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The Temple
(continued)
Ezekiel 41:1-26
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The Temple
(continued)
Text:
Ezekiel 41:1-26,
1. Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary, and measured the
jambs; the jambs were 10½ feet wide on each side.
2. The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, and the sides of the
entrance were 8¾ feet on each side. He measured the length of the
outer sanctuary as 70 feet, and its width as 35 feet.
3. Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of
the entrance as 3½ feet, the entrance as 10½ feet, and the width of
the entrance as 12¼ feet
4. Then he measured its length as 35 feet, and its width as 35 feet,
before the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the most holy
place.”
5. Then he measured the wall of the temple as 10½ feet, and the
width of the side chambers as 7 feet, all around the temple.
6. The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other,
thirty in each story. There were offsets in the wall all around to
serve as supports for the side chambers, so that the supports were
not in the wall of the temple.
7. The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each
successive story; for the structure surrounding the temple went up
story by story all around the temple. For this reason the width of the
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temple increased as it went up, and one went up from the lowest
story to the highest by the way of the middle story.
8. I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around; the
foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring stick of 10½
feet high.
9. The width of the outer wall of the side chambers was 8¾ feet, and
the open area between the side chambers of the temple
10. and the chambers of the court was 35 feet in width all around the
temple on every side.
11. There were entrances from the side chambers toward the open
area, one entrance toward the north, and another entrance toward
the south; the width of the open area was 8¾ feet all around.
12. The building that was facing the temple courtyard at the west
side was 122½ feet wide; the wall of the building was 8¾ feet all
around, and its length 157½ feet.
13. Then he measured the temple as 175 feet long, the courtyard of
the temple and the building and its walls as 175 feet long,
14. and also the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard
on the east as 175 feet.
15. Then he measured the length of the building facing the
courtyard at the rear of the temple, with its galleries on either side
as 175 feet. The interior of the outer sanctuary and the porch of the
court,
16. as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and galleries all
around on three sides facing the threshold were paneled with wood
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all around, from the ground up to the windows (now the windows
were covered),
17. to the space above the entrance, to the inner room, and on the
outside, and on all the walls in the inner room and outside, by
measurement.
18. It was made with cherubim and decorative palm trees, with a
palm tree between each cherub. Each cherub had two faces:
19. a human face toward the palm tree on one side and a lion’s face
toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the
whole temple all around;
20. from the ground to the area above the entrance, cherubim and
decorative palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer
sanctuary.
21. The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In front of the
sanctuary one doorpost looked just like the other.
22. The altar was of wood, 5¼ feet high, with its length 3½ feet; its
corners, its length, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This
is the table that is before the Lord.”
23. The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double
door.
24. Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two
leaves for one door and two leaves for the other.
25. On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and
palm trees, like those carved on the walls, and there was a canopy of
wood on the front of the outside porch.
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26. There were narrow windows and decorative palm trees on either
side of the side walls of the porch; this is what the side chambers of
the temple and the canopies were like. (NET Bible ®)
Introduction:
I. “Ezekiel provides for the organization of temple space for priests and
underscores the holiness of the entire building complex,” Hamilton
wrote.
II. The description of the temple actually begins with Ezekiel 40:48-49
which was addressed in our last lesson.
A. The temple porch, its entrance, the flight of stairs by which the
portico was reached and the pillars on each side of the jambs are
discussed in Ezekiel 40:48-49.
B. The temple proper stood at the top of a flight of ten steps.
III. “This whole chapter,” Coffman wrote, “details the parts, decorations,
and ornaments of the temple:...”
A. the posts...
B. the doors...
C. the walls...
D. the sides...
E. the chambers (rooms)...
F. the three terraces...
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G. the stairs...
H. the narrow windows...
I. the palm trees...
J. the cherubim...
K. the young lions...
L. the sanctuary...
M. the altar...
N. the tables...
O. etc.
IV. This chapter, The Pulpit Commentary states, continues the
description of the temple and falls into four subdivisions:
A. The interior of the temple; that is, the Holy and Most Holy
Places (verses 1-4); ...
