1 And he bringeth me in unto the temple, and he measureth the posts, six cubits the breadth on this side, and six cubits the breadth on that side -- the breadth of the tent.
2 And the breadth of the opening `is' ten cubits; and the sides of the opening `are' five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side; and he measureth its length forty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
3 And he hath gone inward, and measureth the post of the opening two cubits, and the opening six cubits, and the breadth of the opening seven cubits.
4 And he measureth its length twenty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, unto the front of the temple, and he saith unto me, `This `is' the holy of holies.'
5 And he measureth the wall of the house six cubits, and the breadth of the side-chamber four cubits, all round the house round about.
6 And the side-chambers `are' side-chamber by side-chamber, three and thirty times; and they are entering into the wall -- which the house hath for the side-chambers all round about -- to be taken hold of, and they are not taken hold of by the wall of the house.
7 And a broad place and a turning place still upwards `are' to the side-chambers, for the turning round of the house `is' still upwards all round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house `is' upwards, and so the lower one goeth up unto the higher by the midst.
8 And I have looked at the house, the height all round about: the foundations of the side-chambers `are' the fulness of the reed, six cubits by the joining.
9 The breadth of the wall that `is' to the side-chamber at the outside `is' five cubits; and that which is left `is' the place of the side-chambers that `are' to the house.
10 And between the chambers `is' a breadth of twenty cubits round about the house, all round about.
11 And the opening of the side-chamber `is' to the place left, one opening northward, and one opening southward, and the breadth of the place that is left `is' five cubits all round about.
12 As to the building that `is' at the front of the separate place `at' the corner westward, the breadth `is' seventy cubits, and the wall of the building five cubits broad all round about, and its length ninety cubits.
13 And he hath measured the house, the length `is' a hundred cubits; and the separate place, and the building, and its walls, the length `is' a hundred cubits;
14 and the breadth of the front of the house, and of the separate place eastward, a hundred cubits.
15 And he hath measured the length of the building unto the front of the separate place that `is' at its hinder part, and its galleries on this side and on that side, a hundred cubits, and the inner temple and the porches of the court,
16 the thresholds, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about them three, over-against the threshold, a ceiling of wood all round about, and the ground unto the windows and the covered windows,
17 over above the opening, and unto the inner-house, and at the outside, and by all the wall all round about within and without `by' measure.
18 And it is made `with' cherubs and palm-trees, and a palm-tree `is' between cherub and cherub, and two faces `are' to the cherub;
19 and the face of man `is' unto the palm-tree on this side, and the face of a young lion unto the palm-tree on that side; it is made unto all the house all round about.
20 from the earth unto above the opening `are' the cherubs and the palm-trees made, and `on' the wall of the temple.
21 Of the temple the side post `is' square, and of the front of the sanctuary, the appearance `is' as the appearance.
22 Of the altar, the wood `is' three cubits in height, and its length two cubits; and its corners `are' to it, and its length, and its walls `are' of wood, and he speaketh unto me, `This `is' the table that `is' before Jehovah.'
23 And two doors `are' to the temple and to the sanctuary;
24 and two leaves `are' to the doors, two turning leaves `are' to the doors, two to the one door, and two leaves to the other.
25 And made on them, on the doors of the temple, `are' cherubs and palm-trees as are made on the walls, and a thickness of wood `is' at the front of the porch on the outside.
26 And narrow windows and palm-trees `are' on this side, and on that side, at the sides of the porch, and the side-chambers of the house, and the thick places.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 41
Commentary on Ezekiel 41 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 41
Eze 41:1-26. The Chambers and Ornaments of the Temple.
1. tabernacle—As in the measurement of the outer porch he had pointed to Solomon's temple, so here in the edifice itself, he points to the old tabernacle, which being eight boards in breadth (each one and a half cubits broad) would make in all twelve cubits, as here. On the interior it was only ten cubits.
2. length thereof—namely, of the holy place [Fairbairn].
3. inward—towards the most holy place.
4. thereof—of the holy of holies.
before the temple—that is, before, or in front of the most holy place (so "temple" is used in 1Ki 6:3). The angel went in and measured it, while Ezekiel stood in front, in the only part of the temple accessible to him. The dimensions of the two apartments are the same as in Solomon's temple, since being fixed originally by God, they are regarded as finally determined.
5. side chamber—the singular used collectively for the plural. These chambers were appendages attached to the outside of the temple, on the west, north, and south; for on the east side, the principal entrance, there were no chambers. The narrowness of the chambers was in order that the beams could be supported without needing pillars. The plan is similar to that of the hall at Koyunjik, a large central hall, called the oracle, with smaller rooms built round it.
6. might … hold, but … not hold in … wall of the house—1Ki 6:6 tells us there were rests made in the walls of the temple for supports to the side chambers; but the temple walls did not thereby become part of this side building; they stood separate from it. "They entered," namely, the beams of the chambers, which were three-storied and thirty in consecutive order, entered into the wall, that is, were made to lean on rests projecting from the wall.
7. the breadth … so increased from the lowest … to the highest—that is, the breadth of the interior space above was greater than that below.
8. foundations … six … cubits—the substructure, on which the foundations rested, was a full reed of six cubits.
great—literally, "to the extremity" or root, namely, of the hand [Henderson]. "To the joining," or point, where the foundation of one chamber ceased and another began [Fairbairn].
9. that which was left—There was an unoccupied place within chambers that belonged to the house. The buildings in this unoccupied place, west of the temple, and so much resembling it in size, imply that no place was to be left which was to be held, as of old, not sacred. Manasseh (2Ki 23:11) had abused these "suburbs of the temple" to keeping horses sacred to the sun. All excuse for such abominations was henceforth to be taken away, the Lord claiming every space, and filling up this also with sacred erections [Fairbairn].
10. the chambers—that is, of the priests in the court: between these and the side chambers was the wideness, &c. While long details are given as to the chambers, &c., no mention is made of the ark of the covenant. Fairbairn thus interprets this: In future there was to be a perfect conformity to the divine idea, such as there had not been before. The dwellings of His people should all become true sanctuaries of piety. Jehovah Himself, in the full display of the divine Shekinah, shall come in the room of the ark of the covenant (Jer 3:16, 17). The interior of the temple stands empty, waiting for His entrance to fill it with His glory (Eze 43:1-12). It is the same temple, but the courts of it have become different to accommodate a more numerous people. The entire compass of the temple mount has become a holy of holies (Eze 43:12).
12-15. Sum of the measures of the temple, and of the buildings behind and on the side of it.
15. galleries—terrace buildings. On the west or back of the temple, there was a separate place occupied by buildings of the same external dimensions as the temple, that is, one hundred cubits square in the entire compass [Fairbairn].
16. covered—being the highest windows they were "covered" from the view below. Or else "covered with lattice-work."
17. by measure—Measurements were taken [Fairbairn].
21. appearance of the one as the appearance of the other—The appearance of the sanctuary or holy of holies was similar to that of the temple. They differed only in magnitude.
22. table … before the Lord—the altar of incense (Eze 44:16). At it, not at the table of showbread, the priests daily ministered. It stood in front of the veil, and is therefore said to be "before the Lord." It is called a table, as being that at which the Lord will take delight in His people, as at a feast. Hence its dimensions are larger than that of old—three cubits high, two broad, instead of two and one.
25. thick planks—a thick-plank work at the threshold.