Ezekiel

He took me out, by way of the northern gate, into the outer court, and he led me [westward] up to a complex of chambersacomplex of chambers Heb. simply “chambers,” and so elsewhere. that ran parallel to the northern ends of the vacant space and the structure.

The widthbwidth See note at 40.5. of its façade—its north side, the one from which it was enteredcits north side, the one from which it was entered Lit. “the north entrance”; but cf. v. 4.—was 100 cubits, and its depthddepth See note at 40.5. was 50 cubits.

At right angles to the 20 cubitsethe 20 cubits I.e., the vacant space; cf. 41.13 and second note there. of the inner court and to the pavement of the outer court,fpavement of the outer court Cf. 40.17. the complex rose ledge by ledgegrose ledge by ledge Because this part of the inner court was considerably higher than the outer; Cf. 40.28–31; 41.8, 9b–10. in three tiers.

There was an areaway, 10 cubits wide and a road of one cubit,ha road of one cubit Septuagint and Syriac read “and 100 cubits long”; cf. vv. 2–3. running along the inner-court side of the chamber complex, but its entrances were on its north side.

Here its upper chambers were cut back, because ledges took away from them as construction proceeded backward from the bottom ones and then from the middle ones.

For they were arranged in three tiers, and they had no columns like those of the chambers in the courts.ichambers in the courts See vv. 8–9 referring to chambers along the west wall. That is why the rise proceeded by stages: from the ground, from the bottom ones, and from the middle ones.

In the outer court, a wall 50 cubits long ran parallel to the chamber complex up to the chambers in the outer court;jchambers in the outer court Cf. 40.17.

for the chambers in the outer court were themselves 50 cubits deep, thus completing 100 cubits alongside the edifice.kedifice Apparently meaning the chamber complex of v. 1.

Thus, at the foot of that complex of chambers ran a passagelpassage So kethib; qere “thing giving access.”—of a width set by the wall in the outer courtmof a width set by the wall in the outer court Moved up from v. 10 for clarity.—that one entered from the east in order to gain access to them from the outer court.

There was another chamber complex to the eastneast Septuagint reads “south”; cf. v. 13. of the vacant space and the structure,

likewise with a passage in front—just like the complex on the north side, with which this one agreed in width and depth and in the exact layout of its exits and entrances.

Accordingly, the entrances to the chamber complex on the south side were approached from the east by the entrance at the head of the corresponding passage along the matching wall.othe corresponding passage along the matching wall Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain; the phrase apparently refers to vv. 7–8.

And he said to me, “The northern chambers and the southern chambers by the vacant space are the consecrated chambers in which the priests who have access to GOD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall deposit the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the purgation offerings, and the reparation offerings, for the place is consecrated.

When the priests enter, they shall not proceed from the consecrated place to the outer court without first leaving here the vestments in which they minister; for the [vestments] are consecrated. Before proceeding to the area open to the people,pthe area open to the people Cf. 44.19 and note. they shall put on other garments.”

When he had finished the measurements of the inner temple [area], he led me out by way of the gate that faces east, and he measured off the entire area.

He measured the east side with the measuring rod, 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod. He turned

[and] measured the north side: 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod. He turned

[and] measured the south side: 500 [cubits]—in rods, by the measuring rod.

Then he turned to the west side [and] measured it: 500 cubits—in rods, by the measuring rod.

Thus he measured it on the four sides; it had a wall completely surrounding it, 500 [cubits] long on each side,qon each side Lit. “and 500 wide.” to separate the consecrated from the unconsecrated.