CHAPTER 42 FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEMPLE. In this chapter details are given of the priests' quarters in the inner court (probably meaning here the temple yard, the separate place) and other buildings, and the external dimensions of the temple area. Again we have the problem that the Hebrew te... [ Continue Reading ]
FURTHER BUILDINGS FOR THE USE OF THE PRIESTS (EZEKIEL 42:1). ‘Then he brought me out to the outer court, the way towards the north, and he brought me to the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was over against the building, to the north.' The heavenly visitant now took Ezeki... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.' This seems to mean that this building for the priests was a hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in breadth, with ‘the north door' in its length, for access, probably looking northward towards the inn... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Over against (‘adjoining' or ‘opposite') the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer court were gallery upon gallery to the third storey (in three storeys).' Ezekiel now describes another building, three storeys high, which comes betwe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And in front of the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit, and their doors were towards the north.' This may mean that the walkway was one cubit high and a breadth of ten cubits, so that the doors had to be reached by the walkway. Compare the pavements in the inner a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the upper chambers were smaller, for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and middlemost in the building. For they were in three storeys, and they did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts. Therefore the uppermost was set back more than the lowest and the middl... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the wall that was outside by the side of the chambers, towards the outer court before the chambers, its length was fifty cubits. For the length of the chambers which were in the outer court was fifty cubits. And lo those before the temple were a hundred cubits.' This building was of fifty cubi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Below these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.' This may mean that there was an entry into these chambers by a door facing east which was lower than the northern facing doors because not accessed by the one cubit high walkway. Or it may be giving a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘There were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court towards the east, before the separate place and before the building. And the way before them was like the appearance of the way of the chambers towards the north. According to their length so was their breadth. And all their exits were b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And according to the entrances of the chambers that were towards the south was an entrance at the head of the way, the way before the wall towards the east as one enters them.' The south chambers, which parallel the north chambers are now introduced as a matter of fact. They are simply assumed. It... [ Continue Reading ]
THE USE FOR THE MANY CHAMBERS IN THE INNER COURT (EZEKIEL 42:13). ‘Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers which are before the separate place (the temple yard), they are the holy chambers, where the priests who are near to Yahweh will eat the most holy things. There will the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE AREA (EZEKIEL 42:15). ‘Now when he had finished measuring the inner house he brought me out by way of the gate whose prospect is towards the east, and measured it round about. He measured on the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds with the mea... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall round about, the length five hundred and the breadth five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.' This is the grounds for arguing a further wall to enclose the area of separation. If we read ‘reeds' all t... [ Continue Reading ]