Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 40:31

"And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the ascent to it had eight steps." — Ezekiel 40:31 (ASV)

The word Utter means "Outer," and it is used this way in Ezekiel 40:37; Ezekiel 42:1; Ezekiel 42:3; Ezekiel 42:7; Ezekiel 42:14; Ezekiel 44:19; and Ezekiel 46:20-21. In Old English, utter and outer appear to have often been interchanged.

Eight steps.—All the gates of the inner court (see Ezekiel 40:34 and Ezekiel 40:37) had one more step than those of the outer court, the inner court being raised considerably higher above the outer court than the outer court was above the precincts. The two sets of steps together totaled fifteen, the same number as those leading up in the later Temple from the court of the women to the court of Israel, and on which, according to Jewish tradition, the Levites stood to chant the fifteen Psalms (Psalms 120–134) called “Songs of Degrees.”

Ezekiel 40:32–34 describe the east gate, and Ezekiel 40:35-37 the north gate, both exactly like the one already described.