B. The walls and the side buildings (verses 5-11); ...
C. The gizrah, or separate place (verses 12-14); ...
D. The projecting portions of the temple building (verses 15-26).
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Commentary:
The Interior of the Temple
Ezekiel 41:1, Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary, and
measured the jambs; the jambs were 10½ feet wide on each side.
(NET Bible ®)
I. Then the man brought me to the outer sanctuary (nave) and measured
the jambs (pilasters, doorposts); the width of the jambs was six cubits on
each side.
A. The width of the jambs (doorposts) was 10½ feet wide on each
side. (NET)
B. Having previously described the courts and the porch, Ezekiel
now comes to the temple itself and its immediate environs. (See
Clarke.)
C. The Pulpit Commentary explains that “the outer sanctuary”
refers to the Holy place of the temple as distinguished from the
Holy of Holies, also called the Most Holy Place.
1. I Kings 6:5, 17, He built an extension all around the
walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and
constructed side rooms in it. The main hall in front of the
inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. (NET Bible ®)
2. I Kings 7:50, the pure gold bowls, trimming shears,
basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for
the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the
doors of the main hall of the temple. (NET Bible ®)
Ezekiel 41:2, The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, and the sides
of the entrance were 8¾ feet on each side. He measured the length of
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the outer sanctuary as 70 feet, and its width as 35 feet. (NET Bible
®)
I. The entrance (door) was ten cubits wide, and the projecting walls on
each side of it were five cubits wide.
A. The entrance was 17½ feet wide and the sides of the entrance
were 8¾ feet on each side. (NET)
1. This corresponds with Solomon’s temple.
a. 1 Kings 6:2, 17, The temple King Solomon built
for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45
feet high. The main hall in front of the inner
sanctuary was 60 feet long. (NET Bible ®)
B. “The angelic guide next led Ezekiel up the ten steps to the ...
temple proper,” Smith wrote.
C. To enter the temple proper, people had to pass “through the
large porch (35 feet x 20 feet) which featured two huge pillars at
the entrance,” Smith wrote.
D. “This was the door or gate of the sanctuary and this doorway
was filled with folding gates.” (Clarke)
II. He also measured the outer sanctuary; it was forty cubits long and
twenty cubits wide.
A. The outer sanctuary (the Holy Place) was 70 feet long and 35
feet wide. (NET)
B. The outer sanctuary (the Holy Place) was twice as large as the
inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies).
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1. The outer sanctuary was rectangular (70 feet x 35 feet),
while the inner sanctuary was square (35 feet x 35 feet). (See
Smith.)
Ezekiel 41:3, Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured
the jambs of the entrance as 3½ feet, the entrance as 10½ feet, and
the width of the entrance as 12¼ feet (NET Bible ®)
I. Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs (posts,
pilasters) of the entrance, each was two cubits wide.
A. The (entrance) jambs of the inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place,
Holy of Holies) measured 3½ feet. (NET)
B. The Most Holy Place could be entered only once in a year and
then only by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.
1. Exodus 30:10, Aaron is to make atonement on its horns
once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering
for atonement; once in the year he is to make atonement
on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the
Lord.” (NET Bible ®)
2. Leviticus 16:17, Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent
when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until
he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on
behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole
assembly of Israel. (NET Bible ®)
3. Hebrews 9:7, But only the high priest enters once a
year into the inner tent, and not without blood that he
offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed
in ignorance. (NET Bible ®)
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4. Ezekiel could not, did not enter the Most Holy Place. “The
man” who was instructing Ezekiel announced the
measurements given here.
II. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls (sidewalls
of the entrance) on each side of it were seven cubits wide.
A. The entrance was 10½ feet and the width of the entrance was
12¼ feet. (NET)
Ezekiel 41:4, Then he measured its length as 35 feet, and its width as
35 feet, before the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the most
holy place.” (NET Bible ®)
I. And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty
cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the outer
sanctuary.
