1 In the [25th] year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought Me thither.
Quite a while later…
The last time marker we had was the destruction of Jerusalem. Now fourteen years have passed.
2 In the visions of God brought He Me into the land of Israel, and set Me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
God is showing Ezekiel a vision of a city.
3 And He brought Me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
Whether this is a vision of God or of an angel speaking for God, I don’t know.
4 And the man said unto me, "Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou see to the house of Israel."
God has another message for the Jews.
5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
A cubit was a unit of measure generally the length of the king’s arm from the tip of his fingers to his elbow (though men building their own homes likely just used their own arms). On my 6’ 3” hubby, this is 19.” We generally assume it was roughly 18 when converting biblical measurements since they were shorter than we tend to be.
So, this measuring reed was about nine feet long.
A hand breadth is about four inches and is still used to measure horses today. For example, your “average” horse is about 15 hands high (measured at the top of the shoulder).
The wall was 9’ wide and 9’ tall.
6 Then came he unto the gate which looks toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.
The gates were about 9’ wide.
7 And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.
City walls of this time usually had little rooms built into them for storage or shops. This wall’s rooms were 9’ x 9’ with 7 ½’ between them.
8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.
There was an inset that functioned as an entryway to the gate that was 12’ with support posts 3’ wide.
10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.
The gate itself had little rooms, probably used for storage or shops in peace time, but for housing soldiers when there was a threat of war. They were all the same size.
11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
The gate itself was 15’ x 20½’.
12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
The little rooms inside the gate itself were 9’ x 9’ with 18’ between them.
13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.
The width of the gate was 37 ½’.
14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.
It sounds as if the angel is building this wall in front of Ezekiel.
90’ posts.
15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
There were two walls, one inside the other; a common defense mechanism of the time. The front of the inside porch to the front of the outside one was 75’.
16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.
Little windows were not only for light and fresh air, but in the wall were usually just big enough to shoot an arrow out of.
The posts were carved with palm trees for decoration.
17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.
This was the space between two walls.
18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.
19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.
This courtyard between the walls was 150’ square.
20 And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.
21 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
The North gate was the same size as the East gate, 75’ x 42 ½’.
22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looks toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.
23 And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
There was 150’ between gates (both walls having several gates each).
24 After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.
The south gate was also the same size.
25 And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
75’ x 42 ½’.
26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
This gate had palm trees planted by it.
27 And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.
Now we move to the inner wall.
There was 150’ between gates.
28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
The south gate of the inner wall was 75’ x 42 ½’, the same size as the gates in the outer wall.
30 And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
The surrounding arches were the same length as the breadth of the gate and half the length of the width of the gate (42 ½’ x 7 ½’). So there were probably six arches
31 And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.
This gate had eight steps instead of seven.
32 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.
The Eastern Gate of the inner wall.
33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
Same measures as the last gate (75’ x 42 ½’).
34 And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
Same as the last gate.
Now the North Gate:
35 And he brought Me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;
36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
Same measure.
37 And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
38 And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.
Same as the last gate except this is where they washed the animals for the burnt offerings.
39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
These tables were set up for the priests to use to prepare the animals for burning.
40 And at the side without, as one goes up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.
41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.
42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice.
27” x 27” (about 2 ½ feet) x 18” tall.
43 And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
Ezekiel sees the instruments used to sacrifice the animals and the dead animals.
44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.
The little rooms in this wall were used for the singers whose job was to worship God, except for two little chambers.
45 And he said unto me, "This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house."
One of the non-singer chambers was for the men in charge of the cleaning, maintenance and duty of the temple. Possibly a janitor’s closet? Or their apartment.
46 "And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the Lord to minister unto Him."
The other non-singer chamber is for the men in charge of the duties of The Altar.
47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.
The courtyard in front of the Temple was 150’ square.
48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
Now Ezekiel measures the gate of the entry porch to the Temple. The posts are 7 ½’. The gate is 4 ½’ deep.
49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought Me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
The porch to the Temple itself was 30’ x 16 ½’.