It was square—a
hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide.
And the altar was in front of the temple.
BARNES, "The court - The inner court (B) where was the brass altar Eze_43:13.
The new chapter would begin better at Eze_40:48.
CLARKE, "He measured the court - This was the court of the priests. See FFF in
the plan.
GILL, "So he measured the court,.... The inward court, where the prophet and his
161

162. guide now were; and the gates leading to which he had been measuring, with the
chambers, arches, and tables belonging thereunto:
an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; the floor,
or area of this court, which was a hundred cubits in length and breadth; so that it was a
perfect square, equilateral, east, west, north, and south, and above fifty yards each way;
such a court as never was in any temple whatever: hence Kimchi observes, there was no
such court in the second temple; no, nor in the first neither: in the second temple, the
length of the court of Israel, according to Abarbinel, was a hundred and thirty five
cubits, and the breadth eleven, but this was a hundred by a hundred; these things, says
Lipman (u), are wonderful in my eyes: this denotes the large increase of the church, and
of spiritual worshippers, in the latter day; and the foursquare of it signifies the order,
perfection, and stability of it; see Rev_21:16,
and the altar that was before the house; the altar of burnt offering, which stood
before the house or temple, in the midst of the inward court; so that it might be seen by
all in the inward court and chambers; and even by all in the outward court, through the
several gates, which directly opened and led to it. This was typical of Christ, the altar, we
Christians have a right to eat of; which sanctifies every gift offered upon it, and which
every worshipper should by faith look unto for the expiation of their sins. The
dimensions of this altar were now taken, and are given in Eze_43:13.
JAMISON, "court, an hundred cubits ... foursquare — not to be confounded
with the inner court, or court of Israel, which was open to all who had sacrifices to bring,
and went round the three sides of the sacred territory, one hundred cubits broad. This
court was one hundred cubits square, and had the altar in it, in front of the temple. It
was the court of the priests, and hence is connected with those who had charge of the
altar and the music. The description here is brief, as the things connected with this
portion were from the first divinely regulated.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an
hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar [that was] before the house.
Ver. 47. So he measured.] Christ doeth all things in his Church in number, weight,
and measure. By his Spirit he ordereth the length, breadth, and depth of his
spiritual house, and bestoweth his gifts by measure to each member. [Romans 12:6 1
Corinthians 12:28-29 Ephesians 3:7; Ephesians 4:7]
PETT, “Verse 47
162

163. The Vestibule for the Sanctuary.
‘And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits
broad, foursquare, and the altar was before the house.’
The inner court was foursquare and attention is drawn to the fact. This was
regularly a symbol of perfection. Compare Exodus 26; 1 Kings 6:20 where the
holiest of all was a perfect cube; and the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:16 which
‘lay foursquare’. (See also the two altars and the breastplate in Exodus 27:1;
Exodus 28:16; Exodus 30:2; Exodus 37:25; Exodus 38:1; Exodus 39:9). In the
middle of the inner court was the altar, in front of ‘the house’, that is the sanctuary.
But it is noteworthy that the altar is not measured. This fact is quite striking. It has
a unique significance as denoted in Ezekiel 43:13-27.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:47
He measured the court … and the altar. The dimensions of the former, the open
space in front of the temple, alone are given—a hundred cubits long and a hundred
cubits broad; those of the latter, which stood before the "house," and occupied the
center of the square, are afterwards recorded (Ezekiel 43:13). The distance from
north to south of the inner court being a hundred cubits, if to these be added twice
two hundred cubits, the space between the outer court wall and that of the inner
court, the result will give five hundred cubits as the breadth of the outer court, from
north gate to south gate. Then as the length of the inner court was a hundred cubits,
if to these be added first the hundred cubits lying before the inner court towards the
east, secondly, the hundred cubits covered by the temple (Ezekiel 41:13, Ezekiel
41:14), and thirdly, the one hundred cubits which extended behind the temple
(Ezekiel 41:13, Ezekiel 41:14), the total will amount to five hundred cubits for the
length of the outer court from east to west. The outer court, therefore, like the inner,
was a square.
163