A. The length of the inner sanctuary was 35 feet and its width was
35 feet. (NET)
1. The inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place) was an exact
square 35 feet by 35 feet. (The Pulpit Commentary)
a. 1 Kings 6:20, The inner sanctuary was 30 feet
long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with
gold, as well as the cedar altar. (NET Bible ®)
II. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”
A. The inner sanctuary is also known as the Holy of Holies. (See
Clarke.)
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The Wall and Side Buildings
Ezekiel 41:5, Then he measured the wall of the temple as 10½ feet,
and the width of the side chambers as 7 feet, all around the temple.
(NET Bible ®)
I. Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and...
A. The wall of the temple was 10½ feet thick. (NET)
B. The wall of the temple and the outside wall of the entire
complex were the same thickness; that is, six cubits. (See
Fredenburg.)
II. Each side room around the temple was four cubits wide.
A. The width of the side chambers measured 7 feet. (NIV)
B. Both Solomon’s temple and this one revealed in a vision to
Ezekiel had side rooms/chambers.
1. 1 Kings 6:5-10, He built an extension all around the
walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and
constructed side rooms in it. The bottom floor of the
extension was seven and a half feet wide, the middle floor
nine feet wide, and the third floor ten and a half feet wide.
He made ledges on the temple’s outer walls so the beams
would not have to be inserted into the walls. As the
temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry
were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other
iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being
built. The entrance to the bottom level of side rooms was
on the south side of the temple; stairs went up to the
middle floor and then on up to the third floor. He finished
building the temple and covered it with rafters and
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boards made of cedar. He built an extension all around
the temple; it was seven and a half feet high and it was
attached to the temple by cedar beams. (NET Bible ®)
2. These rooms served as storage space for priests’ clothing,
temple utensils, and temple treasures. (See The Pulpit
Commentary.)
a. 1 Kings 7:51, When King Solomon finished
constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy
items that belonged to his father David (the silver,
gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the
Lord’s temple. (NET Bible ®)
b. 2 Kings 11:2, So Jehosheba, the daughter of King
Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son
Joash and sneaked him away from the rest of the
royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid
him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers
were stored. So he was hidden from Athaliah and
escaped execution. (NET Bible ®)
c. 2 Chronicles 5:1, When Solomon had finished
constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy
items that belonged to his father David (the silver,
gold, and all the other articles) in the treasuries of
God’s temple. (NET Bible ®)
Ezekiel 41:6, The side chambers were in three stories, one above the
other, thirty in each story. There were offsets in the wall all around
to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that the supports were
not in the wall of the temple. (NET Bible ®)
I. The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty on each
level.
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A. Smith wrote, “As in Solomon’s temple, three stories of small
chambers were constructed on the exterior wall of the sacred
building on three sides.
l. “Each story contained thirty chambers (rooms) which were
entered from the court on the north and the south,” Smith
wrote.
2. “These chambers probably served as storage rooms,”
Smith stated.
3. There were ninety of these side rooms, thirty on each of
three levels, floors, stories. (See Fredenburg.)
4. Solomon’s temple had similar rooms. (See Fredenburg.)
a. 1 Kings 6:5-6, 8, He built an extension all around
the walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place
and constructed side rooms in it. The bottom floor of
the extension was seven and a half feet wide, the
middle floor nine feet wide, and the third floor ten
and a half feet wide. He made ledges on the temple’s
outer walls so the beams would not have to be
inserted into the walls. The entrance to the bottom
level of side rooms was on the south side of the
temple; stairs went up to the middle floor and then
on up to the third floor. (NET Bible ®)
b. Around Solomon’s temple were chambers three
stories high, each story consisting of thirty rooms.
(Clarke)
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c. Clarke supposed that twelve rooms were placed to
the north of the temple, twelve to the south, and six to
the east.
II. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as
supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into
the wall of the temple.
A. These side rooms were not anchored into the walls of the
temple themselves.
1. Auxillary walls were built beside the temple wall to serve
as supports for these side rooms.
