Ezekiel 40NKJV
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Ezekiel40

New King James Version

1In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there.

2In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city.

3He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

4And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.”

5Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

6Then he went to the gateway which faced east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway, which was one rod wide, and the other threshold was one rod wide.

7Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chambers was a space of five cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gate was one rod.

8He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod.

9Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gate was on the inside.

10In the eastern gateway were three gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the three were all the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

11He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

12There was a space in front of the gate chambers, one cubit on this side and one cubit on that side; the gate chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.

13Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the other; the width was twenty-five cubits, as door faces door.

14He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gateway extended to the gatepost.

15From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits.

16There were beveled window frames in the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules. There were windows all around on the inside. And on each gatepost were palm trees.

17Then he brought me into the outer court; and there were chambers and a pavement made all around the court; thirty chambers faced the pavement.

18The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement.

19Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

20On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width.

21Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

22Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees, had the same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archway was in front of it.

23A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the eastern gateway; and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

24After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements.

25There were windows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

26Seven steps led up to it, and its archway was in front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side.

27There was also a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

28Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements.

29Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

30There were archways all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide.

31Its archways faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts, and going up to it were eight steps.

32And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements.

33Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; and there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

34Its archways faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to it were eight steps.

35Then he brought me to the north gateway and measured it according to these same measurements—

36also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

37Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to it were eight steps.

38There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they washed the burnt offering.

39In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering.

40At the outer side of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway, were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables.

41Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices.

42There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

43Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.

44Outside the inner gate were the chambers for the singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the southern gateway.

45Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple.

46The chamber which faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of Zadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near the Lord to minister to Him.”

47And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altar was in front of the temple.

48Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.

49The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to it there were pillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 40.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The Vision of the Temple. (1-49).

vv1-49

Here is a vision, beginning at Ezek. 40, and continued to the end of the book, Ezek. 48, which is justly looked upon to be one of the most difficult portions in all the book of God. When we despair to be satisfied as to any difficulty we meet with, let us bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough; and let us wait till God shall reveal even this unto us. This chapter describes two outward courts of the temple. Whether the personage here mentioned was the Son of God, or a created angel, is not clear. But Christ is both our Altar and our Sacrifice, to whom we must look with faith in all approaches to God; and he is Salvation in the midst of the earth, Ps. 74:12, to be looked unto from all quarters.

Cross References

Ezekiel 40

John's vision of the holy city descending from a great and high mountain echoes Ezekiel's vision.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v3Revelation 11:1thematic

John is given a measuring reed to measure the temple, directly mirroring Ezekiel's measuring messenger.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v3Revelation 1:15thematic

The appearance of the man like brass parallels Christ's appearance of fine brass in Revelation.

Supported by Matthew Poole

The man building/measuring the temple points to the Branch who builds the spiritual temple of God.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v3Zechariah 2:1thematic

Zechariah similarly sees a man with a measuring line to measure Jerusalem's dimensions.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v5Ezekiel 42:20thematic

The vast dimensions of the outer wall signify a separation between holy and common ground.

Supported by JFB

v46Ezekiel 44:15thematic

Confirms the identity of the sons of Zadok who kept the charge of the sanctuary.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v2Isaiah 2:2thematic

The mountain of the Lord's house established in the top of the mountains.

Supported by JFB

v2Galatians 4:26thematic

The heavenly Jerusalem which is free, representing the spiritual fulfillment of the vision.

Supported by JFB

v4Ezekiel 44:5thematic

Repeats the command to mark well, behold, and hear carefully concerning temple ordinances.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v71 Kings 6:5-10thematic

Solomon's temple also had side chambers built against the walls of the house.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v46Ezekiel 43:19thematic

Identifies the priests of the seed of Zadok who approach God to minister.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v461 Kings 2:35fulfillment

Zadok replaces Abiathar, fulfilling prophecy and establishing his line in the priesthood.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v491 Kings 7:21thematic

The two bronze pillars Jachin and Boaz in the porch of Solomon's temple.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v4Acts 20:27thematic

Paul declaring the whole counsel of God parallels Ezekiel's command to declare all he sees.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v38Hebrews 10:22typology

The washing of sacrifices points to believers having hearts sprinkled and bodies washed clean.

Supported by JFB

Ezekiel's chambers for singers echo David's ordering of temple singers and musicians.

Supported by Matthew Poole

Moses commands Israel to set their hearts to all words, just as Ezekiel is commanded.

Supported by Matthew Poole

David gave Solomon the pattern of the porch and chambers, indicating divine blueprint designs.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v39Malachi 1:7thematic

The sacrificial tables are spiritually associated with the table/altar of the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Poole