Ezekiel 43:7-17

7 The LORD said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died.

8 They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger.

9 Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever.

10 “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan,

11 and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them.

12 And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.

13 “These are the measurements of the altar : There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide, with a curb 9 inches wide around its edge. And this is the height of the altar:

14 From the gutter the altar rises 3 feet to a lower ledge that surrounds the altar and is 21 inches wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet to the upper ledge that is also 21 inches wide.

15 The top of the altar, the hearth, rises another 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners.

16 The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet.

17 The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 feet by 24 feet, with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 -inch curb all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar.”

Ezekiel 43:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 43

The temple or house of God being measured, the worship of God in it is pointed out and observed in this and the following chapter; and which, though evangelical, is expressed in the language of the Old Testament. An account is given of the glory of the Lord returning to the house, and the way he did, and his taking possession of it, which the prophet was favoured with a view of, Eze 43:1-5, a promise is made of his continuance there, provided his people behaved as they should, Eze 43:6-9, an order is given to the prophet, to show them the form and fashion, the laws, orders, and ordinances of the house to them, to be observed by them, Eze 43:10-12, then follows the measuring of the altar of burnt offerings; which, though measured before in chapter forty, the dimensions are here given, Eze 43:13-17, and the chapter is concluded with directions about the consecration of it, Eze 43:18-27.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or kings on their high places.
• [b]. As in Greek version; Hebrew reads if they are ashamed.
• [c]. Hebrew measurements of the altar in long cubits, each being a cubit [18 inches or 45 centimeters] and a handbreadth [3 inches or 8 centimeters] in length.
• [d]. Hebrew a cubit [53 centimeters] deep and a cubit wide.
• [e]. Hebrew 1 span [23 centimeters].
• [f]. As in Greek version; Hebrew reads base.
• [g]. Hebrew 2 cubits [1.1 meters].
• [h]. Hebrew 1 cubit [53 centimeters]; also in 43:14d .
• [i]. Hebrew 4 cubits [2.1 meters]; also in 43:15 .
• [j]. Hebrew 12 [cubits] [6.4 meters] long and 12 [cubits] wide.
• [k]. Hebrew 14 [cubits] [7.4 meters] long and 14 [cubits] wide.
• [l]. Hebrew a gutter of 1 cubit [53 centimeters] and a curb of a cubit [27 centimeters].