1.
Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north.
Ezekiel 42:1. Into the utter court— That is, to the outer part of the court, which court was the inner, or court of the priests, as appears from what follows.
2.
Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
Ezekiel 42:2. Before the length, &c.— This north door faced one of the cloisters, whose length was a hundred cubits, and its breadth fifty, which was the proportion of all the cloisters. See Lowth and Houbigant.
3.
Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
4.
And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
Ezekiel 42:4. And before the chambers— Before the chambers was a walk ten cubits broad in the inner part, and one hundred cubits long; but the gates were to the north. Houbigant.
5.
Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
6.
For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground.
Ezekiel 42:6. For they were in three stories— The two upper stories had balconies projecting from them, the breadth of which was taken out of the rooms themselves, which rendered them so much the narrower, because the weight of the balconies was not supported by pillars, as the rooms over the cloisters of the inner court were, but only by the wall. See Houbigant's note.
7.
And the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits.
8.
For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.
Ezekiel 42:8. For the length, &c.— For the length of the chambers of the outer court was fifty cubits opposite to it; the whole was a hundred cubits.
9.
And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.
10.
The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.
Ezekiel 42:10. Through the midst of the court, on the eastern side, over against the separate area, and over against the building of the chambers. Houbigant.
See commentary on Eze 42:9
11.
And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.
12.
And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.
13.
Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
14.
When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.
Ezekiel 42:14. There they shall lay their garments— "They shall not go into the court of the temple in their vestments, but shall lay them up in some of these chambers." The priestly garments were only to be used in the time of their ministration. See Exodus 39:41.Ezekiel 44:17; Ezekiel 44:17; Ezekiel 44:31. Calmet and Lowth.
15.
Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.
16.
He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
Ezekiel 42:16. Reeds— Cubits, and so throughout the chapter. The LXX, Capellus, and others.
17.
He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
18.
He measured 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 by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
Ezekiel 42:20. Between the sanctuary and the profane place— Between the place which was consecrated to the Lord, and where it was not permitted either to the heathens, strangers, or impure persons, to present themselves; and that which all the world might enter indiscriminately; men, women, pure, impure, Gentiles and others. Josephus tells us, that such a place of separation existed in the temple in his time. See his Antiq. lib. 15: chap. 14 and Calmet.
The vision in chap. 40, 41, 42 says Archbishop Newcombe, seems designed to shew that, if the Jews repented of their iniquities and idolatries, their temple should be rebuilt, and their worship according to the Levitical law should be restored. The buildings might at first be erected after the general plan here described, without deviation from it, though without ability to execute every part; and the whole might afterwards resemble it in many respects, though never exactly. However, the Jews should have proceeded conformably to the directions here given.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, We have here, 1. The chambers about the temple: probably designed for the retirement of the holy worshippers, where they might be alone for prayer and meditation: they who would find comfort in public ordinances must maintain communion with God in private. The chambers were many; for in the heavenly temple there are many mansions. They had galleries before them, where they who lodged there might meet and converse together about the things of God; the great privilege, duty, and delight of God's people.
2. These chambers, many of them at least, were appropriated to the use of the priests, and were the places where they deposited the holy things, and their sacred vestments. They who have the charge of the sanctuary must reside upon the spot; and God has made a provision for them, that they may wait on him without distraction.
2nd, The ground on which this temple and its courts stood, was many miles in circumference; intimating the vast extent of the church of Christ in the times of the gospel, and particularly when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in. A wall of separation divided the sanctuary from the profane place, to signify the present exclusion of all those from the blessings and benefits of Christ's church and kingdom, who continue unhumbled in their sins; and to prefigure the eternal separation of the world that lieth in wickedness,—of all those who continue impenitent,—from the presence of God in glory.