Ezekiel 41:7, The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider
at each successive story; for the structure surrounding the temple
went up story by story all around the temple. For this reason the
width of the temple increased as it went up, and one went up from
the lowest story to the highest by the way of the middle story. (NET
Bible ®)
I. The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive
level.
A. The higher the level, the wider the rooms; that is, the square
footage of the rooms on any given level exceeded that of the rooms
below it. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)
II. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so
that the rooms widened as one went upward.
A. “For this reason the width of the temple increased as it went
up,...” (NET Bible)
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III. A stairway went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the
middle floor.
A. Fredenburg explained, “The rooms were accessed from the
outside entrance by a stairway with a landing on each floor.”
B. Compare this again with Solomon’s temple.
1. 1 Kings 6:8, The entrance to the bottom level of side
rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up
to the middle floor and then on up to the third floor.
(NET Bible ®)
Ezekiel 41:8, I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around;
the foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring stick of
10½ feet high. (NET Bible ®)
I. I saw that the temple had a base (raised platform) all around it,
forming the foundation of the side rooms.
A. The foundation, raised platform of this annex, was an elevated
base which surrounded the temple proper on most of the north and
south sides and all of the west side. (Fredenburg)
1. The temple was not built directly on the ground, but upon
an especially built foundation, base, raised platform. (See
The Pulpit Commentary.)
II. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits.
A. “the foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring
stick of 10½ feet high.” (NET)
Ezekiel 41:9-10, The width of the outer wall of the side chambers
was 8¾ feet, and the open area between the side chambers of the
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temple and the chambers of the court was 35 feet in width all
around the temple on every side. (NET Bible ®)
I. The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick.
A. Five cubits is equal to 8¾ feet. (NET)
II. The open area between the side rooms of the temple and the priests’
rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple.
A. Twenty cubits equals 35 feet. (NET)
B. Some of these rooms may have been used for storage, some for
quarters for the priests, some may have been used to contain the
temple treasury and/or grain supplies, utensils, precious metal or
war spoils. Some uncertainty exists, Fredenburg wrote, as to the
use of some of these rooms.
1. Ezekiel 42:1-12, Then he led me out to the outer court,
toward the north, and brought me to the chamber which
was opposite the courtyard and opposite the building on
the north. Its length was 175 feet on the north side, and its
width 87½ feet. Opposite the 35 feet that belonged to the
inner court, and opposite the pavement which belonged to
the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three stories.
In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side,
17½ feet wide at a distance of 1¾ feet, and their entrances
were on the north. Now the upper chambers were
narrower, because the galleries took more space from
them than from the lower and middle chambers of the
building. For they were in three stories and had no pillars
like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper
chambers were set back from the ground more than the
lower and upper ones. As for the outer wall by the side of
the chambers, toward the outer court facing the
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chambers, it was 87½ feet long. For the chambers on the
outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing the
temple were 175 feet long. Below these chambers was a
passage on the east side as one enters from the outer
court.
At the beginning of the wall of the court toward the south,
facing the courtyard and the building, were chambers
with a passage in front of them. They looked like the
chambers on the north. Of the same length and width,
and all their exits according to their arrangements and
entrances were the chambers which were toward the
south. There was an opening at the head of the passage,
the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the
east when one enters. (NET Bible ®)
C. This open area was a walk way among the chambers. (Clarke)
The Pulpit Commentary states, “the free space (was) a walk of five
cubits broad on the outside of the outside of the side chambers.”
This space may have been located between the temple wall and the
side chambers.”
Ezekiel 41:11, There were entrances from the side chambers toward
the open area, one entrance toward the north, and another entrance
toward the south; the width of the open area was 8¾ feet all around.
(NET Bible ®)
I. There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the
north and another on the south;...
A. The Pulpit Commentary states the side chambers opened on the
free space towards the north and towards the south, i.e., one row of
chambers was entered by a door from the south, another by a door
from the north.
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II. and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.
A. Five cubits equals 8¾ feet. (NET)
The Separate Place
Ezekiel 41:12, The building that was facing the temple courtyard at
the west side was 122½ feet wide; the wall of the building was 8¾
feet all around, and its length 157½ feet. (NET Bible ®)
I. The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy
cubits wide.
