1 In the twenty and fifth year of our removal, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in this self-same day hath a hand of Jehovah been upon me, and He bringeth me in thither;
2 in visions of God He hath brought me in unto the land of Israel, and causeth me to rest on a very high mountain, and upon it `is' as the frame of a city on the south.
3 And He bringeth me in thither, and lo, a man, his appearance as the appearance of brass, and a thread of flax in his hand, and a measuring-reed, and he is standing at the gate,
4 and the man speaketh unto me: `Son of man, see with thine eyes, And with thine ears hear, And set thy heart to all that I am shewing thee, For, in order to shew `it' thee, Thou hast been brought in hither, Declare all that thou art seeing to the house of Israel.'
5 And lo, a wall on the outside of the house all round about, and in the hand of the man a measuring-reed, six cubits by a cubit and a handbreadth, and he measureth the breadth of the building one reed, and the height one reed.
6 And he cometh in unto the gate whose front `is' eastward, and he goeth up by its steps, and he measureth the threshold of the gate one reed broad, even the one threshold one reed broad,
7 and the little chamber one reed long and one reed broad, and between the little chambers five cubits, and the threshold of the gate, from the side of the porch of the gate from within, one reed.
8 And he measureth the porch of the gate from within one reed,
9 and he measureth the porch of the gate eight cubits, and its posts two cubits, and the porch of the gates from within,
10 and the little chambers of the gate eastward, three on this side, and three on that side; one measure `is' to them three, and one measure `is' to the posts, on this side and on that side.
11 And he measureth the breadth of the opening of the gate ten cubits, the length of the gate thirteen cubits;
12 and a border before the little chambers, one cubit, and one cubit `is' the border on this side, and the little chamber `is' six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
13 And he measureth the gate from the roof of the `one' little chamber to the roof of another; the breadth twenty and five cubits, opening over-against opening.
14 And he maketh the posts of sixty cubits, even unto the post of the court, the gate all round about;
15 and by the front of the gate of the entrance, by the front of the porch of the inner gate, fifty cubits;
16 and narrow windows `are' unto the little chambers, and unto their posts at the inside of the gate all round about -- and so to the arches -- and windows all round about `are' at the inside, and at the post `are' palm-trees.
17 And he bringeth me in unto the outer court, and lo, chambers and a pavement made for the court all round about -- thirty chambers on the pavement --
18 and the pavement unto the side of the gates over-against the length of the gates `is' the lower pavement;
19 and he measureth the breadth from before the lower gate, to the front of the inner court, on the outside, a hundred cubits, eastward and northward.
20 As to the gate of the outer court whose front `is' northward, he hath measured its length and its breadth;
21 and its little chambers, three on this side, and three on that side, and its posts and its arches have been according to the measure of the first gate, fifty cubits its length, and the breadth five and twenty by the cubit;
22 and its windows, and its arches, and its palm-trees `are' according to the measure of the gate whose face `is' eastward, and by seven steps they go up on it, and its arches `are' before them.
23 And the gate of the inner court `is' over-against the gate at the north and at the east; and he measureth from gate unto gate, a hundred cubits.
24 And he causeth me to go southward, and lo, a gate southward, and he hath measured its posts and its arches according to these measures;
25 and windows `are' to it and to its arches all round about, like these windows, fifty cubits the length, and the breadth five and twenty cubits;
26 and seven steps `are' its ascent, and its arches `are' before them, and palm-trees `are' to it, one on this side, and one on that side, at its posts;
27 and the gate of the inner court `is' southward, and he measureth from gate unto gate southward, a hundred cubits.
28 And he bringeth me in unto the inner court by the south gate, and he measureth the south gate according to these measures;
29 and its little chambers, and its posts, and its arches `are' according to these measures, and windows `are' to it and to its arches all round about; fifty cubits the length, and the breadth twenty and five cubits.
30 As to the arches all round about, the length `is' five and twenty cubits, and the breadth five cubits;
31 and its arches `are' unto the outer court, and palm-trees `are' unto its posts, and eight steps `are' its ascent.
32 And he bringeth me in unto the inner court eastward, and he measureth the gate according to these measures;
33 and its little chambers, and its posts, and its arches `are' according to these measures: and windows `are' to it and to its arches all round about, the length fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits;
34 and its arches `are' toward the outer court, and palm-trees `are' toward its posts, on this side and on that side, and eight steps `are' its ascent.
