Ezekiel 40:47

47 And he measured the court, 1a hundred cubits long and 2a hundred cubits broad, a square. And 3the altar was in front of the temple.

Ezekiel 40:47 Meaning and Commentary

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 thereunto: an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare;
the floor, or area of this court, which was a hundred cubits in length and breadth; so that it was a perfect square, equilateral, east, west, north, and south, and above fifty yards each way; such a court as never was in any temple whatever: hence Kimchi observes, there was no such court in the second temple; no, nor in the first neither: in the second temple, the length of the court of Israel, according to Abarbinel, was a hundred and thirty five cubits, and the breadth eleven, but this was a hundred by a hundred; these things, says Lipman F21, are wonderful in my eyes: this denotes the large increase of the church, and of spiritual worshippers, in the latter day; and the foursquare of it signifies the order, perfection, and stability of it; see ( Revelation 21:16 ) : and the altar that was before the house;
the altar of burnt offering, which stood before the house or temple, in the midst of the inward court; so that it might be seen by all in the inward court and chambers; and even by all in the outward court, through the several gates, which directly opened and led to it. This was typical of Christ, the altar, we Christians have a right to eat of; which sanctifies every gift offered upon it, and which every worshipper should by faith look unto for the expiation of their sins. The dimensions of this altar were now taken, and are given in ( Ezekiel 43:13-17 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F21 Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, sect. 27.

Ezekiel 40:47 In-Context

45 And he said to me, This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple,
46 and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone among the sons of Levi may come near to the LORD to minister to him.
47 And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple.
48 Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate were three cubits on either side.
49 The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps. And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.

Cross References 3

  • 1. See Ezekiel 41:13-15
  • 2. See Ezekiel 41:13-15
  • 3. [Ezekiel 43:13; Exodus 40:29; Matthew 23:35]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.