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Ezekiel42

Ezekiel is shown the chambers on the north and south sides of the temple, detailing their structure and dimensions. These are identified as holy chambers where priests are to eat sacred offerings and change their holy garments before entering the outer court. Finally, the entire temple complex is measured, revealing a square enclosure of five hundred reeds on each side, designed to separate the holy sanctuary from the profane.
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The Northern Chambers Described

1
Then the man led me out northward into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north side. ​
2
The building with the door facing north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
3
Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court. ​
4
In front of the chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north.
5
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.
6
For they were arranged in three stories, and unlike the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper chambers were set back further than the lower and middle floors. ​
7
An outer wall in front of the chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to the chambers and the outer court.
8
For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those facing the temple were a hundred cubits long.
9
And below these chambers was the entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.
10
On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court were chambers adjoining the courtyard and opposite the building,
11
with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that were on the north. They had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions.
12
And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, there was a door in front of the walkway that was parallel to the wall extending eastward.

Purpose of the Holy Chambers

13
Then the man said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy. ​
14
Once the priests have entered the holy area, they must not go out into the outer court until they have left behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the places that are for the people.” ​

Measurement of the Outer Boundary

15
Now when the man had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around: ​
16
With a measuring rod he measured the east side to be five hundred cubits long. ​
17
He measured the north side to be five hundred cubits long.
18
He measured the south side to be five hundred cubits long.
19
And he came around and measured the west side to be five hundred cubits long.
20
So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common. ​

Study Notes for Ezekiel 42

Verse 1

These chambers, located in the outer court facing the Temple proper (the 'separate place'), were essential service rooms for the priests. They are described first in the north, mirroring the layout later described in the south.

Verse 3

The chambers were built in three stories and featured complex galleries. The architecture was designed to maximize the use of space between the inner court wall and the pavement of the outer court.

Verse 6

Unlike the main court structures, these chambers lacked internal supporting pillars. Consequently, the upper stories had to be narrower or 'straitened' compared to the lower floors for structural stability.

Verse 13

This verse establishes the sacred function of these rooms. They are designated 'holy chambers' for the consumption of the most sacred sacrificial portions, which only the officiating priests were permitted to eat (e.g., portions of the grain, sin, and trespass offerings).

Verse 14

This regulation emphasizes the radical separation of the holy and the profane. Priests must change out of their ministerial garments before exiting the sacred complex to ensure that the holiness of the garments is not transferred to the common people or areas.

Verse 15

Having measured the interior and functional structures of the Temple, the focus now shifts to the ultimate perimeter, defining the extent of the holy ground.

Verse 16

The measurement of five hundred reeds (a reed being six cubits, or about 10.5 feet) yields a total length of approximately 5,250 feet on each side. This describes a massive, square complex, far larger than any historical Temple in Jerusalem.

Verse 20

The ultimate purpose of this immense wall is theological: to 'make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.' This wall physically embodies the absolute holiness of God and the need for purity in His presence.

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