Ezekiel 42
New English Translation
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. 2 Its length was 175 feet[a] on the north side,[b] and its width 87½ feet.[c] 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet[i] long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet[j] long, while those facing the temple were 175 feet[k] long. 9 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.”
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out by the gate that faces east and measured all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick[o] as 875 feet[p] by the measuring stick. 17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick. 19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick. 20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “the door of the north.”
- Ezekiel 42:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:3 tn Heb “20 cubits” (i.e., 10.5 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:4 tn Heb “10 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 meters).
- 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).
- 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.
- Ezekiel 42:6 tn The phrase “upper chambers” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied from the context.
- Ezekiel 42:7 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:8 tn Heb “100 cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).
- Ezekiel 42:10 tc The reading is supported by the LXX.
- Ezekiel 42:10 tc This reading is supported by the LXX; the MT reads: “east.”
- Ezekiel 42:13 sn The priests are from the Zadokite family (Ezek 40:6; 44:15).
- Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “reed” (also in the following verses).
- Ezekiel 42:16 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters).
Ezekiel 42
World English Bible
42 Then he brought me out into the outer court, the way toward the north. Then he brought me into the room that was opposite the separate place, and which was opposite the building toward the north. 2 Before the length of one hundred cubits[a] was the north door, and the width was fifty cubits. 3 Opposite the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the third floor. 4 Before the rooms was a walk of ten cubits’ width inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north. 5 Now the upper rooms were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middle, in the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they didn’t have pillars as the pillars of the courts. Therefore the uppermost was set back more than the lowest and the middle from the ground. 7 The wall that was outside by the side of the rooms, toward the outer court before the rooms, its length was fifty cubits. 8 For the length of the rooms that were in the outer court was fifty cubits. Behold, before the temple were one hundred cubits. 9 From under these rooms was the entry on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.
10 In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, before the separate place, and before the building, there were rooms. 11 The way before them was like the appearance of the rooms which were toward the north; according to their length so was their width: and all their exits were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors. 12 According to the doors of the rooms that were toward the south was a door at the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one enters into them.
13 Then he said to me, “The north rooms and the south rooms, which are before the separate place, are the holy rooms, where the priests who are near to Yahweh shall eat the most holy things. There they shall lay the most holy things, with the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter in, then they shall not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but they shall lay their garments in which they minister there; for they are holy. Then they shall put on other garments, and shall approach that which is for the people.”
15 Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out by the way of the gate which faces toward the east, and measured it all around. 16 He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured on the north side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured on the south side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, the length five hundred, and the width five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.
Footnotes
- 42:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
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