Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 42
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Ezekiel 42
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Ezekiel 42
"Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was over against the building toward the north." — Ezekiel 42:1 (ASV)
This chapter describes what is not only new in this vision, but also unknown in either the former or the later Temple. Ezekiel 42:1–14 concern the account of certain chambers for the priests adjoining the inner court, but actually within the area of the outer. From Ezekiel 42:14, it is clear that these chambers, although located in this way in the outer court, were considered for ecclesiastical purposes as belonging to the inner. Ezekiel 42:15–20 describe a very large area enclosing the Temple and its courts as an additional safeguard to its sanctity.
Utter court.— Outer court (see Note on Ezekiel 40:31). The “into” of the next clause should be “unto”; likewise in Ezekiel 46:19.
Before the building.— The preposition is the same as that translated just before, and also twice in Ezekiel 42:3, “over against.” The length of this chamber, or series of chambers, was 100 cubits (Ezekiel 42:2).
As it appears from Ezekiel 46:19 that it did not reach to the western wall, it must have extended the whole remaining length of the building to the west of the separate place, across the separate place itself, and probably also across the chambers at the west end of the Temple (see Plan II., H, H [Ezekiel 40:44–49]). The chamber on the north is particularly described in Ezekiel 42:1-9, and in Ezekiel 42:10-12 mention is made more briefly of a corresponding one on the south.
"Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits." — Ezekiel 42:2 (ASV)
Before the length.— This verse is still a part of the same sentence, and means, “he brought me before the long side of 100 cubits with the door toward the north, and the breadth 50 cubits.” The entrance being on the north was necessarily in the outer court, and the whole description requires that the long way of the building should be east and west. The width therefore of 50 cubits projected into the court just as far as the gateways of the inner court. The measurements of this “chamber” are external, since the prophet did not enter it.
"Over against the twenty [cubits] which belonged to the inner court, and over against the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the third story." — Ezekiel 42:3 (ASV)
Opposite the twenty.— See under Ezekiel 42:1. This was the space of twenty cubits (I, Ezekiel 40:44–49) to the west of the western Temple chambers.
The pavement.— There is only one pavement mentioned in the outer court, which ran along the inside of the wall. The chamber in question was opposite to the pavement on the north side, as it was opposite to the separate place, etc., on the south— i.e., its length was parallel to both, or east and west. “Utter” again means outer.
Gallery against gallery.— The expression is a difficult one in the original. “Against” is literally, unto the face of, or in front of, and stories is completely missing. The meaning seems to be that in each chamber building, on the north and on the south, there was a gallery in the third storey, so placed on the south side of the north building and the north side of the south building that they faced each other.
"And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits` breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north." — Ezekiel 42:4 (ASV)
A walk of ten cubits breadth inward. The meaning of this clause depends upon that of the next, “a way of one cubit.” There is every reason to suppose an error in the text here, and that one cubit should be one hundred, as it reads in the Greek. The change requires only a transposition of the first letters in one word, and a consequent alteration of one letter in the other. Exactly the same transposition has occurred in Ezekiel 42:16, where it is corrected in the margin of the Hebrew, and properly translated “five hundred” instead of “five cubits.” One cannot conceive of a walk or an entrance of one cubit (twenty inches) serving any useful purpose. Assuming this change, the meaning will be that a walk (see Plan II., K [Ezekiel 40:44–49]) of 10 cubits wide and 100 long led to the entrance of the chambers.
That this walk was on the north is plain from its being expressly said that the door was on the north. It may seem surprising that this should have been in the outer court, but a glance at the plan in connection with what is said below will explain the reason for the arrangement. The length of the walk, 100 cubits, just reaches to the steps of the north gate of the inner court.
It will be remembered that in Ezekiel 40:39-43 this area was described as the place for killing and preparing the sacrifices. Now, only the fat and kidneys of the sin and trespass and peace offerings were burned upon the altar; the whole of the former (ordinarily) and the priests’ portion of the latter were to be carried to this chamber (Ezekiel 42:13). The walk was therefore placed in the best possible situation.
"Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building." — Ezekiel 42:5 (ASV)
For the galleries were higher than these. —Translate this verse, And the upper chambers were shortened, because the galleries took from them (literally, eat of them) in comparison with the lower and the middle [ chambers ] of the building. The building was in three storeys (Ezekiel 42:6), like the chambers round the Temple, but the gallery is mentioned only in connection with the third (Ezekiel 42:3). As it must have been taken out of the width of the chambers, it made those of the third storey narrower.
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