Ezekiel 40

1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile [captivity, being taken away], at the beginning [head, chief time] of the year, on the tenth [ten, completeness] day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem [the city, a place of excitement] had been struck down [smitten, hit]—on that very day [this day, a specific time] the hand [power or direction] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] was upon [on, above] me, and He took [brought, came] me there [to that place, thither]. word study 2 In visions [prophetic revelations, divine appearances] of God [Elohim, the supreme Being] He took me [brought me, led me] to the land [earth, territory] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, the chosen people] and set me [caused me to rest, placed me] on a very [exceedingly, greatly] high [elevated, lofty] mountain, on whose southern [Negeb, south country] slope was a structure [building, framework] that resembled [was like, appeared as] a city [town, settlement]. word study 3 So He took me there [to that place, thither], and I saw a man [a male person, an individual] whose appearance [sight, vision] was like [similar to, resembling] bronze [copper, something made of it]. He was standing [upright, firmly] in the gateway [entrance, door] with a linen cord [thread, flaxen string] and a measuring rod [reed, branch for measurement] in his hand [power, direction]. word study 4 “Son of man [human, mortal, a son of Adam],” he said to me, “look [behold, see with your eyes] with your eyes, hear [listen, give attention] with your ears, and pay attention [set your heart, give careful consideration] to everything I am going to show [reveal, make known] you, for that is why [because, for the purpose that] you have been brought [come, led] here. Report [declare, tell] to the house [family, people] of Israel [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob] everything you see [perceive, observe].” word study 5 And I saw a wall [surrounding barrier, means of protection] surrounding the temple area [house of God, sacred place]. Now the length of the measuring rod [reed, standard of measurement] in the man’s hand was six long cubits [about 10.5 feet] (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod [six cubits, a standard unit] thick and one rod [of the same length, uniform] high. word study 6 Then he came [approached, drew near] to the gate [entryway, doorway] facing [toward, in the direction of] east [the direction of the rising sun] and climbed [ascended, went up] its steps [stairway, ascent]. He measured [stretched out, extended] the threshold [door sill, entrance] of the gate [entryway, doorway] to be [found to be, discovered to be] one rod [reed, measuring stick] deep [in depth, in width]. word study 7 Each gate chamber [little room, private space] was one rod [branch, measuring stick] long and one rod [branch, measuring stick] wide, and there were five cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm] between the gate chambers [little rooms, private spaces]. The inner threshold [door sill, entrance] of the gate [entrance, doorway] by the portico [covered area, vestibule] facing inward was one rod [branch, measuring stick] deep. word study 8 Then he measured [took the dimensions of, stretched out a line to] the portico [porch, covered way, vestibule] of the gateway [gate, door, entrance] inside [toward the house, within the temple] [one reed, a single unit of measurement]; word study 9 it was eight [a special number] cubits deep, and its jambs [posts, pillars] were two [a pair, double] cubits thick. And the portico [a covered area, vestibule] of the gateway [entrance, door] faced [was inward, toward] the temple [the house of God, a dwelling place]. word study 10 There were three [a complete set] gate chambers [little chambers, lodges, or alcoves] on each side of the east [the direction of the rising sun] gate, each with the same measurements [a measured size or portion], and the gateposts [posts, uprights, or pillars] on either side also had the same measurements [one measure, a unified standard]. word study 11 And he measured [took the dimensions of, surveyed] the width [breadth, physical size] of the gateway entrance [doorway, opening] to be ten cubits, and its length [physical distance, extent] was thirteen [ten plus three, a number of completion and perfection] cubits. word study 12 In front of each gate chamber [little chamber, small room] was a wall [border, boundary] one cubit [about 18 inches, a unit of measurement] high, and the gate chambers [little chambers, private spaces] were six cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm] square. word study 13 Then he measured [took the dimensions of, assessed the size] the gateway [gate, entrance] from the roof [top, upper part] of one gate chamber [small room, alcove] to the roof [upper part, top] of the opposite one; the distance [width, breadth] was twenty-five [twenty and five] cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm] from doorway [entrance, door] to doorway [entrance, opposite door]. word study 14 Next he measured the gateposts [posts of threescore cubits, sixty cubits high] to be sixty cubits high [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. The gateway [the court reached unto the posts] extended around [surrounding, encompassing] to the gatepost [the post of the court] of the courtyard [the court, a village or small settlement]. word study 15 And the distance [from the forefront, at the entrance] from the entrance [doorway, gateway] of the gateway [gate, entrance] to the far end [face, forefront] of its inner [interior, internal] portico [porch, vestibule] was fifty [the number fifty, a measurement of length] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. word study 16 The gate chambers [little rooms, lodges] and their side pillars had beveled windows [narrow, closed windows] all around [surrounding, encompassing] the inside [within, inward] of the gateway [gate, entrance]. The porticos [arches, porches] also had windows [narrow windows] all around [surrounding, encompassing] on the inside [within, inward]. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees. word study 17 Then he brought me into the outer [external, outward] court, and there were chambers [rooms, storage areas] and a pavement [decorative stone floor, walkway] laid out all around [encompassing, surrounding] the court. Thirty [thirtieth in number] chambers faced [were situated towards, looked out upon] the pavement [stone floor, pathway], word study 18 which flanked [by the side of, corresponding to] the gateways [city entrances, temple doors] and corresponded to [was as wide as, answerable unto] the length [physical distance, extent] of the gates; this was the [nethermost, lowermost] lower [bottommost] pavement [decorative pavement, stone floor]. word study 19 Then he measured [to stretch or extend, to determine the size] the distance from the front [face, presence] of the lower [nethermost, bottommost] gateway [gate, door] to the outside [beyond the wall or boundary] of the inner [interior, within] court; it was a hundred [a multitude of, numerous] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] on the east [direction east, the rising of the sun] side as well as on the north [the direction north, the region of darkness]. word study 20 He also measured [took the dimensions of, to see how wide and how long] the length [physical distance, extent] and width [breadth, spaciousness] of the gateway [entryway, door] of the outer [external, secular] court [open space, village] facing [whose prospect is toward, looking towards] north [the northern direction, Zaphon]. word study 21 Its three [little chambers, alcoves] gate chambers on each side, its side pillars [posts], and its portico [arches, porch] all had the same measurements as the first [primary, initial] gate: fifty [a unit of fifty] cubits [about the length of a forearm] long and twenty-five [five and twenty] cubits wide [in breadth]. word study 22 Its windows [openings in the wall], portico [a covered area, porch], and palm trees [decorative columns] had the same measurements [proportions, dimensions] as those of the gate [entrance, doorway] facing [oriented towards] east [the direction of the rising sun]. Seven steps [stairway, ascent] led up to it, with its portico [vestibule, entrance hall] opposite [facing, in front of] them. word study 23 There was a gate [entrance, doorway] to the inner [interior, internal] court facing the north [Zaphon, northern direction] gate, just as there was on the east [direction, location]. He measured [to stretch, extend] the distance from gateway [entry, entrance] to gateway to be a hundred [numerous, plentiful] cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. word study 24 Then he led me [to walk, to journey] to the south [direction, geographical location] side, and I saw a gateway [door, entrance] facing south [toward the southern direction]. He measured [to stretch, to extend] its side pillars [posts, uprights] and portico [arches, vestibule], and they had the same measurements [according to these measures, identical dimensions] as the others [previously, the same as before]. word study 25 Both the gateway [entrance, porch] and its portico [arches, vestibule] had windows [openings, holes in the wall] all around [surrounding, encompassing], like the other windows [those windows, similar openings]. It was fifty [the number fifty] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] long and twenty-five [twenty and five] cubits wide [broad, having a certain breadth]. word study 26 Seven steps [ascent, journey upward] led up to it, and its portico [porch, vestibule] was opposite them; it had palm trees [decorative columns] on its side pillars, one [unique, single] on each side [this place, that location]. word study 27 The inner [interior, most sacred] court also had a gate [entryway, doorway] facing south [toward the southern direction], and he measured [to stretch or extend, to determine the size] the distance from gateway [entry point, entrance] to gateway toward the south [in the southern direction] to be a hundred cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. word study 28 Next he brought me into the inner [most private, interior] court through the south [direction of warmth and light] gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements [proportions, dimensions] as the others [previous gates, earlier measurements]. word study 29 Its gate chambers [little rooms, private spaces], side pillars [strong posts, like oak trees], and portico [a porch, vestibule, or covered area] had the same measurements [according to these standards] as the others. Both the gateway [the entrance, the door] and its portico [the porch, the arches] had windows [openings, holes in the wall] all around [encompassing, surrounding]; it was fifty [a multiple of ten] cubits [a unit of length, about the forearm’s length] long and twenty-five [a combination of twenty and five, a significant quantity] cubits wide [broad, having a certain breadth]. word study 30 (The porticoes [arches, covered areas] around [surrounding, encompassing] the inner court were twenty-five [twenty and five] cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm] long and five cubits [five units] deep [in width, broad]. ) word study 31 Its portico [faced toward the outer court, towards the utter court] faced the outer [external, secular] court, and its side pillars [posts, columns] were decorated with palm trees [palm tree designs]. Eight [a special number] steps led up to it. word study 32 And he brought [led, took] me to the inner [interior, most sacred] court on the east [toward the rising sun] side, and he measured [assessed, evaluated] the gateway [entrance, door]; it had the same measurements [proportions, dimensions] as the others [previous ones, those already seen]. word study 33 Its gate chambers [little rooms, lodges], side pillars, and portico [arches, porch] had the same measurements [size, proportions] as the others. Both the gateway [entry room] and its portico [covered way, vestibule] had windows [openings] all around [surrounding, encompassing]. It was fifty [the number fifty] cubits [a unit of length, about the length of a forearm] long and twenty-five [five and twenty] cubits wide [broad, having a certain width]. word study 34 Its portico [arches, a covered area] faced the outer [external, secular] court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side [here and there]. Eight [a special number] steps led up to it. word study 35 Then he brought me [to approach, to come near] to the north [Zaphon, towards the northern direction] gate [entrance, doorway] and measured [to