Ezekiel 42:20

He 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 sanctuary and the profane place. It had a wall round about ... to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place. No longer shall the wall of partition be to separate the Jew and the Gentile (for Christ "hath broken, down the middle wall of partition between us" Gentiles and Jews, ), but, to separate the sacred from the profane. The lowness of it renders it unfit for the purpose of defense (the object of the wall of the holy city, ). But its square form (as in the city, ) is the emblem of the "kingdom that cannot be moved" ()

Verse Ezekiel 42:20. _IT HAD A WALL ROUND ABOUT-TO MAKE A SEPARATION BETWEEN_ _THE SANCTUARY AND THE PROFANE PLACE._] The _holy place_ was that which was consecrated to the Lord; into which no heathen, nor stranger, nor any in a state of impurity, might enter. The _profane_ _place_ was that in which men, women, Gentiles, pure or impure, might be admitted. _Josephus_ says _War_, lib. vi., c. 14, that in his time there was a wall built before the entrance _three_ cubits high, on which there were posts fixed at certain distances, with inscriptions on them in _Latin_ and _Greek_, containing the laws which enjoined _purity_ on those that entered; and forbidding all strangers to enter, on pain of death. See _Calmet_....

The “sanctuary” proper is probably here the most holy place as distinguished from the rest of the temple Ezekiel 41:23; Ezekiel 45:3; but the term was capable of extension first to the whole temple, then to all the ground that was separated to “holy” as distinguished from “profane,” i. e., common uses. In the vision the courts rose on successive platforms, the outer court being raised seven steps above the precincts, the inner court eight steps above the outer, and the temple itself ten steps above the court of sacrifice....

EXPOSITION This chapter furnishes a brief account of the priests' chambers in the outer court (Ezekiel 42:1), and a detailed measurement of the temple precincts (Ezekiel 42:15). EZEKIEL 42:1 The priests' chambers. EZEKIEL 42:1 The survey of the house having been completed, the seer was conducted by his guide into the outer court (see on Ezekiel 40:17), by the way toward the north, _i.e._ by the inner north gate (see...

HE MEASURED IT BY THE FOUR SIDES,.... Which were equilateral, parallel to each other, each measuring five hundred reeds; which in all made up two thousand reeds, or seven thousand yards: this shows that no material building can be designed; never was an edifice of such dimensions; this seems rather to describe a city than a temple; and denotes the largeness of the Gospel church state in the latter day, when the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought in: IT HAD A WALL ROUND ABOUT: the same with that in Ezekiel 40:5: FIVE HUNDRED REEDS LONG, AND FIVE HUNDRED BROAD; it was foursquare, as the building was, and exactly answered to that in its dimensions. The Jews say l the mountain of the house was five hundred cubits by five hundred; that is, a perfect square of five hundred cubits on every side, two thousand cubits in the whole com

CHAPTER 42 _ 1. The priest's chambers in the inner court (Ezekiel 42:1) _ 2. The final measurements (Ezekiel 42:15)...

The description of the Temple concludes with a summary of the principal measurements, according to which the whole enclosure is 500 cubits (_i.e._ 750 feet) square. According to Ezekiel 48:12, the land beyond the Temple enclosure was holy; but naturally it was less holy than the courts and buildings which stood within it. The wall, therefore, marks the boundary between that which was holy and that which was relatively profane....

Measurements of the whole complex of the temple buildings on the outside The measuring angel began by measuring the height and thickness of the outside surrounding wall (Ezekiel 40:5); then he entered the outer gate, passing into the outer court, the measurements of which were made (Ezekiel 40:6-27); then he entered the inner court, containing the house and cells, all of which he measured (Ezekiel 40:28 to Ezekiel 42:14). These measures being completed, the angel now returns to the outside by the way he entered, the eastern gate, and finishes by measuring the compass of the whole temple buildings outside. This building, its sur

BETWEEN THE SANCTUARY AND THE PROFANE PLACE— Between the place which was consecrated to the Lord, and where it was not permitted either to the heathens, strangers, or impure persons, to present themselves; and that which all the world might enter indiscriminately; men, women, pure, impure, Gentiles and others. Josephus tells us, that such a place of separation existed in the temple in his time. See his Antiq. lib. 15: chap. 14 and Calmet. The vision in chap. 40, 41, 42 says Archbishop Newcombe, seems designed to shew that, if the Jews repented of their iniquities and idolatries, their temple should be rebuilt, and their worship according to the Levitical law should be restored. The buildings might at first be erected after the general plan here described, without deviation from it, though without ability to execute every part; and the whole might afterwards resemble it in many respects,...

F. Total Dimensions of the Temple Area 42:15-20 TRANSLATION (15) Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about. (16) He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. (17) He measured on the north side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. (18) He measured on the south side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. (19) He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. (20) 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. COMMENTS The measurements of the _inner house_ including its courts and associated buildi...