A. Seventy cubits equals 122½ feet. (NET)
B. The only doors to the temple interior proper were on the east
side. There were no doors on the west at all, either through the
outer wall or into the temple itself.
C. “The separate place” denotes a space behind the temple on the
west, which was marked off from the rest of the ground on which
the temple with its courts and chambers stood, and devoted most
likely to less sacred purposes. (The Pulpit Commentary)
1. Solomon’s temple had a similar space.
a. 2 Kings 23:11, He removed from the entrance to
the Lord’s temple the statues of horses that the
kings of Judah had placed there in honor of the sun
god. (They were kept near the room of Nathan
Melech the eunuch, which was situated among the
courtyards.) He burned up the chariots devoted to
the sun god. (NET Bible ®)
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b. 1 Chronicles 26:18, At the court on the west there
were four posted on the road and two at the court.
(NET Bible ®)
2. This “separate place”, The Pulpit Commentary states, was
the place to which all temple refuse was collected for
subsequent disposal.
II. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its
length was ninety cubits.
A. The wall was 8¾ feet thick and 157½ feet long. (NET)
Ezekiel 41:13, Then he measured the temple as 175 feet long, the
courtyard of the temple and the building and its walls as 175 feet
long, (NET Bible ®)
I. Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits long, and the
temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred
cubits long.
A. The temple was 175 feet long. The courtyard of the temple and
the building and its walls were also 175 feet. (NET)
B. Smith wrote, “Behind the sacred building was a building or
court called the separate area.”
C. The whole breadth of this construction was a hundred cubits in
all. The entire area was a hundred cubits square. (The Pulpit
Commentary)
Ezekiel 41:14, and also the width of the front of the temple and the
courtyard on the east as 175 feet. (NET Bible ®)
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I. The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of
the temple, was a hundred cubits.
A. A hundred cubits equals 175 feet. (NET)
The Projecting Portions of the Temple Building
Ezekiel 41:15-16, Then he measured the length of the building
facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, with its galleries on
either side as 175 feet. The interior of the outer sanctuary and the
porch of the court, as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and
galleries all around on three sides facing the threshold were paneled
with wood all around, from the ground up to the windows (now the
windows were covered), (NET Bible ®)
I. Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at
the rear of the temple, including its galleries on each side; it was a
hundred cubits.
A. One hundred cubits equals 175 feet. (NET)
B. Compare verses 15-26 with Solomon’s temple.
1. 1 Kings 6:15-36, He constructed the walls inside the
temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with
wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the
ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made
from the wood of evergreens. He built a wall 30 feet in
from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner
sanctuary that would be the most holy place. He paneled
the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters.
The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet
long. The inside of the temple was all cedar and was
adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers
in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible.
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He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that
the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there.
The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30
feet high. He plated it with gold, as well as the cedar altar.
Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. He
hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and
plated the inner sanctuary with gold. He plated the entire
inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside
the inner sanctuary.
In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive
wood; each stood 15 feet high. Each of the first cherub’s
wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan
was 15 feet. The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15
feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and
shape. Each cherub stood 15 feet high. He put the
cherubim in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Their
wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings
touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings
touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing
touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of
the room. He plated the cherubim with gold.
On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, he
carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. He
plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out.
He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner
sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. On
the two doors made of olive wood he carved cherubim,
palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them
with gold. He plated the cherubim and the palm trees
with hammered gold. In the same way he made doorposts
of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with
four-sided pillars. He also made two doors out of wood
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from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. He
carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and
plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. He
built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled
stones and a row of cedar beams. (NET Bible ®)
II. The outer sanctuary, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the
court, as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows and galleries
around the three of them – everything beyond and including the
threshold was covered with wood.
A. “The interior of the outer sanctuary and the porch of the
court, as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and galleries
all around on three sides facing the threshold were paneled
with wood all around,...” (NET)
B. “The sacred house was decorated with wall and ceiling paneling
which had inlays of alternating cherubim and palm trees,” Smith
wrote.
III. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were
covered.
A. The Pulpit Commentary suggests that “covered” here may
signify that the windows were not left open, but were protected by
a lattice work of bars or planks; or that they were wainscotted as
well as the space from the ground to the windows.
Ezekiel 41:17-19, to the space above the entrance, to the inner room,
and on the outside, and on all the walls in the inner room and
outside, by measurement. It was made with cherubim and
decorative palm trees, with a palm tree between each cherub. Each
cherub had two faces: a human face toward the palm tree on one
side and a lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side. They
were carved on the whole temple all around; (NET Bible ®)
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I. In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary
and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer
sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees.
A. Everything about the temple and its grounds was meticulously
planned with measurements being precise and totally exact.
B. As in Solomon’s temple, artistic carvings of cherubim and palm
trees were alternated. (The Pulpit Commentary)
1. 1 Kings 6:29, On all the walls around the temple, inside
and out, he carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in
bloom. (NET Bible ®)
II. Palm trees alternated with cherubim.
1. Each cherub had two of its four faces visible, one of a man and
one of a lion, one facing right and one facing left. (See The Pulpit
Commentary.)
III. Each cherub had two faces: the face of a man toward the palm tree
on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other.
A. “This ornamentation was employed from the ground to above
the door,” Smith wrote.
IV. They were carved all around the whole temple.
A. Ancient Israel had many highly skilled artisans.
1. Exodus 26:1, “The tabernacle itself you are to make
with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple
and scarlet; you are to make them with cherubim that are
the work of an artistic designer. (NET Bible ®)
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2. Exodus 36:8, All the skilled among those who were
doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of
fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; they
were made with cherubim that were the work of an
artistic designer. (NET Bible ®)
B. These carvings were plentiful and were placed strategically all
around the whole temple.
C. Obviously the ancient world also had highly skilled engineers.
Ezekiel 41:20, from the ground to the area above the entrance,
cherubim and decorative palm trees were carved on the wall of the
outer sanctuary. (NET Bible ®)
I. From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees
were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary.
A. Clarke wrote, “The temple was thirty cubits high, the gate was
fourteen cubits, the palm trees and the cherubim were the same
height as the gate or door. The windows were above the door.”
1. 1 Kings 6:2, The temple King Solomon built for the
Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
(NET Bible ®)
2. Ezekiel 40:48, Then he brought me to the porch of the
temple and measured the jambs of the porch as 8¾ feet
on either side, and the width of the gate was 24½ feet and
the sides were 5¼ feet on each side. (NET Bible ®)
Ezekiel 41:21, The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In
front of the sanctuary one doorpost looked just like the other. (NET
Bible ®)
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I. The outer sanctuary had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the
front of the Most Holy Place was similar.
A. The outer sanctuary (Holy Place) and the Most Holy Place had
similar rectangular doors.
1. In the Tabernacle and Herod’s temple in the New
Testament, the Holy Place and Most Holy Place were
separated by a curtain that stretched from floor to ceiling.
a. Matthew 27:51, Just then the temple curtain was
torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook
and the rocks were split apart. (NET Bible ®)
b. Mark 15:38, And the temple curtain was torn in
two, from top to bottom. (NET Bible ®)
c. 2 Corinthians 3:14, But their minds were closed.
For to this very day, the same veil remains when
they hear the old covenant read. It has not been
removed because only in Christ is it taken away.
(NET Bible ®)
2. Evidently in the temple Ezekiel saw, the Holy Place and
Most Holy Place were separated by a wall.
Ezekiel 41:22, The altar was of wood, 5¼ feet high, with its length
3½ feet; its corners, its length, and its walls were of wood. He said to
me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” (NET Bible ®)
I. There was a wooden altar, three cubits high and two cubits square; its
corners, its base and its sides were of wood.
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A. This altar measured 5¼ feet high, and 3½ feet long and wide. It
was a square table. (NET)
B. Smith stated, “The altar of incense in the Holy Place was made
of plain wood.”
