John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 41

Afterward he brought me to the temple
Having measured the porch into it, its posts, and gate. This is the body of the building, which was the "frame" of a city first shown, the principal fabric; for hitherto he had been only measuring the outward and inner courts, and their gates, and what were in them; but now he is come to the house itself, called a temple; by which not only particular Gospel churches are called, (1 Corinthians 3:16 1 Corinthians 3:17) (2 Corinthians 6:16) (Ephesians 2:21) , but the Gospel church state in general, (Zechariah 6:12Zechariah 6:13) , and especially as in the latter day; so the Philadelphian church state, which represents the spiritual reign of Christ, or the glory of the latter day, is called the temple of my God, (Revelation 3:12) , which will be a holy temple to the Lord where he will dwell in a gracious manner, and be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and here his glory will be seen; it will be built up of precious and costly stones, even living and lively ones; a spiritual house to offer up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise: and, as in the material temple or holy place stood the candlestick and table of shewbread; here the light of the Gospel will burn clearly; and Christ the bread of life be held forth in the ordinance of the supper; where, as at a table, saints shall have intimate fellowship with him:

and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six
cubits broad on the other side
these were the posts of the door of the temple, and stood on each side of it, on the north and south; and this was the thickness, six cubits or a reed each, three yards and a half; this was the frontispiece of the door of the palace of the King of kings:

which was the breadth of the tabernacle ;
the tabernacle of Moses; that is, these posts, or this frontispiece, were as broad as the whole tabernacle of Moses was; which has eight boards in the breadth, each board being a cubit and a half, made twelve cubits, just the breadth of these two posts, (Exodus 26:16Exodus 26:25) , this shows how far superior the Gospel church is to the old synagogue; how larger is the one, and the entrance into it wider, than the other. Some understand by "the tabernacle" the upper lintel, of the same breadth with the posts; and was in a recurve, and as a covering to the door; so the Jewish commentators, and others that follow them.

And the breadth of the door was ten cubits The temple door: great care is taken to observe and give the dimensions of the doors and gates of various places; to put us in mind of Christ the door and gate into the church, and into fellowship with God: this was as broad again as the door of Solomon's temple; for that was but the fourth part of the wall of it, five cubits, (1 Kings 6:1 1 Kings 6:33) :

and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side ; the side walls of the door, both on the north and south, were five cubits each; which, with the ten, the breadth of the door, made twenty; and is just the breadth of the temple or holy place afterwards given:

and he measured the length thereof forty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits ; that is, the length of the temple from east to west, and the breadth of it from north to south, were of this measure; which exactly answers to the dimensions of Solomon's temple, a figure of the Gospel church, as this; see (1 Kings 6:2 1 Kings 6:17) .

Then went he inward
Through the temple or holy place he had measured, to the holy of holies: and measured the post of the door two cubits ;
this was the door into the most holy place; there was one in Solomon's temple; but in the second temple there was none; but two rails instead of it, which were rent at the death of Christ; and two cubits was the thickness of the post, on which this door was shut: and the door six cubits, and the breadth of the door seven cubits ;
this door was a two leaved one; each leaf consisted of three cubits broad, and the post in the middle on which they shut one cubit broad, which made seven: though some think that the side walls of the door are meant, as in (Ezekiel 41:2) , which were each seven cubits; and the breadth of the door, six cubits, made twenty cubits; which was the breadth of the most holy place, as answering to the breadth of the holy place, as in the next verse.

So he measured the length thereof twenty cubits That is, of the most holy place, from east to west; which was the measure of it in Solomon's temple, (1 Kings 6:20) :

and the breadth twenty cubits before the temple : that is answerable or according to the breadth of the temple or holy place; which was also twenty cubits in breadth: this stood at the west end of it, and was equal in breadth to it; see (1 Kings 6:2 1 Kings 6:20) :

and he said to me, this is the most holy place ; the divine Person in human form said to the prophet, take notice of this building; this answers to the most holy place in the temple.

This was an emblem of the most holy and perfect state of the church on earth; it represents the New Jerusalem church state, that holy city, and into which nothing shall enter that defiles; and, as in the most holy place, the divine Shechaniah or majesty of God dwelt; so here will dwell in person the God-man and Mediator, the head of the church, our Lord Jesus; whose tabernacle will now be with men, in this perfect state, raised from the dead, and he will dwell among them: and as this most holy place in its dimensions is a foursquare, so is the holy city described; denoting its stability and perfection; see (Revelation 21:2Revelation 21:3Revelation 21:16Revelation 21:27) .

After he measured the wall of the house six cubits
Or a reed, three yards and a half thick: this was the wall of the holy of holies, or which divided that from the holy place, and was not in the second temple; or rather the wall of the temple, the whole house or building, both of the holy place, and of the most holy, which were contiguous: such a strong wall is the Lord to his church, and especially will be in the latter day, when salvation will be for walls and bulwarks against all enemies, and to preserve from all hurt and danger, (Isaiah 26:1) (60:18) (Zechariah 2:5) , the New Jerusalem also will have a wall great and high, and made of a precious stone, (Revelation 21:12Revelation 21:18) :

and the breadth of every side chamber four cubits round about the house
on every side ;
or, "of every rib" ^F25 ; as ribs are to the body, so were these side chambers or buildings to the fabric, as Ben Melech observes, who interprets them of beams: adjoining to the above wall were chambers all around the holy place and the most holy on each side, north and south; for there could be none on the east, that being the entrance into the holy, and so into the most holy place; and the floor of these chambers were four cubits, or two yards and a foot broad; that is, those of the lower storey: these were for the priests, where they lodged, and laid up and ate their most holy things, and put their garments in which they ministered; see (Ezekiel 42:13Ezekiel 42:14) , and design, as the chambers everywhere do, particular congregated churches; where such as are made priests to God by Christ have a place, and communion with God in holy things; and appear in the righteousness of Christ, and in the beauties of holiness.

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: (eluh) "costae", Piscator, Cocceius, Starckius.