About Ezekiel

Ezekiel proclaimed God's judgment from Babylon, using dramatic visions and symbolic acts, while promising future restoration.

Author: EzekielWritten: c. 593-571 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 20
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King James Version

Ezekiel 42

20 verses with commentary

The Priests' Chambers

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The 'chamber that was over against the separate place' indicates purpose-built priestly facilities distinct from public areas. The northward orientation may signify approach from God's throne direction (Ezekiel 1:4, Psalm 48:2) or simply architectural arrangement. The Hebrew לִשְׁכָּה (lishkah, 'chamber') denotes a structured room for specific functions, not casual space. These chambers served hol...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

**XLII.** This chapter describes what is not only new in this vision, but also unknown in either the former or the later Temple. Ezekiel 42:1-14 are occupied with the account of certain chambers for the priests adjoining the inner court, but actually within the area of the outer. From Ezekiel 42:14 it is plain that these chambers, although thus situated in the outer court, were considered for eccl...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. that prophesy--**namely, a speedy return to Jerusalem. **out of ... own hearts--**alluding to the words of Jeremiah (Jr 23:16, 26); that is, what they prophesied was what they and the people wished; the wish was father to the thought. The people wished to be deceived, and so were deceived. They were inexcusable, for they had among them true prophets (who spoke not their own thoughts, but as...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.

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KJV Study Commentary

The chamber's hundred-cubit length and fifty-cubit breadth (2:1 ratio) create purposeful, generous space. These aren't cramped, makeshift quarters but spacious, well-proportioned facilities reflecting God's abundant provision for those who serve Him. The 'north door' provides access while maintaining orientation and order. The dimensions' precision—nothing random or approximate—teaches that God or...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Before the length.—**This verse is still a part of the same sentence, and means, “he brought me before the long side of 100 cubits with the door toward the north, and the breadth 50 cubits.” The entrance being on the north was necessarily in the outer court, and the whole description requires that the long way of the building should be east and west. The width therefore of 50 cubits projecte...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. foolish--**though vaunting as though exclusively possessing "wisdom" (1Co 1:19-21); the fear of God being the only beginning of wisdom (Psa 111:10). **their own spirit--**instead of the Spirit of God. A threefold distinction lay between the false and the true prophets: (1) The source of their messages respectively; of the false, "their own hearts"; of the true, an object presented to the sp...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The architectural description—'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'—describes complex multi-level structures. The 'gallery' (Hebrew אַתִּיק, attiq) may be terraces, balconies, or walkways connecting chambers. The three-story design maximized vertical space, and the g...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Over against the twenty.—**See under Ezekiel 42:1. This was the space of twenty cubits (I [Ezekiel 40:44-49]) to the west of the western Temple chambers. **The pavement.**—There is but one pavement mentioned in the outer court, that which ran along the inside of the wall. The chamber in question was opposite to the pavement on the north side, as it was opposite to the separate place, &c., on...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. foxes--**which cunningly "spoil the vines" (So 2:15), Israel being the vineyard (Psa 80:8-15; Is 5:1-7; 27:2; Jr 2:21); their duty was to have guarded it from being spoiled, whereas they themselves spoiled it by corruptions. **in ... deserts--**where there is nothing to eat; whence the foxes become so ravenous and crafty in their devices to get food. So the prophets wander in Israel, a mora...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.

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KJV Study Commentary

The priestly chamber access—'before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north'—describes infrastructure. The 'walk' (Hebrew מַהֲלָךְ, mahalak) provided internal circulation between chambers. The ten-cubit breadth (approximately 17.5 feet) allowed comfortable passage. The 'way of one cubit' may refer to step-up or curb separating walk...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **A walk of ten cubits breadth inward.**—The meaning of this clause depends upon that of the next, “a way of one cubit.” There is every reason *to* suppose here an error of the text, and that *one cubit* should be *one hundred,* as it reads in the Greek. The change requires only a transposition of the first letters in one word, and a consequent alteration of one letter in the other. Exactly th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. not gone up into ... gaps--**metaphor from breaches made in a wall, to which the defenders ought to betake themselves in order to repel the entrance of the foe. The breach is that made in the theocracy through the nation's sin; and, unless it be made up, the vengeance of God will break in through it. Those who would advise the people to repentance are the restorers of the breach (Eze 22:30; P...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building. were higher: or, did eat of these than the lower: or, and the building consisted of the lower and the middlemost

