Ezekiel 42:16

16 He measured the east side with the reed for measuring, five hundred cubits, with [respect to] reeds with the reed for measurement, [he measured it] all around.

Ezekiel 42:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 42:16

He measured the east side
He began with that, being at the east gate: the building was foursquare, and so was the wall about it, and had each four equilateral sides, which were separately measured; here the east side, from the two angles of it, the north and south points: with the measuring reed;
which consisted of six cubits, and which cubits were larger than the common sort by a hand's breadth; so that a measuring reed measured three yards and a half: and the whole measure of the east side were five hundred reeds:
which make one thousand seven hundred and fifty yards: with the measuring reed round about;
not round about the building, since only one side, as yet, was measured; but round about that side, or from angle to angle, or from one side to the other: having finished one side, he went to another, until he had measured all round; but did not go four times round it, only once.

Ezekiel 42:16 In-Context

14 {When the priests enter}, then they shall not go out from the sanctuary to the outer courtyard; and there they must put their garments in which they serve because they [are] holy. They must put on other garments and [then] they may approach [the area] that [is] for the people.

15 And he completed the measurements of the inner temple, and he brought me [to] the walkway of the gate {that faces toward the east} and he measured it {all the way around}.

16 He measured the east side with the reed for measuring, five hundred cubits, with [respect to] reeds with the reed for measurement, [he measured it] all around.

17 He measured the north side [as] five hundred [cubits], [with respect to] reeds with the reed for measurement all around.

18 [Then] he measured the south side [as] five hundred [cubits], [with respect to] reeds with the reed for measurement.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "rod"
• [b] Literally "of measuring"
• [c] Hebrew has "reeds" here (= 5,250 feet), which is not correct; 500 cubits = 875 feet.