The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 42 -

Then the man led me out northward into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north side.

The building with the door facing north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.(a)

Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits (b) that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.

In front of the chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long.(c) Their doors were on the north.

Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.

For they were arranged in three stories, and unlike the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper chambers were set back further than the lower and middle floors.

An outer wall in front of the chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to the chambers and the outer court.

For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those facing the temple were a hundred cubits long.

And below these chambers was the entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

On the south side

(d)

along the length of the wall of the outer court were chambers adjoining the courtyard and opposite the building,

with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that were on the north. They had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions.

And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, there was a door in front of the walkway that was parallel to the wall extending eastward.

Then the man said to me, “The north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy.

Once the priests have entered the holy area, they must not go out into the outer court until they have left behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the places that are for the people.”

The Outer Measurements

Now when the man had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around:

With a measuring rod he measured the east side to be five hundred cubits long.(e)

He measured the north side to be five hundred cubits long.

He measured the south side to be five hundred cubits long.

And he came around and measured the west side to be five hundred cubits long.

So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

Footnotes

(a)42:2 The building was approximately 175 feet long and 87.5 feet wide (53.3 meters long and 26.7 meters wide).

(b)42:3 20 (long) cubits is approximately 35 feet or 10.7 meters.

(c)42:4 LXX. The walkway was approximately 17.5 feet wide and 175 feet long (5.3 meters wide and 53.3 meters long). Hebrew ten cubits wide and a cubit long.

(d)42:10 LXX; Hebrew east side

(e)42:16 See LXX; five hundred cubits from verse 17 LXX and implied in verses 16, 18, 19, and 20 is approximately 875 feet or 266.7 meters in length. Hebrew five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about, that is approximately 5,250 feet or 1,600 meters; similarly in verses 17, 18, 19, and 20.

Then he brought me out into the outer court, the way toward the north. Then he brought me into the room that was opposite the separate place, and which was opposite the building toward the north.

Facing the length of one hundred cubits(a) was the north door, and the width was fifty cubits.

Opposite the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the three stories.

Before the rooms was a walk of ten cubits’ width inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north.

Now the upper rooms were shorter; for the galleries took away from these more than from the lower and the middle in the building.

For they were in three stories, and they didn’t have pillars as the pillars of the courts. Therefore the uppermost was set back more than the lowest and the middle from the ground.

The wall that was outside by the side of the rooms, toward the outer court before the rooms, was fifty cubits long.

For the length of the rooms that were in the outer court was fifty cubits. Behold, those facing the temple were one hundred cubits.

From under these rooms was the entry on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, before the separate place, and before the building, there were rooms.

The way before them was like the appearance of the rooms which were toward the north. Their length and width were the same. All their exits had the same arrangement and doors.

Like the doors of the rooms that were toward the south was a door at the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one enters into them.

Then he said to me, “The north rooms and the south rooms, which are opposite the separate place, are the holy rooms, where the priests who are near to the LORD shall eat the most holy things. There they shall lay the most holy things, with the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.

When the priests enter in, then they shall not go out of the holy place into the outer court until they lay their garments in which they minister there; for they are holy. Then they shall put on other garments, and shall approach that which is for the people.”

The Outer Measurements

Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by the way of the gate which faces toward the east, and measured it all around.

He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed all around.

He measured on the north side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed all around.

He measured on the south side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, the length five hundred cubits, and the width five hundred cubits, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.

Footnotes

(a)42:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.