Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 41:1 - 41:11

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 41:1 - 41:11


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The Sanctuary Proper and its Side Building

v. 1. Afterward He brought me to the Temple, literally, "to the palace," the inner edifice, "of the Temple," and measured the posts, evidently immense half pillars, six cubits broad on the one side and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle, or, "the width of the tent was that. " This reference indicates that the Old Testament sanctuaries, from the time of the first Tabernacle, were only types of the one great spiritual Temple of the Lord, of His holy Christian Church.

v. 2. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides,
literally, "the shoulders," of the door were five cubits on the one side and five cubits on the other side, as measured on the inside of the building. And He measured the length thereof, forty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, the inside dimensions thus being the same as those of Solomon's Temple. Cf 1Ki_6:2-17.

v. 3. Then went He inward and measured the posts of the door,
the wall-pillar of the entrance, two cubits, this evidently being the width of these pillars; and the door, six cubits, in height; and the breadth of the door, with its two leaves, seven cubits.

v. 4. So He measured the length thereof,
inside dimensions, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the Temple, in front, where the Temple appeared as a whole, as the palace of holiness. And He said unto me, This is the Most Holy Place, the dimensions again being the same as those of Solomon's Temple. Cf 1Ki_6:20.

v. 5. After,
that is, afterwards, He measured the wall of the house, beginning with the pillars, six cubits, and the breadth of every side chamber, of the side building of the Temple, four cubits, round about the house on every side, on the east, north, and west sides.

v. 6. And the side-chambers were three,
an addition to the Temple in three stories, one over another and thirty in order, in each row or story, ninety all told; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side-chambers round about, so that their joists rested upon the wall of the Sanctuary proper, that they might have hold, resting upon this solid wall, but they had not hold in the wall of the house, they were not sunk into the masonry.

v. 7. And there was an enlarging and a winding about still upward to the side chambers,
literally, "And it became broader and was surrounded ever upward with reference to the side-chambers," for with every succeeding story the width of the Temple wall was reduced; for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house, the depth of the cells increasing with each succeeding story; therefore the breadth of the house was still upward and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst. We here supply from 1Ki_6:8 the winding stair, for which room was made by increasing the breadth of the side-building upwards, the stairway being on the interior.

v. 8.
I saw also the height of the house round about, the substructure, on which the foundations rested; the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits.

v. 9. The thickness of the wall, which was for the side-chamber without,
as high as the first story of this side-building, was five cubits; and that which was left was the place of the side-chambers that were within, or, "and five cubits the space that was left with regard to the house of the side-chambers," which was annexed to the house, apparently an open space between the building proper and the addition.

v. 10. And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side,
between the Temple-building and the cells along the wall of the inner court.

v. 11. And the doors of the side-chambers were toward the place that was left,
facing the open space, 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, on the north, east, and west sides. The entire arrangement was intended to facilitate the proper worship of the Lord.