164. The New Temple
48 He brought me to the portico of the temple and
measured the jambs of the portico; they were five
cubits wide on either side. The width of the
entrance was fourteen cubits[s] and its projecting
walls were[t] three cubits[u] wide on either side.
BARNES 48-49, “The Porch of the House. The front of the temple-porch (see G, Plan
I) consisted of a central opening with two columns on either side. Two columns with the
space between them were called “a post of the gate.” “The breadth of the gate” on either
side was a side opening, that is, the opening between two columns. The columns having
bases of a cubit square, two columns and the “breadth of the gate,” which we are told
was three cubits, made up the “five cubits” on either side the central entrance, which,
like the entrance into the temple itself, was ten cubits. Thus we have twenty cubits for
the porch-front.
Eze_40:49
The porch of Solomon’s Temple was twenty cubits broad and ten deep 1Ki_6:3. This
corresponds nearly with the dimensions of Ezekiel’s porch; the difference in the breadth
may be explained by supposing a space of one cubit in front of the porch (as Eze_
40:11-12). The circumstance of this porch being approached by stairs of probably ten
steps makes this more probable, a small space in front of the porch being naturally
required.
Pillars by the posts - literally, to “the posts,” meaning that upon the bases (posts)
stood shafts (pillars). These shafts were probably in the form of palm-trees Eze_40:16.
The porch with its steps must have jutted into the inner court.
164

165. CLARKE, "Breadth of the gate - It is evident that the gate was a bivalve, or had
folding doors. The length of the porch was twenty cubits. Josephus says the vestibule
was twenty cubits long and ten broad. Antiq. lib. 8:3, 2.
GILL, "And he brought me to the porch of the house,.... Having passed through
the inner court, and measured that, he came to the body of the fabric, the principal part
of it, the house or temple; to the porch that led into it. Here of right a new chapter
should begin, for this and the next verse more properly "belong" to the following
chapter. This porch was a large roof, and was a covering both from cold winds and
storms, and from the scorching heat of the sun; and was an emblem of Christ, the hiding
place from the wind, and the covert from the tempest of divine justice and vengeance,
and the wrath of God; and from the heat of a fiery law, of Satan's fiery darts or
temptations, and of the persecutions of men: it was also, as is thought, a place for the
priests to pray in, before they went into the temple; as Christ is the way in which the
priests of the Lord go unto him, and pray before him; in whose name, and for whose
righteousness sake, they present their supplications to him.
And measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits
on that side; these posts stood, one on the north side of the porch, and the other on the
south, and were each five cubits thick:
and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on
that side; this gate signifies Christ, the door, or gate, or way of entrance into the
spiritual temple the church, Joh_10:1 and it had two leaves, that on the north was three
cubits broad, and that on the south was of the same measure: this two leaved gate may
show, that both Jews and Gentiles, being converted, may enter into the Gospel church;
as they will in the latter day, when the Jews shall be called, and the fulness of the
Gentiles brought in; here will be an open door set; the gate will be wide enough to let
them all in, Rev_3:8.
JAMISON 48-49, "These two verses belong to the forty-first chapter, which treats of
the temple itself.
K&D 48-49, “The Temple-Porch
(see Plate III A). The measuring angel conducts the prophet still farther to the porch
of the temple, and measures its breadth and length. - Eze_40:48. And he led me to the
porch of the house, and measured the pillar of the porch, five cubits on this side and five
cubits on that side; and the breadth of the gate, three cubits on this side and three
cubits on that side. Eze_40:49. The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the
breadth eleven cubits, and that by the steps by which one went up; and columns were
by the pillars, one on this side and one on that side. - ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ַ‫ה‬ is the temple in the more
165

