Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 42:20

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Ezekiel 42:20. It had a wall round about-to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place. — The holy place was that which was consecrated to the Lord; into which no heathen, nor stranger, nor any in a state of impurity, might enter. The profane place was that in which men, women, Gentiles, pure or impure, might be admitted. Josephus says War, lib. vi., c. 14, that in his time there was a wall built before the entrance three cubits high, on which there were posts fixed at certain distances, with inscriptions on them in Latin and Greek, containing the laws which enjoined purity on those that entered; and forbidding all strangers to enter, on pain of death. See Calmet.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The priests’ rooms (42:1-20)

Ezekiel now gives further details concerning the rooms for the priests located in the inner court (see 40:44-47). There were two priests’ buildings, one on the north side of the temple proper, the other on the south.
First the building on the north side is described. It was three storeys high and divided lengthways by a passage. On the temple yard side of this passage were three storeys consisting of one long narrow room on each storey. On the outer court side were three storeys of storerooms. The second storey on each side had a gallery, or verandah, attached to the rooms. On the third storey the rooms were narrower but the gallery wider. Since the rooms of each storey were narrower than those of the storey below, the buildings had a stepped appearance (42:1-6). The block on the outer court side of the passage took up only half the area of the block on the temple yard side. The other half of the area on the outer court side was separated from the passage by a wall but was open at the end, thereby forming a sheltered entrance to the bottom storey (7-9).
The priests’ building on the south side of the temple proper was the same as that on the north (10-12). The various blocks of rooms within these two buildings were used by the priests when they changed their clothes or when they ate the food of the people’s offerings (13-14).
Ezekiel’s heavenly guide then left the inner court, went through the outer court, through the gate, and out of the temple compound. He measured the whole temple complex and found it to be square. The high wall enclosing this complex was to protect the holy things of God from the uncleanness of everyday life outside (15-20).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was over against the building toward the north. Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. Over against the twenty cubits which belonged to the inner court, and over against the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the third story. And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits' breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north. Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building. For they were in three stories, and they had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the uppermost was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. And the wall that was without by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court before the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. For the length of the chambers that were in the outer court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were a hundred cubits. And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the outer court. In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, before the separate place, and before the building, there were chambers. And the way before them was like the appearance of the way of the chambers which were toward the north; according to their length so was their breadth: and all their egresses were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors. And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door at the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them. Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they are the holy chambers, where the priests that are near unto Jehovah shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; for the place is holy. When the priests enter in, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy: and they shall put on other garments, and shall approach to that which pertaineth to the people. Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about. He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. He measured on the north side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. He measured on the south side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. He measured it on the four sides: it had a wall round about, the length five hundred, and the breadth five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common."

Here is contained a special description of the chambers for housing the priests, and also special information regarding the outer court.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The “sanctuary” proper is probably here the most holy place as distinguished from the rest of the temple Ezekiel 41:23; Ezekiel 45:3; but the term was capable of extension first to the whole temple, then to all the ground that was separated to “holy” as distinguished from “profane,” i. e., common uses.

In the vision the courts rose on successive platforms, the outer court being raised seven steps above the precincts, the inner court eight steps above the outer, and the temple itself ten steps above the court of sacrifice.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 42

Then he brought me into the outer court, to the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was against the separate place ( Ezekiel 42:1 ),

And as I say, I'm going to leave you with this. You may take this diagram home. And the separate place is that area, you'll notice, that surrounds the temple house itself. And he begins to describe for him here this separate place that was about the temple house, verse Ezekiel 42:13 there.

where the priests that approach the LORD shall eat the most holy things ( Ezekiel 42:13 ):

So you see this little chamber for the priests, and there are four of them off of this separate place, where the priests eat before the Lord of the portion of the sacrifices that are brought.

and they shall lay the most holy things, the meal offerings, the sin offerings, the trespass offerings; for the place is holy. And when the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; they shall put on other garments, and shall approach those things which are for the people ( Ezekiel 42:13-14 ).