35 And he bringeth me in unto the north gate, and hath measured according to these measures;
36 its little chambers, its posts, and its arches; and windows `are' to it all round about: the length fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits;
37 and its posts `are' to the outer court, and palm-trees `are' unto its posts, on this side and on that side, and eight steps `are' its ascent.
38 And the chamber and its opening `is' by the posts of the gates, there they purge the burnt-offering.
39 And in the porch of the gate `are' two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slaughter on them the burnt-offering, and the sin-offering, and the guilt-offering;
40 and at the side without, at the going up to the opening of the north gate, `are' two tables; and at the other side that `is' at the porch of the gate, `are' two tables;
41 four tables `are' on this side, and four tables on that side, at the side of the gate, eight tables on which they slaughter.
42 And the four tables for burnt-offering `are' of hewn stone: the length one cubit and a half, and the breadth one cubit and a half, and the height one cubit: on them they place the instruments with which they slaughter the burnt-offering and the sacrifice.
43 And the boundaries `are' one handbreadth, prepared within all round about: and on the tables `is' the flesh of the offering.
44 And on the outside of the inner gate `are' chambers of the singers, in the inner court, that `are' at the side of the north gate, and their fronts `are' southward, one at the side of the east gate `hath' the front northward.
45 And he speaketh unto me: `This chamber, whose front `is' southward, `is' for priests keeping charge of the house;
46 and the chamber, whose front `is' northward, `is' for priests keeping charge of the altar: they `are' sons of Zadok, who are drawing near of the sons of Levi unto Jehovah, to serve Him.'
47 And he measureth the court: the length a hundred cubits, and the breadth a hundred cubits, square, and the altar `is' before the house.
48 And he bringeth me in unto the porch of the house, and he measureth the post 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;
49 the length of the porch twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and by the steps whereby they go up unto it: and pillars `are' at the posts, one on this side, and one on that side.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 40
Commentary on Ezekiel 40 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 40
The waters of the sanctuary which this prophet saw in vision (ch. 47:1) are a proper representation of this prophecy. Hitherto the waters have been sometimes but to the ankles, in other places to the knees, or to the loins, but now the waters have risen, and have become "a river which cannot be passed over.' Here is one continued vision, beginning at this chapter, to the end of the book, which is justly looked upon to be one of the most difficult portions of scripture in all the book of God. The Jews will not allow any to read it till they are thirty years old, and tell those who do read it that, though they cannot understand every thing in it, "when Elias comes he will explain it.' Many commentators, both ancient and modern, have owned themselves at a loss what to make of it and what use to make of it. But because it is hard to be understood we must not therefore throw it by, but humbly search concerning it, get as far as we can into it and as much as we can out of it, and, when we despair of satisfaction in every difficulty we meet with, bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough, and wait till God shall reveal even this unto us. These chapters are the more to be regarded because the last two chapters of the Revelation seem to have a plain allusion to them, as Rev. 20 has to the foregoing prophecy of Gog and Magog. Here is the vision of a glorious temple (in this chapter and ch. 41 and 42), of God's taking possession of it (ch. 43), orders concerning the priests that are to minister in this temple (ch. 44), the division of the land, what portion should be allotted for the sanctuary, what for the city, and what for the prince, both in his government of the people and his worship of God (ch. 45), and further instructions for him and the people, ch. 46. After the vision of the holy waters we have the borders of the holy land, and the portions assigned to the tribes, and the dimensions and gates of the holy city, ch. 47, 48. Some make this to represent what had been during the flourishing state of the Jewish church, how glorious Solomon's temple was in its best days, that the captives might see what they had lost by sin and might be the more humbled. But that seems not probable. The general scope of it I take to be,
In this chapter we have,
Eze 40:1-4
Here is,
Eze 40:5-26
The measuring-reed which was in the hand of the surveyor-general was mentioned before, v. 3. Here we are told (v. 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 ch. 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,
Eze 40:27-38
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 south side (v. 27), proceeds to the east (v. 32), and so to the north (v. 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, 1 Chr. 9:24; 26:8. But Josephus says that in the second temple there was no gate on the west side. Observe,
Eze 40:39-49
In these verses we have an account,