166. restricted sense of the word, the temple-house, as in 1Ki_6:2, etc.; and ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫,א‬ the porch
before the entrance into the holy place (cf. 1Ki_6:3). The measurements in Eze_40:48
and Eze_40:49, which are apparently irreconcilable with one another, led the lxx to the
adoption of arbitrary interpolations and conjectures in Eze_40:49, in accordance with
which Böttcher, Hitzig, and others have made corrections in the text, which have a
plausible justification in the many artificial and for the most part mistaken
interpretations that have been given of the text. The measures in Eze_40:49 are
perfectly plain, namely, the length of the porch twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven
cubits; and there is no question that these measurements are to be understood in the
clear, that is to say, as referring to the internal space, excluding the side-walls, as in the
case of the holy place, the most holy place, and the inner court. The only question is
whether the length signifies the dimension from east to west, i.e., the distance which had
to be traversed on entering the temple, and therefore the breadth, the extent from north
to south; or whether we are to understand by the length the larger dimension, and by the
breadth the smaller, in which case the measurement from north to south, which formed
the breadth of the house, would be designated the length of the porch, and that from east
to west the breadth. Nearly all the commentators have decided in favour of the latter
view, because, in the porch of Solomon's temple, the length of twenty cubits was
measured according to the breadth of the house. But the fact has been overlooked, that
in 1Ki_6:3 the length given is more precisely defined by the clause, “in front of the
breadth of the house.” There is no such definition here, and the analogy of the building
of Solomon's temple is not sufficient in itself to warrant our regarding the construction
of the porch in the temple seen by Ezekiel as being precisely the same; since it was only
in the essential portions, the form of which was of symbolical significance (the holy place
and the most holy), that this picture of a temple resembled the temple of Solomon,
whereas in those which were less essential it differed from that temple in various ways.
At the very outset, therefore, the more probable assumption appears to be, that just as in
the case of the holy place and the holy of holies, so also in that of the porch, we are to
understand by the length, the distance to be traversed (from east to west), and by the
breadth, the extension on either side (i.e., from south to north).
If, then, we understand the measurements in Eze_40:49 in this way, the measures
given in Eze_40:48 may also be explained without any alterations in the text. The
measuring of the pillar of the porch on either side, and of the gate on this side and that
(Eze_40:48), is sufficient of itself to lead to the conclusion that the front turned toward
a person entering is the breadth from south to north. This breadth presented to the eye a
pillar on this side and one on that - two pillars, therefore, each five cubits broad (c c),
and a breadth of gate of three cubits on this side and three on that, six cubits in all (b),
that is to say, a total breadth (k-k) of 5 + 3 + 3 + 5 = 16 cubits. The only thing that can
surprise one here is the manner in which the breadth of the gate is defined: three cubits
on this side and that, instead of simply six cubits. But the only reason in all probability
is, that the pillars on either side are mentioned just before, and the gate of six cubits'
breadth consisted of two halves, which had their hinges fastened to the adjoining pillars,
so that each half was measured by itself from the pillar to which it was attached. The
breadth of front mentioned, viz., sixteen cubits, agrees very well with the breadth of the
porch inside, i.e., eleven cubits (m-m), for it allows a thickness of two cubits and a half
for each side wall (a), and this was sufficient for the walls of a porch. The pillars, which
were five cubits broad on the outer face, were therefore only half that breadth (2 1/2
cubits) in the inner side within the porch, the other two cubits and a half forming the
side wall. All the particulars given in Eze_40:48 may be explained in this way without
166

