Ezekiel 40:47

So he measured the court,.... The inward court, where the prophet and his guide now were; and the gates leading to which he had been measuring, with the chambers, arches, and tables belonging

So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.

The court; the inner court, or court of the priests, who, according to their several charges, had lodgings in it, as . Four-square: this court was an exact equilateral square. The altar: here the place of the altar is only mentioned, the measuring of it is . This altar was placed in the very centre of this square, in a direct line from the north, east, and south gates, and might be seen from the lower courts by those who stood there. The house; the temple itself.

Ezekiel 40:47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar [that was] before the house.Ver. 47. So he measured.] Christ doeth all things in his Church in number, weight, and measure. By his Spirit he ordereth the length, breadth, and depth of his spiritual house, and bestoweth his gifts by measure to each member.

(44) Without the inner gate.—Without must here be understood in a different sense from the without of Eze 40:40, because this is expressly said to be “in the inner court;” it means, therefore, only outside the gateway.Chambers of the singers.—The description of the chambers in Ezekiel 40:44-46 is not very clear, and has caused very great difference of opinion, and even a disposition to modify the text. But the text as it stands is supported by the ancient versions, Greek, Chaldee, and Syriac, as well as by the Masoretic punctuation. There seem to have been three or more chambers altogether, two at least at the side of the north gate opening to the south, i.e., towards the altar, and one at the east gate opening toward the north. The purpose of the chamber at the east gate is perfectly clear; it was “for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar,” i.e., for those priests who were on duty at the time in connection with the sacrifices. It is not mentioned on which side of the gate it was placed, nor how large it was, but it is drawn on the plan on the north (Plan II., O). The chambers at the north gate (N), however, are called (Ezekiel 40:44) “chambers of the singers,” and yet in Ezekiel 40:45 one of them is said to be for the priests “in charge of the house.” The difficulty arises simply from the very common use of the plural in connection with only one of several persons or things, the other being separately specified. To make it entirely clear, we should say, “the chambers, one for the singers, and one for the priests.” The singers were particular families of the Levites (1 Chronicles 6:31-37; 1 Chronicles 9:33; 1 Chronicles 25; 2 Chronicles 5:12), and were not of the priestly order. The general arrangement appears to have been as follows: the offerer brings his victim into the outer court (C) near to the north gate leading into the inner court; there the Levites slay it (at x) and prepare it for the altar upon the tables provided, and then hang its flesh upon the hooks within the porch of the gate; the priests “in charge of the house” in the chamber near the inner end of the gate (N) now notify the singers in the other chamber and also the priests on duty at the altar in the chamber at the east gate (O), that both may enter upon their functions.

Verse 47. He measured the court] This was the court of the priests. See FFF in the plan. See Clarke on Ezekiel 48:35.

47. Measurements of the inner court. Lines drawn along the inner fronts of the inner gates, and along the front of the house, gave a square of 100 cubits. In this space stood the altar in front of the house, and being high it could be seen through the gates. The place between the temple and the altar was especially sacred. On altar cf. Ezekiel 43:13-17. The square, Fig. 3, iklm; the altar, Fig. 3, F.

The court - The inner court (B) where was the brass altar Ezekiel 43:13. The new chapter would begin better at Ezekiel 40:48.