Ezekiel 40:17-19

When Ezekiel had gone through the gate, he saw a large yard. We have called this yard ‘the outer area’. It was on three sides of the *temple. Ordinary people could enter the outer area. Here, they could *worship God. But they could not go any further towards the *temple. The inner spaces and buildings were very sacred, and only priests could enter there.

The north and south gates – Ezekiel 40:20-27

v20 The man measured the length and width of the north gate, that leads to the outer area. v21 This gate had three rooms on each side. The inner walls and the entrance were the same size as the first gate. It was 50 *cubits long and 25 *cubits wide. v22 The windows, entrance, and pictures of palm trees measured the same as the east gate. There were 7 steps up to the gate. The entrance was at the inner end. v23 There was a gate to the inner area across from the north gate. It was the same as that at the east gate. The man measured it. It was 100 *cubits from the inner gate to the outer gate.

v24 Then the man led me south where I saw the south gate. He measured its inner walls and its entrance. They were the same size as the other gates. v25 The gate and its entrance had windows all about like the other gates. It was 50 *cubits long and 25 *cubits wide. v26 There were 7 steps up to this gate. Its entrance was at the inner end. And it had pictures of palm trees on its inner walls. v27 The inner area had a gate on its south side. The man measured from gate to gate on the south side. It was 100 *cubits.