Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 41

Introduction

Ezekiel 41:0

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see “Guide to Good Bible Reading”)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

Verses 1-4

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:1-4 1Then he brought me to the nave and measured the side pillars; six cubits wide on each side was the width of the side pillar. 2The width of the entrance was ten cubits and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. And he measured the length of the nave, forty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits. 3Then he went inside and measured each side pillar of the doorway, two cubits, and the doorway, six cubits high; and the width of the doorway, seven cubits. 4He measured its length, twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the nave; and he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

Ezekiel 41:1 “he brought me” Does the “he” refer to (cf. Ezekiel 40:17, Ezekiel 40:24, Ezekiel 40:28, Ezekiel 40:32, Ezekiel 40:35, Ezekiel 40:48)

1. the hand of the Lord, Ezekiel 40:1, Ezekiel 40:2

2. the Lord's Spirit

3. the angel guide, Ezekiel 40:45, Ezekiel 40:47; Ezekiel 41:2, Ezekiel 41:3, Ezekiel 41:4, Ezekiel 41:15

In context #3 fits best.

NASB, NRSV“the nave” NKJV“the sanctuary” JPSOA“the great hall” TEV“central room” NJB“the Hekal”'

This word (BDB 228, KB 244) can refer to

1. palace/temple of God as the great king, 2 Kings 18:16; 2 Kings 23:4; 2 Kings 24:13; Jeremiah 7:4; Jeremiah 24:1; Ezekiel 8:16

2. the holy place of Solomon's temple, 1 Kings 6:17; 1 Kings 7:50, and of Ezekiel's temple, Ezekiel 41:1, Ezekiel 41:4, Ezekiel 41:15, Ezekiel 41:21, Ezekiel 41:23

3. the heavenly temple of Isaiah, Isaiah 6:1 (cf. Psalms 11:4; Micah 1:2; Habakkuk 2:20)

4. the second temple built by Zerubbabel, Haggai 2:15, Haggai 2:18; Zechariah 6:12, Zechariah 6:13, Zechariah 6:14, Zechariah 6:15; Zechariah 8:9; Malachi 3:1

Ezekiel 41:4 “This is the most holy place” This refers to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant originally dwelt (cf. Exodus 26:33-34; 1 Kings 6:16; 1 Kings 8:6). This was the place of atonement, the place of YHWH's personal presence (cf. Leviticus 16:0).

Verses 5-11

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:5-11 5Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits; and the width of the side chambers, four cubits, all around about the house on every side. 6The side chambers were in three stories, one above another, and thirty in each story; and the side chambers extended to the wall which stood on their inward side all around, that they might be fastened, and not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself. 7The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story. Because the structure surrounding the temple went upward by stages on all sides of the temple, therefore the width of the temple increased as it went higher; and thus one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the second story. 8I saw also that the house had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full rod of six long cubits in height. 9The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. But the free space between the side chambers belonging to the temple 10and the outer chambers was twenty cubits in width all around the temple on every side. 11The doorways of the side chambers toward the free space consisted of one doorway toward the north and another doorway toward the south; and the width of the free space was five cubits all around.

Ezekiel 41:7

NASB“the second story” NKJV, NRSV“the middle one” LXX“third story”

The term (BDB 1064, KB 1724) means “middle.” From the context it must refer to the middle or second level (cf. Ezekiel 42:5, Ezekiel 42:6).

The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1122, says Ezekiel 41:7 is describing a spiraling staircase.

Verse 12

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:12 12 The building that was in front of the separate area at the side toward the west was seventy cubits wide; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.

Verses 13-14

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:13-14 13Then he measured the temple, a hundred cubits long; the separate area with the building and its walls were also a hundred cubits long. 14Also the width of the front of the temple and that of the separate areas along the east side totaled a hundred cubits.

Verses 15-20

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:15-20 15He measured the length of the building along the front of the separate area behind it, with a gallery on each side, a hundred cubits; he also measured the inner nave and the porches of the court. 16The thresholds, the latticed windows and the galleries round about their three stories, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17over the entrance, and to the inner house, and on the outside, and on all the wall all around inside and outside, by measurement. 18It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, 19a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. 20From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave.

Ezekiel 41:16

NASB“lattices windows” NKJV“beveled window frames” NRSV“windows with recessed frames” TEV“the windows could be covered” NJB“the windows were screened with latticework”

This descriptive term (BDB 31, KB 36) can mean

1. closed, barred, cf. Ezekiel 41:16c

2. framed, cf. 1 Kings 6:4; 1 Kings 7:4-5

3. narrow

▣ “were paneled with wood all around” This was just like Solomon's temple (cf. 1 Kings 6:15).

Ezekiel 41:18 “cherubim and palm trees” These were the same decorations that were used in Solomon's temple (cf. 1 Kings 6:8, 1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 7:29, 1 Kings 7:36). There is some doubt as to the exact physical description of the Cherubim: (1) the Ark of the Covenant had Cherubim who had one face each; (2) in Ezekiel 1:0 and 10 they seem to have four faces; (3) Revelation 4:0 records a different face for each creature. See Special Topic: Cherubim.

Verses 21-26

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezekiel 41:21-26 21The doorposts of the nave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. 22The altar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its base and its sides were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.” 23The nave and the sanctuary each had a double door. 24Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. 25Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave, cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls; and there was a threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside. 26There were latticed windows and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds.

Ezekiel 41:22 “the altar of wood” There are two possibilities for this piece of furniture because it is called both an altar (BDB 258) and a table (BDB 1020): (1) the table of showbread (cf. Exodus 25:23-30; Leviticus 24:5-9; 1 Kings 6:20-22; 1 Chronicles 3:0:lff) or (2) the altar of incense which stood before the inner veil (cf. Exodus 30:1-10; Exodus 37:25-29).