EZEKIEL, XL. PRELIMINARY NOTE ON Chapter S 40-48. These closing Chapter s of Ezekiel form one continuous prophecy of a distinctly marked character. They present a vision of the Temple in minute detail, with careful measurements of its parts; various ordinances for the Temple, for the Levites, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
XLI. This chapter gives the measurements and describes the ornaments of the Temple itself and its various appurtenances. (1) SIX CUBITS BROAD. — These _posts,_ as in other cases, are the parts of the wall at the sides of the entrance. There is an apparent discrepancy between this and the following... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LENGTH THEREOF, FORTY CUBITS. — These are exactly the dimensions of the Holy Place in Solomon’s Temple. The Holy of Holies is not included, being measured by itself in Ezekiel 41:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
WENT HE INWARD. — There is here a noticeable change in the usual expression; in all other cases the angel had brought the prophet to the places to be measured, but as he is here entering the Holy of Holies, into which, under the law, Ezekiel might not enter, the angel goes in alone. The prophetic vi... [ Continue Reading ]
BEFORE THE TEMPLE. — _Temple_ is here, as in Ezekiel 41:1, used of the Holy Place, and _before,_ or west of this, was the Holy of Holies, an exact cube, of the same size as in Solomon’s Temple. The thickness of the dividing wall between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies is nowhere mentioned, nor... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WALL OF THE HOUSE, SIX CUBITS. — The thickness of the wall is the same with that of the wall of the outer court (Ezekiel 40:5), about ten feet. Great massiveness is characteristic of Oriental architecture, but is carried to excess in this vision, to set forth the firmness and security of the thi... [ Continue Reading ]
THREE, ONE OVER ANOTHER, AND THIRTY IN ORDER. — Literally, _three_ (and that) _thirty times_ — _i.e._, there were three storeys of chambers one above the other, and this was repeated thirty times, giving thirty chambers in each storey, or ninety in all. These chambers were exactly like those surroun... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WAS AN ENLARGING. — The description in this verse is difficult to understand, and has called out much variety of opinion. The main facts are clear: that there was an increase in the width of each storey of the side chambers by the distance which the wall receded, as is expressly said in 1... [ Continue Reading ]
I SAW ALSO THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSE. — This does not mean the height of the house itself, which is nowhere stated. The words are, literally, _I saw for the house a height_ (_i.e.,_ an elevation) _round about,_ and the meaning of this is explained in what follows. The Temple, as has been already said... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT WHICH WAS LEFT. — After stating the thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers at five cubits, the prophet speaks of the remaining space left unoccupied by the building. The clause should be translated, _“and so also_ (_i.e.,_ of the same width) _was that which was left free against the h... [ Continue Reading ]
BETWEEN THE CHAMBERS. — There was a space of twenty cubits (I) between the foundation on which the chambers and the Temple stood and the wall of the court on all three sides on which the chambers extended.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DOORS OF THE SIDE CHAMBERS. — These doors opened upon the platform, that for the series on the north side to the north, and for the other to the south. There was but one door on each side, so that the series of chambers must have been entered one from another. We may now sum up the measurements... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SEPARATE PLACE. — This is the space at the west end of the Temple (20 cubits broad) before coming to another building. Nothing is here said of the purposes of this other building; but it is probably “the appointed place” (Ezekiel 43:21) for the burning of the sin-offering, and also of any remain... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE MEASURED. — The rest of the chapter consists of an enumeration of various details, for the most part not before mentioned, and this is introduced by a summary of the measurements already made. This clause is therefore to be understood as equivalent to “So he measured,” or, “And he had measure... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DOOR POSTS. — This is the same word as in Ezekiel 40:6, &c., and means _thresholds._ The various particulars mentioned — the thresholds, the windows, and the galleries — are all to be taken in connection with the “he measured” of Ezekiel 41:15, and are details of the three buildings there spoken... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THAT ABOVE THE DOOR. — Better, (_The space_) _over above the door, both to the inner house and without_... (_was_)_ by measure._ The verse is an emphatic repetition of the fact that everything was by measure.... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH CHERUBIMS AND PALM TREES. — Ezekiel 41:18 describe the interior ornamentation of the Temple, which was like that of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6:29). It may be assumed that here, as there, these figures were carved upon the woodwork. The “s” at the end of “cherubims” is quite unnecessary, “... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO ABOVE THE DOOR. — The height of the door is nowhere mentioned, and therefore there is nothing to determine how high up the carving was carried; but as it is said that it was also “upon the wall of the Temple,” we may assume that the whole interior wall was ceiled with carved wood as in Solomon’... [ Continue Reading ]
THE POSTS OF THE TEMPLE. — _Posts_ is a different word from that hitherto used, and always means the framework in which the doors were hung. _Temple_ is, as before, the Holy Place, in distinction from the _sanctuary,_ or Holy of Holies. The door-frames of both were square and just alike.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ALTAR OF WOOD. — This is what was known in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:1) as the altar of incense, and in the Temple as the altar of gold (1 Kings 7:48), although here its dimensions are enlarged. THE CORNERS THEREOF. — This doubtless includes the “horns,” or projecting pieces at the corners, whi... [ Continue Reading ]
TWO TURNING LEAVES. — The doors both of the Holy Place and of the Holy of Holies are more fully described in 1 Kings 6:31. It is to be understood that each of them was made in two parts, and each part again in two leaves folding back, so that there were in all four leaves in each door.... [ Continue Reading ]
THICK PLANKS. — After stating that the doors just described were ornamented like the walls, the prophet speaks of something that was on the outer front of the porch. What this was, is extremely doubtful, as the word is elsewhere used only in 1 Kings 7:6, of something in front of Solomon’s cloisters... [ Continue Reading ]
WINDOWS AND PALM TREES. — These have already been mentioned in connection with the gateways (Ezekiel 40:16), and are now further described as in the “side chambers of the temple.” The last word, translated “thick planks,” is very obscure. If it be the plural of the word used in Ezekiel 41:25, it wou... [ Continue Reading ]