John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 41:16

"the thresholds, and the closed windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the threshold, ceiled with wood round about, and [from] the ground up to the windows, (now the windows were covered)," — Ezekiel 41:16 (ASV)

The door posts and the narrow windows Of the inner temple or holy of holies; for this is what is last mentioned; of the door posts of it, see (Ezekiel 41:3) , in the holy of holies, both in Moses's tabernacle, and Solomon's temple, were no windows; Jehovah dwelt in thick darkness, (1 Kings 8:12) , but in this inner temple, or the more perfect state of the church on earth, there will be much light: these windows are said to be "narrow", that is, without, but broad within; and let in a great deal of light, which, though not discerned by those without, yet comfortably enjoyed by those within; and will be so great, that there will be no need of the sun or moon; Christ the Lamb will be the light of this state; and the nations of the saved and their kings will walk in the light of it, (Revelation 21:23–25) .

and the galleries round about on their three stories ; these seem to be the same with the side chambers, which were three storey high, and were on the three sides of the house, west, north, and south; see (Ezekiel 41:6) .

over against the door, cieled with wood round about : with cedar wood, as the Targum: or, "answerable were the doors cieled with wood" ^F12 ; door, for doors; that is, the doors of these side chambers, which answered to one another, were lined with cedar wood; all which doors, door posts, windows, and galleries, were severally measured:

and from the ground up to the windows ; from the bottom of the floor of the most holy place up to the windows, which were above the third storey of the side chambers, he measured also:

and the windows were covered ; either by the jetting out of the side chambers, so that they could not well be seen in the courts below; or they were lattice windows with such small holes as at a distance were scarcely discernible; or were covered with curtains within; or being very narrow on the outside, though broad within, looked as if they were covered; denoting how impenetrable the glories of this state are to those that are without, (Revelation 22:15) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F12: (bybo Ue Pyxv Poh dgn) "contra uniuscujusque limen, stratumque ligno per gyrum in circuitu", V. L. Capellus.