The Wall and Outer Gates

Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple.(A) The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inches;[a] each unit was the standard length plus three inches.[b] He measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was 10½ feet,[c] and its height was the same. Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps.(B) He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10½ feet deep—one threshold was 10½ feet deep. Each recess was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet deep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet[d] between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was 10½ feet. Next he measured the gate’s portico; it[e] was 14 feet,[f] and its jambs were 3½ feet.[g] The gate’s portico was on the temple side.

10 There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the jambs on either side also had the same measurements. 11 Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17½ feet,[h] while the width[i] of the gate was 22¾ feet.[j] 12 There was a barrier of 21 inches[k] in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10½ feet[l] square. 13 Then he measured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet.[m] The openings of the recesses faced each other. 14 Next, he measured the porch—105 feet.[n][o] 15 The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87½ feet.[p] 16 The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate.(C) The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 40:5 = a long cubit
  2. 40:5 Lit six cubits by the cubit and a handbreadth
  3. 40:5 Lit was one rod, also in v. 7
  4. 40:7 Lit five cubits, also in v. 30
  5. 40:8–9 Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read gate facing the temple side; it was one rod. Then he measured the gate’s portico; it
  6. 40:9 Lit eight cubits
  7. 40:9 Lit two cubits
  8. 40:11 Lit 10 cubits
  9. 40:11 Lit length
  10. 40:11 Lit 13 cubits
  11. 40:12 Lit one cubit, also in v. 42
  12. 40:12 Lit six cubits
  13. 40:13 Lit 25 cubits, also in vv. 21,25,29,33,36
  14. 40:14 MT adds To the jamb of the court, the gate was all around; Hb obscure
  15. 40:14 Lit 60 cubits
  16. 40:15 Lit 50 cubits, also in vv. 21,25,29,33,36

Measurements Relating to the Temple

And behold, there was a (A)wall on the outside of the [a]temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six [b]cubits, [c]each of which was a [d]cubit and a hand width. So he measured the thickness of the [e]wall, one rod; and the height, one rod. Then he went to the gate which faced (B)east, went up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one rod [f]in width; and the other threshold was one rod [g]in width. The (C)guardroom was one rod long and one rod wide; and there were five cubits between the guardrooms. And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate [h]facing inward was one rod. Then he measured the porch of the gate [i]facing inward, one rod. And he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its side pillars, two cubits. And the porch of the gate was [j]faced inward. 10 The guardrooms of the gate toward the east numbered three on each side; the three of them had the same measurement. The side pillars also had the same measurement on each side. 11 And he measured the width of the [k]gateway, ten cubits, and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a [l]barrier wall one cubit wide in front of the guardrooms on each side; and the guardrooms were six cubits square on each side. 13 And he measured the gate from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits, from one door to the door opposite. 14 He made the side pillars sixty cubits high; the gate extended all around to the side pillar of the (D)courtyard. 15 And from the front of the entrance gate to the front of the inner porch of the gate was fifty cubits. 16 And there were [m](E)shuttered windows looking toward the guardrooms, and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were (F)palm tree decorations.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:5 Lit house
  2. Ezekiel 40:5 I.e., “long” cubits, see note 4
  3. Ezekiel 40:5 Lit by the cubit and
  4. Ezekiel 40:5 A cubit and hand width equals about 21 in. or 53 cm
  5. Ezekiel 40:5 Lit building
  6. Ezekiel 40:6 Or in depth
  7. Ezekiel 40:6 Or in depth
  8. Ezekiel 40:7 Lit from the house
  9. Ezekiel 40:8 Lit from the house
  10. Ezekiel 40:9 Lit from the house
  11. Ezekiel 40:11 Lit entrance of the gate
  12. Ezekiel 40:12 Lit border
  13. Ezekiel 40:16 Or beveled inwards