C. A wooden table would be suitable as an altar of incense, but a
stone altar for burnt offerings would certainly be necessary.
1. Clarke noted, “This was the altar of incense, and was
covered with plates of gold.”
II. The man said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.”
A. This was the altar of incense which was located in the outer
sanctuary, the Holy Place.
1. Exodus 30:1, “You are to make an altar for burning
incense; you are to make it of acacia wood. (NET Bible ®)
2. 1 Kings 7:48, Solomon also made all these items for the
Lord’s temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was
kept the Bread of the Presence, (NET Bible ®)
B. This table was before the Lord.
1. Malachi 1:7, You are offering improper sacrifices on
my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By
treating the table of the Lord as if it is of no importance!
(NET Bible ®)
2. Ezekiel 44:16, They will enter my sanctuary, and
approach my table to minister to me; they will keep my
charge. (NET Bible ®)
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Ezekiel 41:23, The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each
had a double door. (NET Bible ®)
I. Both the outer sanctuary and the Most Holy Place had double doors.
A. As in the Solomonic temple, the Holy Place and Most Holy
Place had two doors; i.e., each had one door composed of two
turning (or folding) leaves, ... (The Pulpit Commentary)
Ezekiel 41:24, Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging
leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. (NET
Bible ®)
I. Each door had two leaves – two hinged leaves for each door.
A. These were “swinging doors” and were decorated with
cherubim and palm trees, Smith wrote.
Ezekiel 41:25, On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved
cherubim and palm trees, like those carved on the walls, and there
was a canopy of wood on the front of the outside porch. (NET Bible
®)
I. And on the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and
palm trees like those carved in the walls, and...
A. The ornamentation was evidently not diverse, but was plentiful
and consisted of numerous duplications of the same design.
II. There was a wooden overhang (canopy) on the front of the portico
(outside porch).
A. Clarke wrote that “the wood, or planks, were thick and strong;
for the cherubim and palm trees were carved in relief, out of their
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substance, and unless they had been of considerable thickness, this
could not have been done.”
Ezekiel 41:26, There were narrow windows and decorative palm
trees on either side of the side walls of the porch; this is what the
side chambers of the temple and the canopies were like. (NET Bible
®)
I. On the sidewalk of the portico (porch) were narrow windows with
palm trees carved on each side.
A. Smith explained, “The porch had recessed windows and palm
tree decorations on its walls.”
1. The narrow windows admitted light into the porch. (The
Pulpit Commentary)
II. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs (canopies).
A. No detail was overlooked. The side rooms as well as every
other part of this temple were given very careful attention.
1. Even the “side rooms” had “overhangs”.
Conclusions:
I. The people to whom Ezekiel was prophesying were captive exiles
living in the land of their Babylonian conquerors.
A. These people had experienced the destruction of Jerusalem and
Solomon’s majestic temple.
B. Ezekiel now tells these oppressed people of a wondrous temple,
bigger than Solomon’s, that was in their future.
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C. This would certainly have been a great encouragement to these
despondent, downtrodden exiles.
II. For the faithful Christian, a heavenly mansion awaits.
A. John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be distressed. You
believe in God; believe also in me. There are many dwelling
places in my Father’s house. Otherwise, I would have told you,
because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if
I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and
take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.
(NET Bible ®)
B. Revelation 21:1-7, Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and
the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city—the new
Jerusalem—descending out of heaven from God, made ready
like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among
human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his
people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—
or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have
ceased to exist.” And the one seated on the throne said: “Look!
I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it
down, because these words are reliable and true.” He also said
to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give
water free of charge from the spring of the water of life. The
one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his
God and he will be my son. (NET Bible ®)
C. When we all get to heaven, every trouble we have faced in this
world will be long forgotten!
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Questions
on
Ezekiel 41:1-26
(Questions based on NIV text.)
