Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 41
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Ezekiel 41
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Ezekiel 41
"And he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle." — Ezekiel 41:1 (ASV)
This chapter gives the measurements and describes the ornaments of the Temple itself and its various accessories.
(1) Six cubits broad.— These posts, as in other cases, are the parts of the wall at the sides of the entrance. There is an apparent discrepancy between this and the following verse, where the sides of the door are said to be five cubits, and the latter agrees with the whole width of the house (5 + 10 + 5 = 20). It is necessary, therefore, to understand the measurement of this verse as taken the other way—as we should say, the side walls of the doors were of the same thickness as the other walls, namely, six cubits.
The words which was are not in the original and tend to give a false impression.
Tabernacle or tent is the name by which the sanctuary was known before the erection of the Temple.
"And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits; and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits." — Ezekiel 41:2 (ASV)
Its length, forty cubits. These are exactly the dimensions of the Holy Place in Solomon’s Temple. The Holy of Holies is not included, being measured by itself in Ezekiel 41:4.
"Then went he inward, and measured each post of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the breadth of the entrance, seven cubits." — Ezekiel 41:3 (ASV)
He went inward.— There is here a noticeable change in the usual expression; in all other cases the angel had brought the prophet to the places to be measured, but as he is here entering the Holy of Holies, into which, under the law, Ezekiel might not enter, the angel goes in alone. The prophetic vision was not yet sufficiently clear to speak of the way into the true Holy of Holies as eventually opened to all (Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 10:19).
The door, six cubits.— Door is here used for doorway, the clear space between the posts. The “breadth of the door” itself is immediately said to be seven cubits, the door overlapping the posts in a shoulder half a cubit on each side.
"And he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place." — Ezekiel 41:4 (ASV)
Before the temple— Temple is here, as in Ezekiel 41:1, used of the Holy Place, and before, or west of this, was the Holy of Holies, an exact cube, of the same size as in Solomon’s Temple. The thickness of the dividing wall between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies is nowhere mentioned, nor is it taken into account in the measurements. It was merely a division, either a veil, or perhaps a screen of wood, and occupied little room.
"Then he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side-chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side." — Ezekiel 41:5 (ASV)
The wall of the house, six cubits.— The thickness of the wall is the same as that of the wall of the outer court (Ezekiel 40:5), about ten feet. Great massiveness is characteristic of Oriental architecture but is carried to excess in this vision to represent the firmness and security of the things symbolized.
Every side chamber.— Every is not in the original, and is unnecessary. He measured the range of side rooms, the word being used collectively. These (J J [Ezekiel 40:44–49]) entirely surrounded the house, except on the front or east side where the porch stood.
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