*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 42

1The chambers for the priests. 13The use thereof. 15The measures of the outward court.


1THEN 1he brought me forth into the 2utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the 3chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north.

1 That Man, mentioned in Ezek. 40:3.

2 Understand the hindmost outer court, in the west, wherein the hinder part of the temple stood, and whereof a part was cut off. Compare Ezek. 41:12 with the annotation.

3 Hebr. chamber, that is, chambers, chamber building, row of chambers, as verses 4 and 5. Compare Ezek. 40:45, 46, where also the singular number is used, but there it is not expounded by the plural number, as is done here in the sequel, and therefore it seems it ought to be so expounded in the 40th chapter from this place; though some do here also retain the singular number in the text, as well as in the 40th chapter.

24Before the length of an hundred cubits 5was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.

4 Hebr. Toward the face.

5 Other, towards.

3Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery 6against gallery in three stories.

6 Hebr. against the face of.

4And 7before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and 8their doors toward the north.

7 Hebr. before the face.

8 Of the walks or galleries.

5Now the upper chambers were 9shorter: for the galleries were 10higher than these, 11than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.

9 Or, narrower. Hebr. shorter.

10 Or, excelled them. Hebr. prevailed more than they, overpowered them. Other, did eat of them, that is, by their height they took away from the uppermost chambers a great part of their space, as also the prospect into the temple, and made them so narrow that they were not suitable for dwelling, according to the opinion of some.

11 Other, of the lowermost, and of the middlemost was the building, that is, the lowermost and the middlemost were only suitable for dwelling.

6For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building 12was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground.

12 Or, therefore they were. Hebr. it was.

7And the 13wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the 14forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits.

13 Understand a partition wall, making a partition and a particular space. See of the Hebrew word Psalm 62 on verse 3. Also verses 10 and 12.

14 Hebr. toward the face.

8For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, 15before the temple were an hundred cubits.

15 Hebr. at, or before the face.

9And from 16under these chambers was the 17entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.

16 Or, from the place.

17 Other, When he that had brought me in from the east, from the place of these chambers, went into the chambers out of the outermost court; (and then so on in the next verse) then there were in the breadth, etc.

10The 18chambers were 19in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, 20over against the separate place, and over against the building.

18 Understand other chambers, or (as some): these aforementioned chambers.

19 Or, at, upon the thickness.

20 Hebr. toward the face, and so straightway again.

11And the 21way 22before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, 23as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.

21 Or, manner, situation.

22 Hebr. before the face.

23 That is, they were similar to them, in length, breadth, exits, forms and doors.

12And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, 24even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.

24 Hebr. in the face of the straight (or immediately ascending, fair) wall. Other, the way directly, or immediately before the wall.

13¶Then said 25he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are 26before the separate place, they be 27holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the 28most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, 29and the 30meat offering, and the 31sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.

25 This Man, Ezek. 40:3.

26 Hebr. toward the face.

27 Hebr. chambers of holiness.

28 Hebr. the holinesses of holinesses. Also in the sequel. See Lev. 2 on verse 3.

29 Or, namely.

30 See Leviticus 2.

31 See Ezek. 40 on verse 39.

14When the priests enter 32therein, then shall they not 33go out of the holy place into the utter court, but 34there they shall lay their 35garments wherein they minister; for they are 36holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to 37those things which are for the people.

32 Into the sanctuary.

33 Namely, in or with their holy garments in which they ministered.

34 In these holy chambers.

35 Our High Priest Christ is arrayed with sweet smelling garments of salvation, and of His merits, with the robe of righteousness, wherewith He clothes and covers His church, Psalm 45:8; Isa. 61:10; 63:1. His ministers, who approach unto the Lord, must be arrayed with such virtues in particular, as are required unto their office. See 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7. Of the spiritual garments of the entire church see Psalm 45:13; Cant. 4:11; Mat. 22:11; Rom. 13:14; 2 Cor. 5:3; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; Rev. 3:4, 5, 18; 16:15; 19:8, etc.

36 That is, exceeding holy. Understand the garments, or the chambers, which were both holy, wherefore they were to put off the holy garments of their ministry, and to leave them there.

37 That is, they must come into those places in the outermost court (as was said in the previous words of this verse), which is for the common people, with other garments.

15Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is 38toward the east, and 39measured it round about.

38 Hebr. whose face was, etc.

39 Understand: He measured the east gate with the wall in its four-square, which compassed about the entire place of this entire new building, in the east, north, south and west; that is, the total circumference He measured from the east unto the west. See Ezek. 40 on verse 5.

16He measured the 40east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, 41with the measuring reed 42round about.

40 Hebr. east wind (also in the sequel), that is, the side that was situated toward the east-wind.

41 Or, after, from; and so in the sequel.

42 All along the entire side. Also in the sequel.

17He measured the north side, five hundred reeds,a with the measuring reed round about.

a (Heb. qaneh) 6 cubits; 105 inches or 2.67 meters

18He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.

19¶He turned about to the 43west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

43 Hebr. the sea.

20He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the 44sanctuary and the profaneb place.

44 Hebr. holiness. Understand between the spiritual and ecclesiastical, temporal or civil, that is, between this holy circumference in its totality (see Ezek. 43:12), and the city with her appurtenances. See Ezek. 48:15, as there was also still some difference between the sanctuary and the places of the people. See verse 14.

b common, unholy