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.</strong> This verse describes the <em>lešākôt</em> (לְשָׁכוֹת, "chambers") in Ezekiel's temple vision—sacred rooms for priestly use. The Hebrew <em>qeṣurôt</em> (קְצֻרוֹת, "shorter") indicates the upper chambers had less floor space because the <em>attîqîm...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **For the galleries were higher than these.**—Translate this verse, *And the upper chambers* *were shortened, because the galleries took off from them* (literally, *eat of them*)* in comparison with the lower and the middle* [*chambers*]* of the building.* The building was in three storeys (Ezekiel 42:6), like the chambers round the Temple, but the gallery is mentioned only in connection with ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. made others to hope, &amp;c.--**rather, "they hoped" to confirm (that is, 'make good') their word, by the event corresponding to their prophecy. The Hebrew requires this [Havernick]. Also the parallel clause, "they have seen vanity," implies that they believed their own lie (2Th 2:11). Subjective revelation is false unless it rests on the objective.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The Hebrew <em>šelōšîm</em> (שְׁלֹשִׁים, "three stories") indicates vertical organization. Unlike the open courts with supporting <em>ammudîm</em> (עַמּוּדִים, "pillars"), the chamber complex used a differe...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **As the pillars of the courts.—**This statement is introduced to show that as there was no external support for the galleries, they must have been taken from the width of the chambers; but it gives incidentally the interesting information that there were pillars in the courts. These could not have been the ornamental pillars at the entrance of the various porches, for the connection implies t...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 42 Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (Jr 42:1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (Jr 42:7-22) **Verses 1-6** To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our he...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The Hebrew <em>gāder</em> (גָּדֵר, "wall") describes a partition or boundary. This exterior wall, <strong>over against the chambers</strong> (opposite, parallel to them), faced the <em>ḥāṣēr haḥîṣônâ</em> (חָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה, "outer c...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **The wall that was without.—**We have two indications of what wall is here meant. In the first place, the word itself is neither of those which have been hitherto used, but one signifying a *fence-wall,* and is translated in Ezekiel 13:5; Ezekiel 22:30, *hedge;* and in Numbers 22:24, a vineyard wall. Its length is also said to be fifty cubits (the breadth of the chamber). It must, therefore, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. I am against you--**rather understand, "I come against you," to punish your wicked profanation of My name (compare Re 2:5, 16).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.</strong> The verse compares two measurements: chambers in the outer court (<em>ḥāṣēr haḥîṣônâ</em>) measured <strong>fifty cubits</strong>, while the length <strong>before the temple</strong> (<em>lipnê hahêkāl</em>, לִפְנֵי הַהֵיכָל) extended to <strong>an hundr...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **The length of the chambers.—**We should say the breadth, since a longer measurement the other way immediately follows; but the word is used in connection with, and as a reason for, the length of the wall mentioned in Ezekiel 42:7, as if it were said, “The wall was fifty cubits long, because this side of the building was fifty cubits long.” To prevent any possible misunderstanding it is immed...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. mine hand--**My power in vengeance. **not ... in ... assembly--**rather, the "council"; "They shall not occupy the honorable office of councillors in the senate of elders after the return from Babylon" (Ezr 2:1, 2). **neither ... written in ... Israel--**They shall not even have a place in the register kept of all citizens' names; they shall be erased from it, just as the names of those w...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court. from under: or, from the place the entry: or, he that brought me as: or, as he came

