And these are the measures of the altar after the
cubits
Of the altar of burnt offering, which though measured before, the
dimensions were not given till now; see ( Ezekiel
40:47 ) , this altar was a type of Christ, ( Hebrews
13:10 ) with respect to his deity, which is greater than the
sacrifice of his human nature, the support of it, which
sanctified it, and gave virtue and efficacy to it, and rendered
it acceptable to God, ( Matthew
23:19 ) and the measures of it are said to be after the
cubits used in the measuring of places and things belonging to
this house, described; and what these were appears by what
follows: the cubit is a cubit and an hand
breadth;
not the common cubit, but what was larger than that by a hand
breadth, or three inches: even the bottom shall be a cubit,
and the breadth a cubit;
or, "the bosom" F20; that is, the foundation of the
altar, as the Targum and Jarchi; the basis, foot, or settle of
it; this was a cubit high, and a cubit broad: and the
border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a
span;
the edge or "lip" F21, of this bottom or settle, was a
cubit broad, for the priests to stand and go round the altar, and
to this there was a border of a span, or half a cubit, to prevent
their slipping; or else to keep the blood, poured at the foot of
the altar, from running upon the pavement: and this shall
be the higher place of the altar;
or the projection or jetting of it out beyond others, which was
further than any other part; otherwise it was the lower part of
the altar.