Read Ezekiel chapter 40 online with LogosAI Bible study tools, highlights, and cross references.
Ezekiel 40 is part of “The New Temple and Restored Land” (40–48) in the outline of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 40 summary
The waters of the sanctuary which this prophet saw in vision (Eze 47:1) are a proper representation of this prophecy. Hitherto the waters have been sometimes but to the ankles, in other places to the knees, or to the loins, but now the waters have risen, and have become "a river which cannot be passed over." Here is one continued vision, beginning at this chapter, to the end of the book, which is justly looked upon to be one of the most difficult portions of scripture in all the book of God. The Jews will not allow any to read it till they are thirty years old, and tell those who do read it that, though they cannot understand every thing in it, "when Elias comes he will explain it." Many commentators, both ancient and modern, have owned themselves at a loss what to make of it and what use to make of it. But because it is hard to be understood we must not therefore throw it by, but humbly search concerning it, get as far as we can into it and as much as we can out of it, and, when we despair of satisfaction in every difficulty we meet with, bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough, and wait till God shall reveal even this unto us. These chapters are the more to be regarded because the last two chapters of the Revelation seem to have a plain allusion to them, as Rev 20:1-15 has to the foregoing prophecy of Gog and Magog. Here is the vision of a glorious temple (in this chapter and ch. 41 and 42), of God's taking possession of it (ch. 43), orders concerning the priests that are to minister in this temple (ch. 44), the division of the land, what portion should be allotted for the sanctuary, what for the city, and what for the prince, both in his government of the people and his worship of God (ch. 45), and further instructions for him and the people, ch. 46. After the vision of the holy waters we have the borders of the holy land, and the portions assigned to the tribes, and the dimensions and gates of the holy city, ch. 47, 48. Some make this to represent what had been during the flourishing state of the Jewish church, how glorious Solomon's temple was in its best days, that the captives might see what they had lost by sin and might be the more humbled. But that seems not probable. The general scope of it I take to be, 1. To assure the captives that they should not only return to their own land, and be settled there, which had been often promised in the foregoing chapters, but that they should have, and therefore should be encouraged to build, another temple, which God would own, and where he would meet them and bless them, that the ordinances of worship should be revived, and the sacred priesthood should there attend; and, though they should not have a king to live in such splendour as formerly, yet they should have a prince or ruler (who is often spoken of in this vision), who should countenance the worship of God among them and should himself be an example of diligent attendance upon it, and that prince, priests, and people, should have a very comfortable settlement and subsistence in their own land. 2. To direct them to look further than all this, and to expect the coming of the Messiah, who had before been prophesied of under the name of David because he was the man that projected the building of the temple and that should set up a spiritual temple, even the gospel-church, the glory of which should far exceed that of Solomon's temple, and which should continue to the end of time. The dimensions of these visionary buildings being so large (the new temple more spacious than all the old Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem of greater extent than all the land of Canaan) plainly intimates, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, that these things cannot be literally, but must spiritually, understood. At the gospel-temple, erected by Christ and his apostles, was so closely connected with the second material temple, was erected so carefully just at the time when that fell into decay, that it might be ready to receive its glories when it resigned them, that it was proper enough that they should both be referred to in one and the same vision. Under the type and figure of a temple and altar, priests and sacrifices, is foreshown the spiritual worship that should be performed in gospel times, more agreeable to the nature both of God and man, and that perfected at last in the kingdom of glory, in which perhaps these visions will have their full accomplishment, and some think in some happy and glorious state of the gospel-church on this side heaven, in the latter days.
In this chapter we have, I. A general account of this vision of the temple and city (Eze 40:1-4). II. A particular account of it entered upon; and a description given, 1. Of the outside wall (Eze 40:5). 2. Of the east gate (Eze 40:6-19). 3. Of the north gate (Eze 40:20-23). 4. Of the south gate (Eze 40:24-31) and the chambers and other appurtenances belonging to these gates. 5. Of the inner court, both towards the east and towards the south (Eze 40:32-38). 6. Of the tables (Eze 40:39-43). 7. Of the lodgings for the singers and the priests (Eze 40:44-47). 8. Of the porch of the house (Eze 40:48, Eze 40:49).
Source: Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706–21; Romans–Revelation completed by Nonconformist ministers). Public domain. Digital text: Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org).
1 In the fiue and twentieth yeere of our being in captiuitie, in the beginning of the yeere, in the tenth day of the moneth, in the fourteenth yeere after that the citie was smitten, in the selfe same day, the hande of the Lord was vpon mee, and brought me thither.
2 Into the lande of Israel brought he me by a diuine vision, and set me vpon a very hie mountaine, whereupon was as the building of a citie, toward the South.
3 And he brought me thither, and beholde, there was a man, whose similitude was to looke to, like brasse, with a linnen thread in his hand, and a reede to measure with: and he stoode at the gate.
4 And the man said vnto me, Sonne of man, beholde with thine eyes, and heare with thine eares, and set thine heart vpon all that I shall shew thee: for to the intent, that they might be shewed thee, art thou brought hither: declare al that thou seest, vnto the house of Israel.
5 And beholde, I sawe a wall on the outside of the house round about: and in the mans hand was a reede to measure with, of sixe cubites long, by the cubite, and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the buylding with one reede, and the height with one reede.
6 Then came he vnto the gate, which looketh towarde the East, and went vp the stayres thereof, and measured the poste of the gate, which was one reede broade, and the other poste of the gate, which was one reede broade.