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.</strong> The <em>lishkot</em> (לִשְׁכוֹת, "chambers") were priestly rooms where holy things were handled—eating sacrificial portions, changing vestments, storing sacred vessels. The entry <strong>from the east side</strong> is architecturally and theologically significant: priests ent...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **From under these chambers.—**This verse as it stands in our version is scarcely intelligible. Translate: *And from underneath it* (*i.e.*, the wall just spoken of) *these chambers.* The wall screened the lower part of the chambers so that to one looking from the east they appeared to rise out of it. Then a new clause begins: “The entrance was from the east, as one goeth to them from the oute...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. Because, even because--**The repetition heightens the emphasis. **Peace--**safety to the nation. Ezekiel confirms Jr 6:14; 8:11. **one--**literally, "this one"; said contemptuously, as in 2Ch 28:22. **a wall--**rather, "a loose wall." Ezekiel had said that the false prophets did not "go up into the gaps, or make up the breaches" (Eze 13:5), as good architects do; now he adds that they ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The Hebrew <em>rochav</em> (רֹחַב, "thickness") emphasizes the substantial construction—these weren't flimsy additions but integral to the temple structure, built into the very walls. <strong>The separate place</strong> (<em>gizrah</em>, גִּז...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. overflowing--**inundating; such as will at once wash away the mere clay mortar. The three most destructive agents shall co-operate against the wall--wind, rain, and hailstones. These last in the East are more out of the regular course of nature and are therefore often particularly specified as the instruments of God's displeasure against His foes (Ex 9:18; Jos 10:11; Job 38:22; Psa 18:12, 13...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The emphasis on symmetry—<strong>as long as they, and as broad as they</strong>—reflects the divine order and perfection in God's ideal temple. The Hebrew <e...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) “And a way in front of them like the chambers which were towards the north; as long as these and as broad as these, and [like] all their goings out, and their arrangements, and their doors.”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. shall it not be said--**Your vanity and folly shall be so manifested that it shall pass into a proverb, "Where is the daubing?"

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse appears within Ezekiel's vision of the temple complex, describing architectural details of the sacred chambers. The Hebrew word for <strong>"door"</strong> (<em>petach</em>) appears twice, emphasizing entrances and access points to the holy spaces.<br><br>The phrase <strong>"toward the south"</strong> (<em>negev</em>) indicates precise orientation, crucial in temple layout where directi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) “So were the doors of the chambers which were toward the south, a door at the head of the way, the way over against the corresponding (?) wall, the way as one enters from the east.” The word here translated *corresponding* occurs only in this place, and is of doubtful signification; but the word for wall is the same as in Ezekiel 42:7, and there can be no doubt that it refers to the screen-wa...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13. God repeats, in His own name, as the Source of the coming calamity, what had been expressed generally in Eze 13:11.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse specifies the 'holy chambers' threefold purpose: (1) eating most holy things, (2) storing offerings, (3) maintaining ritual purity. The phrase 'priests that approach unto the LORD' (Hebrew קְרֵבִים אֶל־יְהוָה, qerebim el-YHWH) emphasizes privileged access requiring special consecration. Three offering types appear: meat/grain offering (תִּנְחָה, minchah—tribute to God), sin offering (חַ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Shall eat the most holy things.—**In the next clause it is said, “There shall they lay the most holy things,” both clauses referring to the priests’ portion of the sacrifices. We cannot think of their laying the uncooked flesh of the sacrifice in the same room where they ate (the cooking was done in another room west of this, Ezekiel 46:19-20); but the great size of this building—166 ft. lo...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14. The repetition of the same threat (see on Eze 13:11) is to awaken the people out of their dream of safety by the certainty of the event. **foundation--**As the "wall" represents the security of the nation, so the "foundation" is Jerusalem, on the fortifications of which they rested their confidence. Grotius makes the "foundation" refer to the false principles on which they rested; Eze 13:16 ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The requirement for priests to change garments before leaving holy areas emphasizes that holiness isn't casual or portable—it requires intentional separation. The priestly garments 'wherein they minister' were consecrated ('they are holy') and couldn't be worn in common areas. This teaches that what is appropriate in God's immediate presence may not be suitable for ordinary interaction. The 'other...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **There they shall lay their garments.**—It was apparently the requirement of the law that the priests should wear their official garments only when engaged in priestly duties within the tabernacle; this is not expressly stated in general terms, but it is said that they were to wear them when engaged in such duty (Exodus 28:43), and in some particular cases that they were to put them off when...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The <em>bayit hapenimiy</em> (בַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי, "inner house") refers to the temple proper—the holy place and most holy place, now fully measured. The angelic guide now leads Ezekiel to measure the outer perimeter, moving t...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **The inner house.—**This expression is here evidently used neither of the Holy of Holies, nor of the whole Temple building exclusively, but of all that had been measured, all that was included within the wall of the outer court. The prophet is led out from this by the eastern gate to measure a much larger space around it. It is not said in what part of this space the Temple with its courts w...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. prophesy concerning Jerusalem--**With all their "seeing visions of peace for her," they cannot ensure peace or safety to themselves.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. side: Heb. wind