So there are special robes for the priests when they are in this place and they're not to be worn outside. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The dimensions of the temple enclosure 42:15-20

When the man had finished measuring the temple and the structures immediately associated with it, he led Ezekiel out the east outer gate. He measured the exterior of the temple wall, and it was 500 cubits (about 833 feet 4 inches) on each of its four sides (cf. Revelation 21:13). The Hebrew text has "rods" rather than "reeds." This would result in the walls being 3,000 cubits (5,000 feet) on each side and the temple enclosure being almost one mile square. This seems much larger than what the dimensions of courts and structures inside the wall picture (cf. Ezekiel 45:2). This enclosed area is about 18 acres, larger than 13 American football fields. [Note: Stuart, p. 384; Dyer, "Ezekiel," p. 1308.] The man measured the wall with his measuring reed. The wall around the temple area separated what was holy inside from what was common outside.

"The entire area was much too large for Mount Moriah where Solomon’s and Zerubbabel’s temples stood. The scheme requires a great change in the topography of the land which will occur as indicated in Zechariah 14:9-11, the very time which Ezekiel had in view." [Note: Feinberg, p. 249.]

How do less literal interpreters understand chapters 40-42? One answer follows.

"He [Ezekiel] views it [this temple] as a metaphor for God’s new work of liberation and restoration for his people." [Note: Allen, Ezekiel 20-48, p. 235.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

He measured it by the four sides,.... Which were equilateral, parallel to each other, each measuring five hundred reeds; which in all made up two thousand reeds, or seven thousand yards: this shows that no material building can be designed; never was an edifice of such dimensions; this seems rather to describe a city than a temple; and denotes the largeness of the Gospel church state in the latter day, when the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought in:

it had a wall round about: the same with that in Ezekiel 40:5:

five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad; it was foursquare, as the building was, and exactly answered to that in its dimensions. The Jews say l the mountain of the house was five hundred cubits by five hundred; that is, a perfect square of five hundred cubits on every side, two thousand cubits in the whole compass about. Josephus m says the whole circuit was half a mile, every side containing the length of a two hundred and twenty yards. Now, says Doctor Lightfoot n, if any will take up the full circuit of the wall that encompassed the holy ground, according to our English measure, it will amount to half a mile and about one hundred and sixty six yards; and whosoever will likewise measure the square of Ezekiel, Ezekiel 42:20, will find it six times as large as this, Ezekiel 40:5, the whole amounting to three miles and a half, and about one hundred and forty yards, a compass incomparably larger than Mount Moriah divers times over; and by this very thing is showed that that is spiritually and mystically to be understood; wherefore these measures no doubt did, as Mr. Lee o observes, signify the great fulness of the Gentiles, and that compass of the church in Gospel days should be marvellously extended. The use of it was,

to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place: the church and the world; the world is profane, and lies in wickedness, and the men of it ought not to be admitted into the church of God, and partake of holy things in it; a difference must be made between the precious and the vile; and greater care will be taken in the latter day of the admission of members into Gospel churches, Isaiah 52:1,

Isaiah 52:1- :.

l Misn. Middot, c. 2. sect. 1. m Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 3. Ed. Hudson. n Prospect of the Temple, c. 2. p. 1051. o Temple of Solomon portrayed, &c. p. 241.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.   16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.   17 He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.   18 He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.   19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.   20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.

      We have attended the measuring of this mystical temple and are now to see how far the holy ground on which we tread extends; and that also is here measured, and found to take in a great compass. Observe, 1. What the dimensions of it were. It extended each way 500 reeds (Ezekiel 42:16-19; Ezekiel 42:16-19), each reed above three yards and a half, so that it reached every way about an English measured mile, which, the ground lying square, was above four miles round. Thus large were the suburbs (as I may call them) of this mystical temple, signifying the great extent of the church in gospel-times, when all nations should be discipled and the kingdoms of the world made Christ's kingdoms. Room should be made in God's courts for the numerous forces of the Gentiles that shall flow into them, as was foretold, Isaiah 49:18; Isaiah 60:4. It is in part fulfilled already in the accession of the Gentiles to the church; and we trust it shall have a more full accomplishment when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in and all Israel shall be saved. 2. Why the dimensions of it were made thus large. It was to make a separation, by putting a very large distance between the sanctuary and the profane place; and therefore there was a wall surrounding it, to keep off those that were unclean and to separate between the previous and the vile. Note, A difference is to be put between common and sacred things, between God's name and other names, between his day and other days, his book and other books, his institutions and other observances; and a distance is to be put between our worldly and religious actions, so as still to go about the worship of God with a solemn pause.