1. What things are discussed in Ezekiel 40:48-49? ___________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
2. According to Coffman, what is addressed in Ezekiel 41:1-26?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
3. According to The Pulpit Commentary, into what four
subdivisions can the material in Ezekiel 41 be outlined?_______
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
4. Define: outer sanctuary_______________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
pilaster______________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
nave________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
jamb________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
cubit________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
projecting walls_______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
inner sanctuary _______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Day of Atonement_____________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
portico _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
cherub, cherubim _____________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
gizrah ______________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
5. Having previously described the _________________ and the
_________________ (Ezekiel 40:48-49), Ezekiel now comes to
the __________________ itself and its ____________________
___________________.
6. To enter the ______________ proper, people had to pass
“through the ______________ _______________ ( __________
feet x ___________ feet) which featured ________________
______________ ______________ at the entrance.”
7. The ______________ ________________ (the ___________
___________________) was _______________ feet long and
_________ feet wide. The _______________ _______________
was ___________ as _____________ as the ________________
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_______________ ______________ ( ___________
__________, the _______________ of __________________ ).
The ______________ ________________was ______________
( ____________ feet x __________ feet) while the __________
________________ was ______________ ( ___________ feet x
____________ feet).
8. The ________________ ________________ _____________
could be _____________ only ____________ a _________ and
then only by the ___________ ______________ on the
___________ of _____________ .
9. The temple walls were ____________ feet thick. The side
rooms were ________________ feet wide. These rooms were
used as _____________ _______________ for _____________
______________, _______________ _________________, and
_______________ _________________.
10. Describe these side rooms. How many side rooms were
there? Where were they located in regard to the temple? To what
were they anchored? On how many levels were they built? How
would a person get from one level to another? Were all the
rooms the same size? Explain your answers.______________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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11. On what foundation was the temple built? Describe this
foundation. How elevated was this foundation?______________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
12. What purposes did the “open area” serve? How big was this
“open area”? Where was it located?_______________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
13. There were ________________ to the _______________
_________________ from the ______________ ____________,
____________ on the ____________ and ____________ on the
_______________.
14. The ______________ ______________ the ____________
________________ on the ______________ ___________ was
________________ _______________ ______________.
15. “The ___________ ____________” denotes a ___________
behind the ____________ on the _______________ , which was
_______________ _________________ from the rest of the
______________ on which the _______________ with its
_____________ and ____________________ stood, and
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______________ most likely to _____________ ___________
_____________.
16. The only _____________ to the ______________ proper
were on the _____________ side. There were ______________
_________________ on the ____________________ at all
either through the _______________ _______________ or into
the _______________ itself.
17. For what purpose was the “separate place” used? What were
the measurements of the “separate place”?_________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
18. The temple was _____________ feet long, _____________
feet wide, and ____________ feet high. How does this compare
with the size of Solomon’s temple? _______________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
19. What parts of the temple were covered with wood paneling?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
20. How was the temple decorated? Where were these
decorations placed? How many of these decorations were there?
Describe these decorations._____________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
21. What separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in
the Tabernacle? ______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Solomon’s Temple? ___________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Zerubbabel’s Temple? _________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Herod’s Temple?______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
22. For what was the wooden table mentioned in Ezekiel 41:22
used? Where was it located, placed? What were the dimensions
of this table?_________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
23. What does, “This is the table that is before the Lord”, mean?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
24. The Holy Place could only be accessed by one
______________ _______________. The Most Holy Place
could only be accessed by one _____________ _____________.
There was only ___________ way in and out. How were these
doors decorated?______________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
25. Meticulous attention was given to every detail of the temple.
Give evidence that this statement is true._________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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26. What purposes were served by the material presented in
Ezekial 40:48-49 and 41:1-26?___________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
27. What purposes were served by the precise measurements
given in both Ezekiel 40 and 41? What does this say about
God’s concern for details?______________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
28. Describe the heavenly mansions that await Christians in the
hereafter?____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
29. How much does this promise of a heavenly home affect your
daily life? ...your relationship with other people? ____________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
30. When we all get to _____________ , every___________ we
have _________ on this _________ will be _______ ________.