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.</strong> The repetition <strong>with the measuring reed</strong> twice in one verse emphasizes the instrument's importance—this wasn't approximate estimation but exact measurement using a standardized <em>qaneh</em> (קָנֶה), approximately 10.5 feet long. <strong>Five hundred reeds</s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **With the measuring reed.—**According to Ezekiel 40:5 the reed was six cubits long; 500 reeds therefore, the measure of each side of the square, was 3,000 cubits, or about 5,000 feet = nearly a mile. Of course such a space, quite as large as was ever enclosed by the walls of ancient Jerusalem, would have been impossible upon the hill of Moriah, and various efforts have been made by some of t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17. set thy face--**put on a bold countenance, fearlessly to denounce them (Eze 3:8, 9; Is 50:7). **daughters--**the false prophetesses; alluded to only here; elsewhere the guilt specified in the women is the active share they took in maintaining idolatry (Eze 8:14). It was only in extraordinary emergencies that God bestowed prophecy on women, for example on Miriam, Deborah, Huldah (Ex 15:20; ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.</strong> After the east, the angel measures the north—moving clockwise around the temple complex. The repetition of <strong>five hundred reeds</strong> confirms the perfect square: all four sides equal, creating geometrical perfection that reflects divine order. The consistency of measurement from side to ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18. sew pillows to ... armholes--**rather, elbows and wrists, for which the false prophetesses made cushions to lean on, as a symbolical act, typifying the perfect tranquility which they foretold to those consulting them. Perhaps they made their dupes rest on these cushions in a fancied state of ecstasy after they had made them at first stand (whence the expression, "every stature," is used for ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.</strong> Continuing clockwise, the south side receives identical measurement—five hundred reeds, confirming the perfect square. The south represented warmth, blessing, and favor in Israelite geography (Deuteronomy 33:23 blesses Naphtali with 'the south'). The Queen of Sheba came from the south bearing gifts (1 Kings 1...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**19. handfuls--**expressing the paltry gain for which they bartered immortal souls (compare Mi 3:5, 11; He 12:16). They "polluted" God by making His name the cloak under which they uttered falsehoods. **among my people--**an aggravation of their sin, that they committed it "among the people" whom God had chosen as peculiarly His own, and among whom He had His temple. It would have been a sin to...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.</strong> The final side—the west—completes the perfect square. The verb <em>savav</em> (סָבַב, "turned about") indicates the angel's deliberate movement, completing the circuit. The west held deep significance in Israelite consciousness: it was the direction of the Mediterranean Sea (<em>yam</em>, יָ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20. I am against your pillows--**that is, against your lying ceremonial tricks by which ye cheat the people. **to make them fly--**namely, into their snares, as fowlers disturb birds so as to be suddenly caught in the net spread for them. "Fly" is peculiarly appropriate as to those lofty spiritual flights to which they pretended to raise their dupes when they veiled their heads with kerchiefs ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The massive wall—'five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad' (approximately 3,000 feet or over half a mile per side)—creates a perfect square enclosing the entire temple complex. This wall's purpose is explicitly stated: 'to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.' The Hebrew חֹל (chol, 'profane') doesn't mean morally evil but common, ordinary, secular—that which is no...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **It had a wall.**—Around this vast enclosure on all sides was a wall, not of the slight character of that in Ezekiel 42:7; but the same word is used as in Ezekiel 40:5, of the massive wall surrounding the outer court. The object of this enclosure was to protect the sanctity of the Temple and its courts, “to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.” Ellicott's Commentary...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**21. in your hand--**in your power. "My people" are the elect remnant of Israel to be saved. **ye shall know--**by the judgments which ye shall suffer.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 7-22** If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided ...
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