167. any artifice, and yield a result the proportions of which are in harmony with those of the
entire building. For the porch, with an external breadth of sixteen cubits, was half as
broad as the house, which had a breadth of twenty cubits in the clear, and side walls of
six cubits in thickness (Eze_41:5), so that when measured on the outside it was 6 + 20 +
6 = 32 cubits broad. The breadth of the interior also is apparently perfectly appropriate,
as the porch was not intended either for the reception of vessels or for the abode of
individuals, but was a simple erection in front of the entrance into the holy place, the
door of which (d) was ten cubits broad (Eze_41:2), that is to say, half a cubit narrower
on either side than the porch-way leading to it. And lastly, the length of the porch was
also in good proportion to the holy place, which followed the porch; the porch being
twenty cubits long, and the holy place forty cubits. If we add to this the front wall, with a
thickness of two cubits and a half, corresponding to that of the side walls, we obtain an
external length of twenty-two cubits and a half for the porch. In front were the steps by
which one went up to the porch (l). It is generally supposed that there were ten steps, the
‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ after ‫ת‬ ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬ ַ‫מּ‬ ַ‫בּ‬ being changed into ‫ר‬ֶ‫שׂ‬ֶ‫ע‬ (ten) after the example of the lxx. But
however this alteration may commend itself when the facts of the case are considered,
ten steps in front of the porch answering very well to the eight steps before the gateway
of the inner court, and to the seven steps in front of the gateway of the outer court, it is
not absolutely necessary, and in all probability is merely a conjecture of the Seventy, who
did not know what to do with ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬, and possibly it is not even correct (see at Eze_41:8).
The words ‫ת‬ ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬ ַ‫מּ‬ ַ‫וּב‬ ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ can be attached without difficulty to the preceding account of
the breadth: “the breadth was eleven cubits, and that at the steps by which they went up
to it,” i.e., when measured on the side on which the flight of steps stood. If the words are
taken in this way, they serve to remove all doubt as to the side which is designated as the
breadth, with special reference to the fact that the porch of Solomon's temple was
constructed in a different manner. The number of steps, therefore, is not given, as was
also the case with the east gate of the outer court (Eze_40:6), because it was of no
essential importance in relation to the entire building. The last statement, “and there
were columns by the pillars on this side and on that,” is free from difficulty, although
there is also a difference of opinion among the commentators as to the position of these
columns. ‫ים‬ ִ‫יל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ָ‫ה‬ points back to ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ‫ם‬ ָ‫ל‬ ֻ‫א‬ (Eze_40:48). The preposition ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ does not
imply that the columns stood close to the pillars, and had the form of half-columns, but
simply that they stood near the pillars (see Plate III K), like the columns Jachin and Boaz
in Solomon's temple, to which they correspond.
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured
[each] post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the
breadth of the gate [was] three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
Ver. 48. The porch of the house.] Which was covered over-head, to keep them dry in
foul weather. What Christ doth for all his. See Isaiah 4:5-6; Isaiah 25:4. {See Trapp
on "Isaiah 25:4"}
167

168. PETT, “Verse 48-49
‘Then he brought me to the porch of the house and measured each post of the porch,
five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side, and the breadth of the gate was
three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. The length of the porch was
twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, even by the steps where they ascended
to it. And there were pillars by the posts, one on this side and one on that side.’
We are now approaching the sanctuary, and the first thing we reach is the porch or
vestibule of the sanctuary. The steps demonstrate that the sanctuary was on a
further raised platform, denoting its increased holiness. LXX says that there were
ten steps leading up to it. The increase in the number of steps would also tie in with
the increasing holiness of the place.
The twenty cubits was what we would call the breadth, but the Israelites always
called the longest measurement ‘the length’ (strictly in fact the translation is
therefore inexact in our terms). The pillars probably had a similar purpose to the
free-standing decorated bronze pillars of Solomon’s temple named Jachin and Boaz
(1 Kings 7:15-22). There is considerable evidence for free-standing columns at the
entrance to temple sanctuaries.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:48, Ezekiel 40:49
With these verses the following chapter ought to have commenced, as the seer now
advances to a description of the house, or temple proper, as in 1 Kings 6:2, with its
three parts—a porch (verses 48, 49), a holy place (Ezekiel 41:1), and a holy of holies
(Ezekiel 41:4).
Ezekiel 40:48
168

