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Ezekiel 40

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The Vision of the New Temple Begins 1–4

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. ​
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. ​
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. ​
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. ​

Measuring the Outer Wall and East Gate 5–19

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. ​
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.
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.
8
He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
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.
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.
11
And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
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.
13
He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.
14
He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.
15
And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
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. ​
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. ​
18
And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.
19
Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward. ​

Measuring the Outer Court Gates 20–27

20
And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. ​
21
And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
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. ​
23
And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
24
After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.
25
And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
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.
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.

Measuring the Inner Court Gates 28–37

28
And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; ​
29
And the little chambers thereof, 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.
30
And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
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. ​
32
And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.
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.
34
And the arches thereof were toward the outward 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.
35
And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;
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.
37
And the posts thereof 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.

Sacrificial Facilities and Priestly Chambers 38–47

38
And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering. ​
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. ​
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.
41
Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.
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.
43
And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
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.
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. ​
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. ​
47
So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house. ​

Measuring the Temple Vestibule (Porch) 48–49

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. ​
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: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezekiel 40

Verse 1

the city was smitten — The verb is nakah, the same as in Ezek 33:21, where an escaped man came to Ezekiel in ‘the twelfth year of our captivity’ with the report, ‘The city is smitten.’ This vision comes fourteen years after that fall. ‘The hand of the LORD was upon me’ is Ezekiel’s own phrase for the LORD’s hand laid upon him (Ezek 1:3; 3:22; 33:22).

Verse 2

In the visions of God — The same words open the book, ‘I saw visions of God’ (Ezek 1:1), and mark his earlier carrying to Jerusalem (Ezek 8:3). Here he is set ‘upon a very high mountain’ in ‘the land of Israel’, with ‘the frame of a city’ (mibneh, found only here) before him. Faithful readers differ on whether the temple is to be built or is a figure; the text gives measures.

Verse 3

like the appearance of brass — There is a man ‘like the appearance of brass’, and in Daniel’s vision the arms and feet were ‘like in colour to polished brass’ (Dan 10:6). He holds ‘a line of flax’ (pethil, a cord) and ‘a measuring reed’ and stands in the gate. The measuring man returns in Ezek 47:3, in Zech 2:1–2 and with the ‘golden reed’ of Rev 21:15.

Verse 4

declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel — Ezekiel is told to see, hear and ‘set thine heart’, then to declare. The purpose is stated in Ezek 43:10: ‘shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.’ The command is repeated at Ezek 44:5, ‘mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears’.

Verse 5

a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth — The cubit used is ‘the cubit and an hand breadth’, the longer measure that the altar uses in Ezek 43:13. The wall round the house is ‘one reed’ broad and ‘one reed’ high. Ezek 42:20 gives the purpose of such a wall, ‘to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place’.

Verse 16

narrow windows — Atam, to close or make narrow, describes windows set in bevelled frames. Solomon’s temple had them: ‘windows of narrow lights’ (1 Kings 6:4), and the new house has ‘narrow windows and palm trees’ on the porch (Ezek 41:26). The palm trees on the posts are repeated at the gates in vv.22, 26, 31, 34 and 37.

Verse 17

the outward court — The outer court has thirty chambers on a ‘pavement’ (ritspah, a tessellated floor) round about. ‘Outward’ here is the Hebrew word the KJV renders ‘utter’ in v.31, and ‘utter court’ in Ezek 42:1. Rev 11:2 speaks of ‘the court which is without the temple’.

Verse 19

an hundred cubits eastward and northward — The space from the ‘lower gate’ to the front of the inner court is a hundred cubits, the same figure as the inner court’s own length and breadth in v.47. It is measured toward the east and toward the north, where the outer gates stand.

Verse 20

the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north — The north gate of the outer court is measured in length and breadth like the east gate; v.21 gives the figures, ‘fifty cubits’ by ‘five and twenty’, and says its chambers, posts and arches were ‘after the measure of the first gate’. The east gate was the first (v.6), then the north, then the south (v.24).

Verse 22

by seven steps — Maalah is a step or degree; it is the word behind the ‘degrees’ in the titles of Psalms 120–134, ‘A Song of degrees’. The outer gates are climbed by seven steps (v.26), the inner by eight (vv.31, 34). The windows, arches and palm trees follow ‘the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east’.

Verse 28

the inner court by the south gate — The inner court has three gates, south (v.28), east (v.32) and north (v.35), each measured ‘according to these measures’ (middah), as the outer ones were. Each inner gate stands ‘over against’ an outer one, a hundred cubits from it (v.23). The word ‘measures’ is the one used of the reed in v.3.

Verse 31

eight steps — The inner gates are reached by eight steps, one more than the outer gates’ seven (v.22). The arches face ‘the utter court’ and palm trees stand upon the posts, as at the outer gates. The maalah, ‘step’, is the rising of the Psalms of Degrees (Ps 120–134) and is used again of the porch in v.49.

Verse 38

where they washed the burnt offering — Duach, to rinse or cleanse. The washing of the ‘inwards and… legs’ of the burnt offering was commanded in Lev 1:9. In Solomon’s temple the ten lavers were for exactly this: ‘such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them’ (2 Chr 4:6). Here the washing room is at the posts of the gates.

Verse 39

two tables on this side, and two tables on that side — There are four tables in the porch of the gate for slaying ‘the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering’, the three offerings of Lev 1; 4; 7. ‘Trespass offering’ is asham, the word behind ‘an offering for sin’ in Isa 53:10. The law for it is in Lev 7:1, ‘the law of the trespass offering’.

Verse 45

keepers of the charge of the house — Mishmereth, a charge or watch. The same word describes the Levites ‘keeping the charge of the sanctuary’ (Num 3:28). This chamber, facing south, is for the priests who keep the house; the one facing north is for those who keep the altar (v.46).

Verse 46

the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi — The priests of the altar are the sons of Zadok, who ‘come near to the LORD to minister unto him’. Ezek 44:15–16 gives the reason, ‘the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me’. Zadok had been set in Abiathar’s place by Solomon (1 Kings 2:35).

Verse 47

an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare — Raba, to be four-sided: the inner court is a perfect square, a hundred by a hundred. ‘The altar that was before the house’ stands in front of the porch; its own measures are given later, ‘twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square’ (Ezek 43:16).

Verse 48

the porch of the house — The measuring moves from the courts to the house itself. The porch posts are five cubits ‘on this side’ and five ‘on that side’, and the gate’s breadth is three on each side. Solomon’s porch was ‘twenty cubits’ long and ‘ten cubits’ broad (1 Kings 6:3); this one is twenty by eleven (v.49).

Verse 49

by the steps whereby they went up to it — The porch is twenty cubits long and eleven broad, reached by steps (maalah). ‘Pillars’ stand by the posts, one on each side, as Solomon’s two pillars Jachin and Boaz stood ‘in the porch of the temple’ (1 Kings 7:21).