stretch, to extend] it. It had the same measurements [according to these measures, like the others] as the others [these, the previously measured ones], word study 36 as did its gate chambers [little rooms, private spaces], side pillars [posts, uprights], and portico [porch, vestibule, a covered area]. It also had windows [openings, holes in the wall] all around [encompassing, surrounding]. It was fifty [a multiple of ten, a complete amount] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] long and twenty-five [five times five] cubits wide [in breadth, measuring across]. word study 37 Its portico [facing the outer courtyard, toward the utter court] faced the outer [external, secular] court, and its side pillars [posts, uprights] were decorated with palm trees [palms] on each side [this side and that side, here and there]. Eight [the number eight, a special number] steps led up to it [ascent, an upward movement, climbing]. word study 38 There was a chamber [a room or storage room] with a doorway [entrance or gate] by the portico [a covered walkway] in each of the inner gateways [the gates of the temple]. There [in that place, at that location] the burnt offering [a sacrifice completely consumed by fire] was to be washed [purged or cleansed, to thrust away]. word study 39 Inside the portico [a covered area at the entrance, a vestibule] of the gateway [gate, entrance] were two tables [a place of communion] on each side, on which the burnt offerings [to be completely consumed, a step to the altar], sin offerings [for atonement, purification], and guilt offerings [a trespass, to make amends] were to be slaughtered [killed, sacrificed]. word study 40 Outside [in the outer area, beyond the wall], as one goes up [ascends, rises] to the entrance [doorway, gate] of the north [Zaphon, northern direction] gateway, there were two [a pair, dual] tables [a place for meals or sacred purposes] on one side [the right hand, the southern side] and two more [another pair, an additional two] tables on the other side [the left hand, the northern side] of the gate’s [the entrance, the doorway] portico [ulam, a covered area, a vestibule]. word study 41 So there were four [a specific, limited number] tables [a place of communion] inside the gateway [entrance, by the side of the gate] and four [another set of the same number] outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices [animals to be slaughtered, offerings to God] were to be slaughtered [killed, offered as a sacrifice]. word study 42 There were also four [hewn, cut] tables of dressed [cut] stone for the burnt offering [a step or stairs, often used to describe the ascent to the altar], each a cubit [about the length of a forearm] and a half [middle, a part of something] long, a cubit and a half [one and a half] wide, and a cubit high [elevated, a high place]. On these were placed the utensils [articles, tools, objects] used to slaughter [to kill, to massacre] the burnt offerings [a step or stairs, often used to describe the ascent to the altar] and the other [additional, different] sacrifices [an act of offering an animal’s flesh to God]. word study 43 The double-pronged hooks [ash heep, possibly stalls for animals], each a handbreadth [about 3-4 inches, the width of a hand] long, were fastened all around [surrounding, encompassing] the inside of the room, and the flesh [body, living being] of the offering [sacrifice, gift to God] was to be placed on the tables [a place of communion]. word study 44 Outside [beyond the wall, in the outer area] the inner [most private, interior] gate, within [inside, within the boundaries of] the inner [most private, interior] court, were two chambers [rooms, private quarters], one beside [next to, adjacent to] the north [northern, Zaphon] gate and facing [having its prospect, looking] south [southerly, in the direction of the south wind], and another beside [next to, adjacent to] the south [southerly, in the direction of the south wind] gate and facing [having its prospect, looking] north [northerly, in the direction of the north wind]. word study 45 Then the man said to me: “The chamber [room, storage area] that faces [is directed towards] south [the southern direction, toward the south wind] is for the priests [spiritual leaders, those who serve God] who keep [guard, watch over, obey] charge [responsibility, duty] of the temple [the house of God, the place of worship], word study 46 and the chamber [room, storage area] that faces [is directed towards, has its prospect] north [toward the north, Zaphon] is for the priests [Levites, spiritual leaders] who keep charge [guard, are responsible for] of the altar [place of sacrifice, worship]. These are the sons [descendants, offspring] of Zadok [righteous, just], the only Levites [priestly tribe, descendants of Levi] who may approach [come near, draw near] the LORD [Yehovah, God Almighty] to minister [serve, worship] before Him [in His presence].” word study 47 Next he measured [to determine the size of] the court [a square, open space]. It was square [foursquare, having equal length and width], a hundred [a specific quantity of] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] long and a hundred cubits wide [broad, having a certain extent from side to side]. And the altar [a place of sacrifice, where offerings are made to God] was in front of [before the face of, in the presence of] the temple [the house, a dwelling place, including a place of worship]. word study 48 Then he brought me to the portico [porch, vestibule, entrance hall] of the temple and measured the side pillars [upright posts, columns] of the portico to be five cubits [units of measurement, about the length of a forearm] on each side [this side and that side, here and there]. The width [breadth, span] of the gateway [entrance, door] was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls [supporting walls, side posts] were three cubits on either side [here and there, this side and that]. word study 49 The portico [porch, vestibule] was twenty [two times ten] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] wide and twelve [a dozen] cubits deep, and ten [a decade] steps led up to it [by which they went up, using the stairs]. There were columns [pillars, pillars of support] by the side pillars [posts, uprights], one [a single, united] on each side [on this side and that side, here and there]. word study