The Inner Temple

41 Then he brought me to (A)the nave and measured the (B)jambs. On each side six cubits[a] was the breadth of the jambs.[b] And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave,[c] (C)forty cubits, and its breadth, (D)twenty cubits. Then he went (E)into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side[d] of the entrance, seven cubits. And he measured (F)the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across (G)the nave. And he said to me, “This is (H)the Most Holy Place.”

Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of (I)the side chambers, four cubits, (J)all around the temple. And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, (K)thirty in each story. There were offsets[e] all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, (L)so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple. And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers, because the temple was enclosed upward all around the temple. Thus the temple had a broad area upward, and (M)so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story. I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of (N)six long cubits. The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. (O)The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the 10 (P)other chambers was a breadth of (Q)twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. 11 And the doors of the (R)side chambers opened on (S)the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around.

12 The building that was facing (T)the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

13 Then he measured the temple, (U)a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; 14 also the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits.

15 Then he measured the length of (V)the building facing the yard that was at the back and (W)its galleries[f] on either side, a hundred cubits.

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, 16 (X)the thresholds and (Y)the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 17 to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.[g] 18 It was carved of (Z)cherubim and (AA)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: 19 (AB)a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. 20 From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave.

21 The doorposts of (AC)the nave were squared, and in front of (AD)the Holy Place was something resembling 22 (AE)an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad.[h] Its corners, its base,[i] and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is (AF)the table that is before the Lord.” 23 The nave and the Holy Place had each (AG)a double door. 24 The double doors had two leaves apiece, (AH)two swinging leaves for each door. 25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, (AI)such as were carved on the walls. And there was (AJ)a canopy[j] of wood in front of (AK)the vestibule outside. 26 And there were (AL)narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, (AM)the side chambers of the temple, and the (AN)canopies.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 41:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. Ezekiel 41:1 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew tent
  3. Ezekiel 41:2 Hebrew its length
  4. Ezekiel 41:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and the breadth
  5. Ezekiel 41:6 Septuagint, compare 1 Kings 6:6; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  6. Ezekiel 41:15 The meaning of the Hebrew term is unknown; also verse 16
  7. Ezekiel 41:17 Hebrew were measurements
  8. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks two cubits broad
  9. Ezekiel 41:22 Septuagint; Hebrew length
  10. Ezekiel 41:25 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 26

Inside the Temple

41 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the pilasters;(A) on each side the width of the pilaster was 10½ feet.[a][b] The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,[c] and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet[d] wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,[e] and the width, 35 feet.[f](B) He went inside the next room and measured the pilasters at the entrance;(C) they were 3½ feet[g] wide. The entrance was 10½ feet[h] wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side[i] was 12¼ feet.[j] He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet,[k] and the width, 35 feet.(D) And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”(E)

Outside the Temple

Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet[l] thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was seven feet.[m](F) The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of 30 rooms each.[n] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.(G) The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.[o](H)

I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.[p](I) The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet.[q] The free space between the side rooms of the temple 10 and the outer chambers was 35 feet[r] wide all around the temple.(J) 11 The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet[s] wide all around.

12 Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet[t] wide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet[u] thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet.[v]

13 Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet[w] long.(K) In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. 14 The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. 15 Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries[x] on each side;(L) it was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— 16 the thresholds, the beveled windows,(M) and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on all sides.(N) They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17 reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern 18 carved with cherubim and palm trees.(O) There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.(P) Each cherub had two faces: 19 a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,(Q) and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides. 20 Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

21 The doorposts of the great hall were square,(R) and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance. 22 The altar was[y] made of wood, 5¼ feet[z] high and 3½ feet[aa] long.[ab] It had corners, and its length[ac] and sides were of wood.(S) The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”(T)

23 The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,(U) 24 and each of the doors had two swinging panels.(V) There were two panels for one door and two for the other. 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy[ad](W) outside, in front of the portico. 26 There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,(X) on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.[ae]

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 41:1 LXX; MT reads pilasters; they were 10½ feet wide on each side—the width of the tabernacle
  2. Ezekiel 41:1 Lit six cubits
  3. Ezekiel 41:2 Lit 10 cubits
  4. Ezekiel 41:2 Lit five cubits
  5. Ezekiel 41:2 Lit 40 cubits
  6. Ezekiel 41:2 Lit 20 cubits
  7. Ezekiel 41:3 Lit two cubits
  8. Ezekiel 41:3 Lit six cubits
  9. Ezekiel 41:3 LXX; MT reads width of the entrance
  10. Ezekiel 41:3 Lit seven cubits
  11. Ezekiel 41:4 Lit 20 cubits
  12. Ezekiel 41:5 Lit six cubits
  13. Ezekiel 41:5 Lit four cubits
  14. Ezekiel 41:6 Lit another three and 30 times
  15. Ezekiel 41:7 Hb obscure
  16. Ezekiel 41:8 Lit a full rod of six cubits of a joint; Hb obscure
  17. Ezekiel 41:9 Lit five cubits
  18. Ezekiel 41:10 Lit 20 cubits
  19. Ezekiel 41:11 Lit five cubits
  20. Ezekiel 41:12 Lit 70 cubits
  21. Ezekiel 41:12 Lit five cubits
  22. Ezekiel 41:12 Lit 90 cubits
  23. Ezekiel 41:13 Lit 100 cubits
  24. Ezekiel 41:15 Or ledges
  25. Ezekiel 41:22 Or and in front of the sanctuary was something that looked like 22 an altar
  26. Ezekiel 41:22 Lit three cubits
  27. Ezekiel 41:22 Lit two cubits
  28. Ezekiel 41:22 LXX reads long and 3½ feet wide
  29. Ezekiel 41:22 LXX reads base
  30. Ezekiel 41:25 Hb obscure
  31. Ezekiel 41:26 Hb obscure