Discovery BoxEzekiel 40:15-49
Context40:15 From the front of the entrance gate to the porch of the inner gate was 87½ feet. 1 40:16 There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees. 2
40:17 Then he brought me to the outer court. I saw 3 chambers there, and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 40:18 The pavement was beside the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 40:19 Then he measured the width from before the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court as 175 feet 4 on the east and on the north.
40:20 He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces north. 40:21 Its alcoves, three on each side, and its jambs and porches had the same measurement as the first gate; 87½ feet 5 long and 43¾ feet 6 wide. 40:22 Its windows, its porches, and its decorative palm trees had the same measurement as the gate which faced east. Seven steps led up to it, and its porch was in front of them. 40:23 Opposite the gate on the north and the east was a gate of the inner court; he measured the distance from gate to gate at 175 feet. 7
40:24 Then he led me toward the south. I saw 8 a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and its porches; they had the same dimensions as the others. 40:25 There were windows all around it and its porches, like the windows of the others; 9 87½ feet 10 long and 43¾ feet 11 wide. 40:26 There were seven steps going up to it; its porches were in front of them. It had decorative palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. 40:27 The inner court had a gate toward the south; he measured it from gate to gate toward the south as 175 feet. 12
40:28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. He measured the south gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 40:29 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet 13 and its width 43¾ feet. 14 40:30 There were porches all around, 43¾ feet 15 long and 8¾ feet 16 wide. 40:31 Its porches faced the outer court, and decorative palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gate; it had the same dimensions as the others. 40:33 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was 87½ feet 17 and its width 43¾ feet. 18 40:34 Its porches faced the outer court, it had decorative palm trees on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:35 Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same dimensions as the others – 40:36 its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches. It had windows all around it; its length was 87½ feet 19 and its width 43¾ feet. 20 40:37 Its jambs 21 faced the outer court, and it had decorative palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.
40:38 There was a chamber with its door by the porch of the gate; 22 there they washed the burnt offering. 40:39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on either side on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. 40:40 On the outside of the porch as one goes up at the entrance of the north gate were two tables, and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables. 40:41 Four tables were on each side of the gate, eight tables on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. 40:42 The four tables for the burnt offering were of carved stone, 32 inches 23 long, 32 inches 24 wide, and 21 inches 25 high. They would put the instruments which they used to slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them. 40:43 There were hooks 26 three inches 27 long, fastened in the house all around, and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.
40:44 On the outside of the inner gate were chambers for the singers of the inner court, one 28 at the side of the north gate facing south, and the other at the side of the south 29 gate facing north. 40:45 He said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 30 40:46 and the chamber which faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the descendants of Zadok, from the descendants of Levi, who may approach the Lord to minister to him.” 40:47 He measured the court as a square 175 feet long and 175 feet wide; 31 the altar was in front of the temple.
40:48 Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured the jambs of the porch as 8¾ feet 32 on either side, and the width of the gate was 24½ feet 33 and the sides 34 were 5¼ feet 35 on each side. 40:49 The length of the porch was 35 feet 36 and the width 19¼ feet; 37 steps 38 led up to it, and there were pillars beside the jambs on either side.
[40:15] 1 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:16] 2 sn Decorative palm trees were also a part of Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 6:29, 32, 35).
[40:17] 3 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[40:19] 4 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
[40:21] 5 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:21] 6 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:23] 7 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
[40:24] 8 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[40:25] 9 tn Heb “as these windows.”
[40:25] 10 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:25] 11 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:27] 12 tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
[40:29] 13 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:29] 14 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:30] 15 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:30] 16 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
[40:33] 17 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:33] 18 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:36] 19 tn Heb “fifty cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
[40:36] 20 tn Heb “twenty-five cubits” (i.e., 13.125 meters).
[40:37] 21 tc The LXX reads “porches.”
[40:38] 22 tc The MT reads “jambs of the gates” which does not make sense in a context discussing one chamber. The emendation to “porch” is similar to v. 14. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:530.
[40:42] 23 tn Heb “one and a half cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
[40:42] 24 tn Heb “one and a half cubits” (i.e., 78.75 cm).
[40:42] 25 tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).
[40:43] 26 tc This reading is supported by the Aramaic Targum. The LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac read “shelves” or some type of projection.
[40:43] 27 tn Heb “one handbreadth” (7.5 cm).
[40:44] 28 tn “One” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied for clarity in the translation.
[40:44] 29 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads “east.”
[40:45] 30 tn Heb “the house.”
[40:47] 31 tn Heb “one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, a square” (i.e., 52.5 meters by 52.5 meters).
[40:48] 32 tn Heb “five cubits” (i.e., 2.625 meters).
[40:48] 33 tn The LXX reads “fourteen cubits” (i.e., 7.35 meters). See following note.
[40:48] 34 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “the width of the gate was three cubits,” the omission due to haplography.
[40:48] 35 tn Heb “three cubits” (i.e., 1.575 meters).
[40:49] 36 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
