Old Testament Commentary - Ezekiel 40

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 40 A heavenly ministrant shows Ezekiel in vision a city wherein is the temple—He is shown the form and size of the temple and its courts.
1 IN the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the ^ahand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. 2 In the ^avisions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high ^bmountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south^a. 3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of ^abrass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a ^bmeasuring ^creed; and he stood in the gate.	2^a the frame of a city on the south The land of Israel on the south, a city and then it speaks of a temple standing there. As one follows the character and dimentions of the temple structure and its courts, if it is set out it may be determined that such could not be at Jerusalem as the geographics don't fit and neither could such a structure fit upon the hill of Jerusalem. The river (Ezekiel 47) which flows east to the sea is not possible and the size and diminsions of the thing just could not fit there. Where then and possibly when. Many denote that it is some future temple and city. A few others think that it was contemporay with Ezekiel and have supposed it to be the temple of Nephi contructed upon the land of America, that promised land which is also a Land of Israel. Thus one might consider for themselves, is this a 'vision of the future' which Ezekiel is shown or did he visit some other place such as Nephi's temple. Certainly it is not the comtempory temple at Jerusalem for it was raized to the ground at the time.
4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine ^aheart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: ^bdeclare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. 5 And behold a wall on the outside of the ^ahouse round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six ^bcubits long ^cby the cubit and an hand breadth: so he ^dmeasured the ^ebreadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
6 ¶ Then came he unto the ^agate which ^blooketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad. 7 And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. 8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward. 10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the ^alength of the gate, thirteen cubits.
12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door. 14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.
15 And from the ^aface of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. 16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were ^apalm trees.
17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were ^achambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers ^bwere upon the pavement. 18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.
20 ¶ And the gate of the ^aoutward court that looked toward the ^bnorth, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. 21 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them. 23 And the gate of the inner court was ^aover against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
24 ¶ After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. 25 And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
27 And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. 28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
30 And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad. 31 And the arches thereof were toward the ^autter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.
32 ¶ And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures. 33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 34 And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
35 ¶ And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures; 36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 37 And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps. 38 And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they ^awashed the burnt ^boffering.
39 ¶ And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the ^aburnt offering and the ^bsin offering and the ^ctrespass offering. 40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables. 41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.
42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44 ¶ And ^awithout the inner gate were the chambers of the ^bsingers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north. 45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the ^akeepers of the charge of the house.
46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the ^apriests, the keepers of the ^bcharge of the altar: these are the sons of ^cZadok among the sons of Levi, which ^dcome near to the LORD to minister unto him. 47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an ^ahundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.
48 ¶ And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. 49 The length of the ^aporch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were ^bpillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.