The measures, parts, chambers, and ornaments of the temple.
1AFTERWARD 1he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubitsa broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the 2tabernacle.
1 The Man, of Whom Ezek. 40:3.
a of a man (ordinary cubit): OT length (Heb. ammah): from elbow to fingertip; 2 spans; 17.5 inches or 445 millimeters
2 That is (according to the opinion of some), as broad as the tabernacle of the congregation was, which was set up by Moses at God’s appointment; where there was the breadth of eight boards, each one cubit and an half, making together twelve cubits. See Exod. 26:22, 23, 24, 25, with the annotation.
2And the breadth of the 3door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured 4the length 5thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits.
3 Or, of the entry, namely, of the holy place.
4 Or (as some), one length; likewise in the sequel one breadth, which may agree in the sense with these words the length and the breadth, when there follows another length and breadth, as here in verse 4.
5 The temple.
3Then went he 6inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.
6 To the holy of holies, or the most holy place, as verse 4.
4So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, 7before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the 8most holy place.
7 Hebr. against, or before the face.
8 That is, the holy of holies, or the most holy place. See Exod. 26:33, and concerning the manner of speech Lev. 2 on verse 3, and compare Cant. 1 on verse 1. Here indeed mention is made of the building of the holy place and of the most holy place, but not what was in them (as is well-known concerning Moses’ tabernacle and Solomon’s temple) except the wooden alter, verse 22, standing before the most holy place.
5After he measured the wall of the house, 9six cubits; and the breadth of every 10iside chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side.
9 In thickness, as some take it and the thing itself seems to show.
10 These side chambers were built on the outside, round about the temple. Compare 1 Kings 6:5, 6, 8, 10, and see the annotation there.
6And the side chambers were three, 11one over another, 12and thirty in order; and they entered into the 13wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, 14but they had not hold 15in the wall of the house.
11 That is (according to the common opinion), each chamber building had three stories, and over them three chambers, one above the another.
12 Or, (as others) three and thirty times; that is, there were thirty of such chambers, or, (as others) three and thirty divided into ten, or, (as others) eleven chamber buildings, each building having three chambers one above another.
13 Understand a special wall, which was made at the wall of the temple for these chambers, as some expound it; but others conceive that they rested upon the beams which lay upon the narrow rests of the wall of the temple under every story, without being fastened into the wall of the temple. Compare 1 Kings 6:6, with the annotations.
14 Or, for.
15 Or, on.
7And there was an enlarging, and a 16winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house 17went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so 18increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.
16 Or thus: And there was a widening and a winding about (or going about, that is, a winding stairs, as some conceive by comparing with 1 Kings 6:8) upwards towards above to the side-chambers; for the winding about of the house went upward towards above round about the house, etc. Other, For the wall was the longer the broader, in regard it was compassed above with side-chambers, etc.
17 With this chamber building.
18 That is, the lowest chamber increased little by little, grew in breadth, so that the side-chambers waxed still broader or wider, in regard of the narrowed rests of the wall of these chambers, or of the temple, as is noted at verse 6. Other, they went up from the lowest or the lowest, namely, chamber, etc.
8I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a 19full reedb of six great cubits.20
19 Hebr. the fullness of a reed.
b (Heb. qaneh) 6 cubits; 105 inches or 2.67 meters
20 Understand: six cubits, the cubit taken to the arm-pit. Otherwise every cubit of the measuring reed was a common cubit, or elbow, and but an handbreadth more, Ezek. 40:5. Other, six cubits to the end.
9The thickness of the wall, which was for the 21side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the 22place of the side chambers 23that were within.
21 Or, side-chambers. Hebr. side-chamber.
22 Or, the large space. Hebr. properly: house; which is also elsewhere taken for places. See 2 Sam. 15 on verse 17, etc.
23 Or, that were at the house.
10And 24between the chambers was the 25wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side.
24 That is, between the other chambers and these side-chambers.
25 That is, a space, place.
1126And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.
26 Hebr. The door, or entry, opening of the side-chambers, that is, of each one.
12Now the 27building that was 28before the separate place at the end toward the 29west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits.
27 Some understand hereby the wall on the east, south and north, with a back wall in the west, by which a part of the court was cut off and separated. Compare Ezek. 42:1
28 Hebr. before the face.
29 Hebr. the sea, as throughout.
1330So he measured the 31house, an hundred cubits long; 32and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;
30 Or, Also, etc.
31 The temple.
32 Or, so that, etc.
14Also the breadth of the 33face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits.
