Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 41:15

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The temple proper (40:48-41:26)

From the inner court the way into the temple proper was up a flight of steps on the western side of the court, between two pillars at the top of the steps, and through a vestibule or entrance room (48-49). From the vestibule an entrance led into the nave or Holy Place (the outer sanctuary). From the nave a narrower entrance led into the Most Holy Place (the inner sanctuary) (41:1-4).
Attached externally to the sides and rear of the temple proper were three storeys of storerooms, probably used for storing the tithes and offerings brought by the people. The side and rear walls of the main building were reduced in thickness for the middle storey, and reduced further for the top storey. This created ‘steps’, or ledges, in the outer face of the main walls. The timber beams that formed the floors of the middle and top storeys rested on these steps (5-7). Access to the storerooms was through two doors in the bottom storey. These doors, one on the north side and one on the south, opened on to the raised platform, or terrace, on which the temple stood (8-11).
To the sides and rear of this paved platform was an open area called the temple yard (or courtyard). At the rear of this yard, backing on to the western outer wall, was another building. Referred to simply as the west building, it was possibly an additional storehouse (12). The measurements of the temple and its immediate surroundings demonstrated the perfection of the whole. Everything was carefully planned; nothing was left to chance (13-15a).
Windows were positioned high in the side walls of the temple so as to open above the lean-to roof of the attached storerooms. The inner walls of the temple, extending from the floor up over the doors to the underside of these high windows, were panelled with richly carved wood (15b-20).
The doors of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place were in two halves, each of which could be folded. In front of the doors that led into the Most Holy Place was a piece of furniture that looked partly like an altar and partly like a table (21-26).

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The description of certain details is introduced by a summary statement of what had been already done.

Galleries - On either side of the eastern front of the building on the separate place was a gallery of ten feet, under which was an approach to the building, by which the refuse was to be carried in by openings in the north and south, and then carried out by a western postern.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 41

So in chapter 41 he continues to describe the temple and the posts and all.

He measured ( Ezekiel 41:4 )

In verse Ezekiel 41:4 you get into the temple house itself and to the holy place, which was,

twenty cubits, before the temple: This is the most holy place ( Ezekiel 41:4 ).

The temple house itself is twenty cubits by forty cubits, which would be about forty by eighty feet, which was a fairly good size room in itself.

And he describes in verses Ezekiel 41:18 , and Ezekiel 41:19 the cherubims that are carved upon the various... and the palm trees and all on the doors of the inner house and upon the walls, and all of these carvings of the cherubim and palms.

And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, turning leaves ( Ezekiel 41:23-24 );

In other words double doors much like we have coming in here and the doors opened as these doors do. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The measurements of the buildings and open spaces 41:13-15

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The outside width of the building behind the temple proper measured 100 cubits (166 feet 8 inches), including a colonnade on each of its sides. The man also measured the temple’s holy place and the vestibule and porch that faced the inner courtyard.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place,.... Which was ninety cubits, as appears from

Ezekiel 41:12, when measured by itself:

which was behind it; that is, behind the separate place, or holiest of all, at the back of it, at the west end. Noldius g renders the words, "he measured the length of the building before the separate place, and behind it"; or its back part, as the Syriac, and interprets it thus; that he measured the building or the porch which was before the temple, that is to the north; and the porch opposite to it, that is to the south: this "building" behind it, with the Jews h, is the same with Bethchaliphoth i, or the house of knives, which the priests used in sacrificing:

and the galleries thereof on the one side, and on the other side, an hundred cubits; as the above is the length of this building from east to west, this is the breadth of it from north to south; the breadth of the building itself was seventy cubits, Ezekiel 41:12, and the galleries on the north and south sides of it, and the thickness of the walls, which were five cubits each, made thirty more; in all a hundred cubits; which is equal to the breadth of the temple, as in the preceding verse: these galleries, or balconies, or porticos, supported by pilasters, design places for the saints to walk in, converse, and commune with one another; and where Christ the King of saints is held forth, and seen in his beauty and glory; see Zechariah 3:7:

with the inner temple, and the porches of the court; or, "and the inner temple" k, c. that is, and he also measured the inner temple or holy of holies, with all the porches, chambers, and their walls, and with all the spaces and appendages to it, which were of the same measure see Ezekiel 41:15.

g Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 104. No. 521. h Lipman. Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, sect. 50. i Misn. Middot, c. 4. sect. 7. k וההיכל הפנימי "et templum interius", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Starckius.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      12 Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits.   13 So he measured the house, a hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;   14 Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, a hundred cubits.   15 And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, a hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;   16 The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered;   17 To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure.   18 And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces;   19 So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.   20 From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple.   21 The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other.   22 The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD.   23 And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.   24 And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.   25 And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without.   26 And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.

      Here is, 1. An account of a building that was before the separate place (that is, before the temple), at the end towards the west (Ezekiel 41:12; Ezekiel 41:12), which is here measured, and compared (Ezekiel 41:13; Ezekiel 41:13) with the measure of the house, and appears to be of equal dimensions with it. This stood in a court by itself, which is measured (Ezekiel 41:15; Ezekiel 41:15) and its galleries, or chambers belonging to it, its posts and windows, and the ornaments of them, Ezekiel 41:15-17; Ezekiel 41:15-17. But what use was to be made of this other building we are not told; perhaps, in this vision, it signified the setting up of a church among the Gentiles not inferior to the Jewish temple, but of quite another nature, and which should soon supersede it. 2. A description of the ornaments of the temple, and the other building. The walls on the inside from top to bottom were adorned with cherubim and palm-trees, placed alternately, as in Solomon's temple, 1 Kings 6:29. Each cherub is here said to have two faces, the face of a man towards the palm tree on one side and the face of a young lion towards the palm-tree on the other side, Ezekiel 41:19; Ezekiel 41:19. These seem to represent the angels, who have more than the wisdom of a man and the courage of a lion; and in both they have an eye to the palms of victory and triumph which are set before them, and which they are sure of in all their conflicts with the powers of darkness. And in the assemblies of the saints angels are in a special manner present, 1 Corinthians 11:10. 3. A description of the posts of the doors both of the temple and of the sanctuary; they were squared (Ezekiel 41:21; Ezekiel 41:21), not round like pillars; and the appearance of the one was as the appearance of the other. In the tabernacle, and in Solomon's temple, the door of the sanctuary, or most holy, was narrower than that of the temple, but here it was fully as broad; for in gospel-times the way into the holiest of all is made more manifest than it was under the Old Testament (Hebrews 9:8) and therefore the door is wider. These doors are described, Ezekiel 41:23; Ezekiel 41:24. The temple and the sanctuary had each of them its door, and they were two-leaved, folding doors. 4. We have here the description of the altar of incense, here said to be an altar of wood,Ezekiel 41:22; Ezekiel 41:22. No mention is made of its being over-laid with gold; but surely it was intended to be so, else it would not bear the fire with which the incense was to be burned, unless we will suppose that it served only to put the censers upon. Or else it intimates that the incense to be offered in the gospel-temple shall be purely spiritual, and the fire spiritual, which will not consume an altar of wood. Therefore this altar is called a table. This is the table that is before the Lord. Here, as before, we find the altar turned into a table; for, the great sacrifice being now offered, that which we have to do is to feast upon the sacrifice at the Lord's table. 5. Here is the adorning of the doors and windows with palm-trees, that they might be of a piece with the walls of the house, Ezekiel 41:25; Ezekiel 41:26. Thus the living temples are adorned, not with gold, or silver, or costly array, but with the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible.