Ezekielchapter 40

A.A man of bronze with a measuring reedvv. 1-4

1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He took me there. 2 In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city. 3 So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4 “Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”

B.The east gate measured, chamber by chambervv. 5-16

5 And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high. 6 Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep. 7 Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep. 8 Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside; 9 it was eight cubits deep, and its jambs were two cubits thick. And the portico of the gateway faced the temple. 10 There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements. 11 And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits, and its length was thirteen cubits. 12 In front of each gate chamber was a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits square. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits from doorway to doorway. 14 Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cubits high. The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard. 15 And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty cubits. 16 The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.

C.The outer court and the north and south gatesvv. 17-27

17 Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement, 18 which flanked the gateways and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits on the east side as well as on the north. 20 He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north. 21 Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22 Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them. 23 There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be a hundred cubits. 24 Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others. 25 Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 26 Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side. 27 The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway toward the south to be a hundred cubits.

D.The inner court gates and their porchesvv. 28-37

28 Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. 29 Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30 (The porticoes around the inner court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.) 31 Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it. 32 And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33 Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it. 35 Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, 36 as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37 Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.

E.Tables for the sacrifices and the porch of the housevv. 38-49

38 There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed. 39 Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered. 40 Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41 So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. 42 There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high. On these were placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. 43 The double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth long, were fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables. 44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two chambers, one beside the north gate and facing south, and another beside the south gate and facing north. 45 Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to minister before Him.” 47 Next he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple. 48 Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side. 49 The portico was twenty cubits wide and twelve cubits deep, and ten steps led up to it. There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

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Chapter summary

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In the twenty-fifth year of the captivity, fourteen years after the city fell, Ezekiel is brought in visions of God to the land and set upon a very high mountain, where a man whose appearance was like brass stands with a line of flax and a measuring reed. The last nine chapters are the tour that follows. Here the outer court is measured: the east gate with its lodges and jambs and porch, the north and south gates matching it, the pavement and the thirty chambers, then the inner court, the tables for slaughtering the burnt-offering, the chambers for the singers and the priests, and finally the porch of the temple itself. The house reads this temple as millennial.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

Prophecy · Ezekiel — Ezekiel overview

A. 1–4 A man of bronze with a measuring reed
B. 5–16 The east gate measured, chamber by chamber
C. 17–27 The outer court and the north and south gates
D. 28–37 The inner court gates and their porches
E. 38–49 Tables for the sacrifices and the porch of the house

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Ezekiel 4021 verses
- Ezekiel 40:6Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep.
- Ezekiel 40:7Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep.
- Ezekiel 40:16The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.
- Ezekiel 40:19Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubits on the east side as well as on the north.
- Ezekiel 40:20He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north.
- Ezekiel 40:21Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
- Read Ezekiel 40: 15 more there →
Ezekiel 423 verses
- Ezekiel 42:1Then the man led me out northward into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north side.
- Ezekiel 42:5Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.
- Ezekiel 42:20So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
- Read Ezekiel 42 →
Ezekiel 13 verses
- Ezekiel 1:1In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.
- Ezekiel 1:2On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
- Ezekiel 1:7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze.
- Read Ezekiel 1 →
Ezekiel 443 verses
- Ezekiel 44:4Then the man brought me to the front of the temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell facedown.
- Ezekiel 44:5The LORD said to me: “Son of man, pay attention; look carefully with your eyes and listen closely with your ears to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes and laws of the house of the LORD. Take careful note of the entrance to the temple, along with all the exits of the sanctuary.
- Ezekiel 44:15But the Levitical priests, who are descended from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, are to approach Me to minister before Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood, declares the Lord GOD.
- Read Ezekiel 44 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Ezekiel 433 verses
- Ezekiel 43:1Then the man brought me back to the gate that faces east,
- Ezekiel 43:10As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure the plan,
- Ezekiel 43:19You are to give a young bull from the herd as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are of the family of Zadok, who approach Me to minister before Me, declares the Lord GOD.
- Read Ezekiel 43 →
Ezekiel 463 verses
- Ezekiel 46:1“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The gate of the inner court that faces east must be kept shut during the six days of work, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.
- Ezekiel 46:2The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening.
- Ezekiel 46:9When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship must go out by the south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate must go out by the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each must go out by the opposite gate.
- Read Ezekiel 46 →
Leviticus 13 verses
- Leviticus 1:3If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.
- Leviticus 1:6Next, he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.
- Leviticus 1:8Then Aaron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, atop the burning wood on the altar.
- Read Leviticus 1 →
Daniel 72 verses
- Daniel 7:1In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is the summary of his account.
- Daniel 7:7After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.
- Read Daniel 7 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.