The Man with a Measuring Rod
The prophet’s tour of the new Temple proceeded...
The prophet’s tour of the new Temple proceeded from the outside of the Temple into its center. From the inside, he then returned outwards, ending up at the kitchens in the corners of the outer courtyard (46:19–24).
The final section of Ezekiel focuses on the...
The final section of Ezekiel focuses on the new Temple (40:1–47:12; see “Temple Architecture as Theology” Theme Note; “Temple Legislation as Theology” Theme Note) and on reallotment of the land (47:13–48:35; see “Israel’s Geography as Theology” Theme Note). The Temple at the center of the land was the capstone of God’s program of restoring and sanctifying his people so that he could once again dwell in their midst (see 37:28). This Temple, which Ezekiel saw in a vision, was never actually constructed.
1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He took me there. 2In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.
3So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4“Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”
The East Gate
The exact architectural details of the Temple are...
The exact architectural details of the Temple are difficult to translate, but the overall impression of these gates was unmistakable. They were fortress-like constructions, designed to keep out unauthorized intruders. The eastern gateway is described first since it was the most important. It lay on the sacred east–west axis of the Temple along which the entire construction was oriented, and it was the gate through which the glory of the Lord would finally return (43:1–5).
5And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits († each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.
6Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep.† 7Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits† between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep. 8Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside;† 9it was eight cubits deep,† and its jambs were two cubits thick.† And the portico of the gateway faced the temple.
10There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements. 11And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits,† and its length was thirteen cubits.†
12In front of each gate chamber was a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits square. 13Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits† from doorway to doorway.
14Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cubits high.† The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard. 15And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty cubits.†
16The gate chambers and their side pillars† had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.
The Outer Court
The outer courtyard provided a buffer zone around...
The outer courtyard provided a buffer zone around the holy things in the inner courtyard, and thirty rooms were built around the walls. The purpose of these rooms is not stated, nor are their dimensions precisely given, which heightens the contrast between the relatively less significant outer area of the Temple and the crucially important central holy space. These rooms were most likely to be used by the Levites for a variety of activities.
17Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement, 18which flanked the gateways and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.
19Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits† on the east side as well as on the north.
The North Gate
The gateway on the north and the south...
The gateway on the north and the south gateway are described in similar terms, though in less detail than the east gateway. They were also a formidable defensive barrier against the intrusion of any defilement. There is no west gateway to the outer or the inner court because the area behind the Temple proper was blocked off to prevent access from the rear.
20He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north. 21Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.
23There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be a hundred cubits.
The South Gate
24Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others. 25Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 26Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side.
27The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway toward the south to be a hundred cubits.
The Gates of the Inner Court
The inner courtyard was separated from the outer...
The inner courtyard was separated from the outer courtyard by another series of substantial gateways, similar in scale and function to the gateways of the outer courtyard. These gateways had entry rooms facing outward toward the outer courtyard, rather than inward as at the outer gates.
28Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. 29Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30(The porticoes around the inner court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.)† 31Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.
32And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
There is no mention of a wall around...
There is no mention of a wall around the inner courtyard, perhaps because it was elevated from the outer court by another eight steps, perhaps a total of eight feet. If there were no wall around the inner court, there would be a free-standing archway that provided a clear view of activities in the inner area without any likelihood of accidental trespass into the realm of the sacred. Alternatively, reference to a wall around the inner court may simply have been omitted.
35Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, 36as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37Its portico† faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
The sacrificial animals were slaughtered and prepared in...
- The sacrificial animals were slaughtered and prepared in rooms beside the gateways into the inner courtyard. This detail highlights the primary function of this new Temple as a place of sacrifice. The animals had to be washed and cut into pieces before they could be offered on the altar.
- This new Temple in Ezekiel’s vision was radically focused on sacrifices that atoned for sin. By contrast, the Temple in Jerusalem was both a center for sacrifice and a house for prayer (see 1 Kgs 8:27–30, 52–53; Isa 56:6–8; Matt 21:13).
38There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico† in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed. 39Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.
40Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered.
42There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high.† On these were placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.
43The double-pronged hooks,† each a handbreadth long,† were fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables.
Chambers for Ministry
44Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two chambers,† one beside the north gate and facing south, and another beside the south gate† and facing north.
45Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 46and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to minister before Him.”
The Inner Court
47Next he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.
The Temple was at the protected center of...
The Temple was at the protected center of the Temple complex, adjacent to the inner court. It was located at the highest point of the complex, a further ten steps up from the inner court, which was itself eight steps above the outer court. Like Solomon’s Temple before it, this Temple was made up of three areas: the entry room, the sanctuary, and the Most Holy Place.
48Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side.† 49The portico was twenty cubits wide† and twelve cubits deep,† and ten steps led up to it.† There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.