33 Or, the fore-part. Hebr. face.
15And he measured the length of the building 34over against the separate place which was behind it, and the 35galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;
34 Hebr. at, or against the face.
35 Or, separate walking places, walks, paled off with pillars.
16The door posts, and 36the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their 37three stories, over against the door, 38cieledc with wood round about, and from the 39ground up to the windows, and the windows were 40covered;
36 See Ezek. 40:16.
37 Or, which had those three pieces round about, namely, (as some) the place that was cut off, the temple, and the outermost court. Other, in the three rows thereof. Compare Ezek. 42:3.
38 Hebr. covering over, overlaying, wainscoting.
c paneled, overlaid
39 Or, earth; also verse 20.
40 Or, covered over, overlaid.
17To that above the door, 41even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, 42by measure.
41 Or, namely.
42 That is, it was all measured exactly and accurately.
18And it was made with 43cherubims and 44palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces;
43 That is, forms or shapes of cherubims, that is, angels. See Ezek. 10:15, 20.
44 See Ezek. 40 on verse 16.
19So that the 45face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.
45 To signify that the angelical understanding, will, affection and friendly service, are at Christ’s command, continually present in His house, about the palm trees (that is, the righteous), and as young lions do boldly, and with the strength and power which they have received from God, protect and defend it. Compare Ezek. 1 on verses 5 and 10, and see Heb. 1:14, etc.; and likewise that all believers, in general, should be followers of the virtues of the holy angels, and each one in his calling, of their willing and fervent obedience in executing God’s commands, and so spiritually to adorn the house of God, until they become in heaven as unto the angels of God. See Ezek. 1 on verses 9 and 11; Luke 15:7, 10; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 19:10; 22:9, etc.
20From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple.
21The 46posts of the temple were squared, and the 47face of the sanctuary; the 48appearance of the one as the appearance of the other.
46 Hebr. The post, that is, every post of the holy place, here distinguished by the name of the temple from the most holy place, which is called the sanctuary or the holy place, as also Lev. 4:6; 16:2, 3, 17, 27. See the annotation there. So likewise Psalm 20:2, etc.
47 Or, the fore-part. Hebr. face, where the altar stood before the vail of the most holy place, whereof in the sequel.
48 This similarity of form points to several things, but the closest seems to be that we should understand it of the similarity of the posts or jambs, and the cherubims and palm trees, of which is spoken in the previous words and verse 20.
22The 49altar of wood was three cubits high, and the 50length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the 51walls thereof, were of wood: and 52he said unto me, This is the 53table that is before the LORD.
49 Hereby is meant the altar of incense, standing before the holy of holies, called in the next verse sanctuary. In Solomon’s temple and Moses’ tabernacle this altar was overlaid with fine gold. See Exod. 30:1, 2; 2 Chron. 4:19. The measures of this altar were greater in this new temple than they were previous, typifying the intercession of our Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who continually appears for us before the face of His Father, not only for the believing Jews, but also for all believing Gentiles in all the corners of the world; as also the prayers that we make in Christ’s Name and which ascend before the face of God. See hereof Psalm 141:2; 1 John 2:1, 2; Rev. 5:8, etc.
50 Understand the uppermost board or leaf, whereon they set the incense.
51 That is, sides.
52 Namely, the Man, Who led the prophet and showed him all these things. See Ezek. 40:3.
53 A most sweet and pleasant name, intimating, that the Lord Christ is not only our Altar, but also our Host and Table, inviting, entertaining and satisfying all true faithful worshippers with the enjoyment and communion of His soul-saving merits, here initially and in part, and hereafter perfectly. Compare Psalm 16:11; 23:5; 36:8 with the annotation; Prov. 9:2, etc. Likewise Mal. 1:7, 12 with the annotations; Mat. 8:11; 22:2, etc.; Luke 22:29, 30; Rev. 3:20.
23And the temple and the sanctuary had two 54doors.
54 Hereby with some we may understand the Lord Jesus Christ, presented in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, by which two doors we must all enter with true sincere faith into the blessed fellowship of Christ and His church. The Christian reader may compare John 10:7, 9; Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:8, 9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3; Rev. 3:8, etc.
24And the doors had two leaves apiece, two 55turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.
55 Or, wind about, fold about, turn about.
25And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick 56planks upon the 57face of the porch without.
56 That is, beams, thick planks, as in the following verse.
57 Or, the fore-part. Hebr. face.
2658And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.
58 Or thus: And there were shut windows and palm trees on this side and on that side, on the sides of the porch; and upon the side-chambers, etc.