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Chambers for the Temple

42 Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the north, and brought me to the chamber that was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on the north. Its length was 175 feet[a] on the north side,[b] and its width 87½ feet.[c] Opposite the 35 feet[d] that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories. In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet[e] wide at a distance of 1¾ feet,[f] and their entrances were on the north. Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space[g] from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore, the upper chambers[h] were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle ones. As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet[i] long. For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet[j] long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet[k] long. Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the outer court.

10 At the beginning[l] of the wall of the court toward the south,[m] facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers 11 like those on the north with a passage in front of them. The chambers that were toward the south were the same length and width as those on the north, and had matching exits and entrances and arrangements. 12 There was an opening at the head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the east when one enters.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers that face the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests[n] who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places where the people are.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  2. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
  3. Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  4. Ezekiel 42:3 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
  5. Ezekiel 42:4 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
  6. Ezekiel 42:4 tc Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm). The LXX and the Syriac read: “100 cubits” (= 175 feet or about 53m).
  7. Ezekiel 42:5 tn The verb יוֹכְלוּ (yokhelu) “took space” is listed by BDB 37 as אָכַל (’akhal, “eat, consume”), though it prefers to emend the text. HALOT also lists this verb as אכל (1:46) while also listing it under יכל,“prevail” (2:410-11). If אָכַל is correct, then the א (’alef) has dropped out. See the note at Ezek 21:28. BHS refers to a few medieval manuscripts and a Qumran manuscript including the א, יֹאכְלוּ instead of יוֹכְלוּ; both are pronounced the same.
  8. Ezekiel 42:6 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
  9. Ezekiel 42:7 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  10. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
  11. Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
  12. Ezekiel 42:10 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
  13. Ezekiel 42:10 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads: “east.”
  14. Ezekiel 42:13 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).