7 And euery chamber was one reede long, and one reede broad, and betweene the chambers were fiue cubites: and the post of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reede.
8 He measured also the porche of the gate within with one reede.
9 Then measured he the porch of the gate of eight cubites, and the postes thereof, of two cubites, and the porch of the gate was inward.
10 And the chambers of the gate Eastwarde, were three on this side, and three on that side: they three were of one measure, and the postes had one measure on this side, and one on that side.
11 And he measured the breadth of the entrie of the gate ten cubites, and the height of the gate thirteene cubites.
12 The space also before the chambers was one cubite on this side, and the space was one cubite on that side, and the chambers were sixe cubites on this side and sixe cubites on that side.
13 He measured then the gate from the roufe of a chamber to the toppe of the gate: the breadth was fiue and twentie cubites, doore against doore.
14 He made also postes of threescore cubites, and the postes of the court, and of the gate had one measure round about.
15 And vpon the forefront of the entry of the gate vnto the forefront of the porch of the gate within were fiftie cubites.
16 And there were narrowe windowes in the chambers, and in their postes within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and the windowes went rounde about within: and vpon the postes were palme trees.
17 Then brought he me into the outwarde court, and lo, there were chambers, and a pauement made for the court round about, and thirtie chambers were vpon the pauement.
18 And the pauement was by the side of the gates ouer against the length of the gates, and the pauement was beneath.
19 Then hee measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate without, vnto the forefront of the court within, an hundreth cubits Eastward and Northward.
20 And the gate of the outwarde court, that looked toward the North, measured he after the length and breadth thereof.
21 And the chambers thereof were, three on this side, and three on that side, and the postes thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fiftie cubites, and the breadth fiue and twentie cubites.
22 And their windowes, and their arches with their palme trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the East, and the going vp vnto it had seuen steppes, and the arches therof were before them.
23 And the gate of the inner court stoode ouer against the gate towarde the North, and towarde the East, and hee measured from gate to gate an hundreth cubites.
24 After that, he brought mee towarde the South, and loe, there was a gate towarde the South, and hee measured the postes thereof, and the arches thereof according to these measures.
25 And there were windowes in it, and in the arches thereof round about, like those windowes: the height was fiftie cubites, and the breadth fiue and twentie cubites.
26 And there were seuen steps to go vp to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palme trees, one on this side, and another on that side vpon the post thereof.
27 And there was a gate in the inner court towarde the South, and he measured from gate to gate towarde the South an hundreth cubites.
28 And he brought me into the inner court by the South gate, and he measured the South gate according to these measures,
29 And the chambers thereof, and the postes thereof, and the arches thereof according to these measures, and there were windowes in it, and in the arches thereof rounde about, it was fiftie cubites long and fiue and twentie cubites broade.
30 And the arches round about were fiue and twenty cubites long, and fiue cubites broad.
31 And the arches thereof were towarde the vtter court, and palme trees were vpon the postes thereof, and the going vp to it had eight steppes.
32 Againe he brought me into ye inner court toward the East, and he measured the gate according to these measures.
33 And the chambers thereof, and the postes thereof, and the arches thereof were according to these measures, and there were windowes therein, and in the arches thereof round about, it was fiftie cubites long, and fiue and twentie cubites broade.
34 And the arches thereof were towarde the vtter court, and palme trees were vpon the postes thereof, on this side and on that side, and the going vp to it had eight steppes.
35 After he brought mee to the North gate, and measured it, according to these measures,
36 The chambers thereof, the postes thereof, and the arches thereof, and there were windowes therein round about: the height was fiftie cubits, and the breadth fiue and twentie cubites.
37 And the postes thereof were towarde the vtter court, and palme trees were vpon the postes thereof on this side, and on that side, and the going vp to it had eight steps.
38 And euery chamber, and the entrie thereof was vnder the postes of the gates: there they washed the burnt offring.
39 And in the porch of the gate stoode two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, vpon the which they slew the burnt offring, and the sinne offring, and the trespas offring.
40 And at the side beyond the steppes, at the entry of the North gate stoode two tables, and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate were two tables.
41 Foure tables were on this side, and foure tables on that side by the side of the gate, euen eight tables whereupon they slew their sacrifice.
42 And the foure tables were of hewen stone for the burnt offering, of a cubite and an halfe long, and a cubite and an halfe broade, and one cubite hie: whereupon also they layde the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offring and the sacrifice.
43 And within were borders an hand broade, fastened round about, and vpon the tables lay the flesh of the offring.
44 And without the inner gate were ye chambers of the singers in the inner Court, which was at the side of the North gate: and their prospect was towarde the South, and one was at the side of the East gate, hauing the prospect towarde the North.
45 And he said vnto me, This chamber whose prospect is towarde the South, is for the Priestes that haue the charge to keepe the house.
46 And the chamber whose prospect is toward the North, is for the Priestes that haue the charge to keepe the altar: these are the sonnes of Zadok among ye sonnes of Leui which may come neere to the Lord to minister vnto him.
47 So he measured the court, an hundreth cubites long, and an hundreth cubits broad, eue foure square: likewise the altar that was before ye house.
48 And hee brought mee to the porch of the house, and measured the postes of the porch, fiue cubites on this side, and fiue cubites on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubites on this side, and three cubites on that side.
49 The length of the porch was twentie cubites, and ye breadth eleuen cubites, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went vp to it, and there were pillars by the postes, one on this side, and another on that side.