Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 41:17

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

To that ... - Over above the door ...”within and without” was “by measure.” This verse asserts that all the overlaying was done by careful measurement.

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 whole interior of the temple structure, including the side rooms, was paneled with wood. Solomon’s temple was also paneled with wood but then overlaid with gold. The wood was carved with alternating cherubs and palm trees. Each cherub had two faces, the face of a man and the face of a lion, one looking left and the other right (cf. Ezekiel 1:5-25; Ezekiel 10:9-17). Cherubim (the Hebrew plural of "cherub") elsewhere in Scripture guarded the holiness of God (cf. Genesis 3:22-24; Exodus 25:18-22; Exodus 26:31).

"In these figures aspirations of life and prosperity (palm) and security (cherubim) coalesce. In Israelite thought, the divine resident of this house was the source of both." [Note: Block, The Book . . . 48, p. 558.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The interior furnishings of the temple 41:16-26

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

To that above the door, even unto the inner house,.... The meaning is, either there were such windows as before described above the door of the eastern gate, that led into the holiest of all, and even unto the inner house, or holy of holies: and without; and to all the side, chambers that were built without it:

and by all the wall round about within and without; both within the holy place, and without, in the places adjoining to it, on all sides, west, north, and south; or all were cieled with cedar wood, that it might be more capable of being ornamented, either with gold, or with the decorations mentioned in the following verses: or the sense is, that all these were measured exactly: for it follows, "by measure"; or to all these "were measures" m; the dimensions were taken; every thing in the Gospel church state, whether in its less or more perfect state, will be all according to rule and measure.

m מדות "mensuras accepit", Munster; "in omnibus mensurae [monstratae sunt]", Tigurine version.

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.