169. The porch, or vestibule, according to Keil, appears to have been entered by a folding
door of two leaves, each three cubits broad, which were attached to two side pillars
five cubits broad, and met in the middle, so that the whole breadth of the porch
front was six cubits, or, including the posts, sixteen cubits. The measurements in
Ezekiel 40:49 of the length of the porch (from east to west) twenty cubits, and the
breadth (from north to south) eleven cubits, he harmonizes with this view by
assuming that the pillars, which were five cubits bread in front, were only half that
breadth in the inside, the side wall dividing it in two, so that, although to one
entering the opening was only six cubits, the moment one stood in the interior it was
6 cubits + 2 x 2.5 cubits = 11 cubits. Kliefoth, however, rejects this explanation, and
understands the three cubits to refer to the portion of the entrance on either side
which was closed by a gate, perhaps of lattice-work, leaving for the ingress and
egress of priests a passage of five cubits. In this view the whole front of the porch
would he 5 cubits of passage + 6 (2 x 3) cubits of lattice-work + 10 (2 x 5) cubits of
pillar, equal in all to 21 cubits. Dr. Currey, in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' includes
the three cubits of door in the five cubits of post, and, supposing the temple entrance
to be ten cubits, makes the whole front to have been twenty cubits. We prefer
Kliefoth's opinion.
49 The portico was twenty cubits[v] wide, and
twelve[w] cubits[x] from front to back. It was
reached by a flight of stairs,[y] and there were
pillars on each side of the jambs.
CLARKE, "By the steps - This was a flight of steps that led to the temple; there
were eight steps in each flight. See YY in the plan.
169

170. GILL, "The length of the porch was twenty cubits,.... From east to west; from the
first gate of it to the last; which led directly into the house, or temple:
and the breadth eleven cubits; which may be thus accounted for; two cubits apiece
being allowed for each post, and three for each leaf of the door that were hung upon
them, and one for the upright post in the middle on which they shut; in all eleven:
and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it; as there was an
ascent of seven steps to the several gates that led into the outward court; and another of
eight steps, which led from that to the gates of the inner court; so there was an ascent
from the inner court to the porch of the house, or temple; but how many steps there
were is not said. The Septuagint and Arabic versions read ten steps; and the Vulgate
Latin version eight steps. According to the Misnah (w), there were twelve in the second
temple; so say Jarchi and Kimchi, with whom Josephus (x) agrees. Cocceius thinks there
could not be more than two, since the ground of the inward court and temple were
continued; but as their number is not given, a determination cannot be made; only it
may be observed, that the saints' progress in the knowledge of Christ, and of divine
things, and in faith and holiness, is gradual.
And there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that
side; one on the north side, and the other on the south, somewhat like the two pillars of
Jachin and Boaz, in Solomon's temple; which some apply to the ordinances of the Gospel
saints partake of at their entrance into the Gospel church; but rather they are an emblem
of Christ, the supporter of his church, and of all those that aright enter into it; and who,
through his grace and strength, become pillars there also, Rev_3:12, he is their Jachin,
who establishes them on himself, the sure foundation; and their Boaz, in whom their
strength is, and from whom they have it to exercise grace, discharge duty, and persevere
to the end.
JAMISON, "twenty ... eleven cubits — in Solomon’s temple (1Ki_6:3) “twenty ...
ten cubits.” The breadth perhaps was ten and a half; 1Ki_6:3 designates the number by
the lesser next round number, “ten”; Ezekiel here, by the larger number, “eleven”
[Menochius]. The Septuagint reads “twelve.”
he brought me by the steps — They were ten in number [Septuagint].
TRAPP, “Ezekiel 40:31 And the arches thereof [were] toward the utter court; and
palm trees [were] upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it [had] eight steps.
Ver. 31. And palm trees.] See on Ezekiel 40:16.
170

171. Eight steps.] See on Ezekiel 40:22.
COKE, “Ezekiel 40:49. There were pillars— Hereby seem to be meant the two great
pillars of brass, whereof we have the dimensions and a description in the first book
of Kings, chap. Ezekiel 7:15, &c. and 2 Chronicles 3:15.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, The date of this prophesy is in the twenty-fifth year of the
captivity of Jeconiah, in the tenth day of the beginning of the year, which was
reckoned in two different ways: the civil year began at the autumnal equinox, and
then this tenth day must have been the great day of atonement: the ecclesiastical
year commenced from the vernal equinox, and then this day falls on the tenth of
Nisan, answering to part of our March and April, when the paschal lamb was
separated from the flock, in order to be slain on the fourteenth.
The scene is laid in the land of Judges; and in vision the prophet is set on a very
high mountain; and there was, as it were, the frame of a city, full in his view. There
appeared to him in the gate, a glorious personage, an angel deputed from God, or,
as many suppose, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the maker and builder of this city
of God, his church.* His figure was bright and glittering as burnished brass, and in
his hand he bore a measuring reed and line; and, addressing the prophet, bid him
carefully behold, attentively hear, with fixed thoughtfulness weigh, and with fidelity
deliver to the house of Israel, what was about to be revealed to him. Note. (1.) The
ministers of God must themselves carefully read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
the word of truth, that they may be enabled truly to declare it to others. (2.) We
must be ourselves divinely taught by the Lord Jesus, before we can possibly teach
others.
* See the Note prefixed to the Preliminary Remarks on this vision.
2nd, The measuring reed in the hand of the glorious Person before mentioned, was
six cubits long, exceeding the common cubit by a hand's breadth.
171

172. The outer wall is first measured, three yards and a half high, and of the same
breadth. The church is a sacred inclosure, and safely protected by the power and
love of him, who is as a wall of fire round about his people.
In this wall were three gates, at the east, the north, and south; typical, it may be, of
Jesus the way to God, no man coming to the Father but by him. The ascent to the
gates was by seven steps; intimating, that when we go to the temple, we should lift
up our hearts to God. The little chambers adjoining to the gate, should teach all true
worshippers, especially ministers, to seek no great things here below; and they were
many, for in our Father's house are many mansions. Each chamber had windows,
for all believers enjoy the light of the divine word: the windows were narrow, the
measure of our knowledge here below being at the best imperfect. The different
courts may intimate the different estates of God's people, some of whom maintain
more intimate communion with him than others. The posts, with palm-trees
engraven on them, represent the strength and flourishing condition of the saints of
God, never overwhelmed by the heaviest afflictions, and triumphing over all their
foes. The glittering pavement may teach us where all the glories of this present
world should be put, even under our feet.
3rdly, The inner court here described appears exactly similar to the outer; for
though some Christians are much more advanced than others, yet all bear the same
image of Christ, differing only as brethren of several statures. By eight steps was the
ascent into this court; the nearer we approach to God, the more shall we be raised
above the world, and the things of it.
4thly, We have notice taken,
1. Of the tables, to slay and prepare the sacrifices for the altar. Before we draw near
to God, we should prepare our offering, and not be rash with our lips, to utter any
thing before God.
2. The chambers; some for the singers, others for the priests, who had the care of the
house and the altar. They who serve at the temple, deserve a provision there.
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173. 3. The altar in the inner court represents the Lord Jesus; and as it stood in the
centre against the three gates, all the worshippers in the most distant court could
look to it: for him, in all our worship, we must ever keep in view, by whom alone we
have access unto God.
4. Before the temple was a porch, with pillars, probably like Jachin and Boaz,
intimating the stability and beauty of the Gospel church.
PULPIT, “Ezekiel 40:49
Like the gates into the courts, the temple porch was entered by steps, of which the
number is not stated, though, after the LXX; it is usually assumed to have been ten,
Hengstenberg suggesting fourteen. The last particular noted, that there were pillars
by the posts, has been explained to signify that upon the posts, or bases, stood shafts
or pillars (Currey), or with more probability that by or near the pillars rose
columns (Keil, Kliefoth). The height of these is not given, though Hengstenberg
again finds it in the elevation of the porch of Solomon's temple—a hundred and
twenty cubits (2 Chronicles 3:4). Their exact position is not stated; but they were
probably, like Jachin and Boaz in the Solomonic temple, stationed one on each side
of the steps.
BI, “And he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it.
The steps of the sanctuary
There are no such steps as these to be found anywhere in the world. A step to honour, a
step to riches, a step to worldly glory: these are everywhere, but what are these to the
steps by which men do ascend to the house of the Lord! He, then, that entereth into the
house of the Lord is an ascending man; as it is said of Moses, he went up into the mount
of God. It is ascending to go into the house of God. The world believe not this; they think
it is going downwards to go up to the house of God. The steps, then, by which men go up
into the temple are, and ought to be, opposed to those which men take to their lusts and
empty glories. Hence such steps are said not only to decline from God, but to take hold
of the path to death and hell (Psa_44:18; Pro_2:18). (John Bunyan.).
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