Jeremiah 38:14

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

Zedekiah the king ... took Jeremiah ... unto him into the third entry. The Hebrews in determining the position of places faced the east, which they termed 'that which is in front;' the south was thus called 'that which is on the right hand;' the north, 'that which is on the left hand;' the west, 'that which is behind.' So, beginning with the east, they might term it the first or principal entry; the south the second entry; the north the "third entry" of the outer or inner court (Maurer) - the third gate of the temple facing the palace; for through it the entrance lay from the palace into the temple (; ). It was westward (; ; ). (Grotius.) But in the future temple it is eastward (Ezekiel 46:1; .).