1Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the room which was opposite the separate area, and which was in front of the building toward the north. 2Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. 3Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the pavement of the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. 4And in front of the rooms, toward the inside, was a walkway ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. 5Now the upper rooms were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. 6For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. 7And a wall which was outside ran alongside the rooms, at the front of the rooms, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. 8The length of the rooms toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one hundred cubits. 9And under these rooms was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court. 10There were rooms in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separate area and opposite the building. 11And there was a walkway in front of them also, and their appearance was like the rooms which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12And corresponding to the doors of the rooms that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walkway, the walkway directly in front of the wall toward the east. 13Then he said to me, The north rooms and the south rooms, which are opposite the separate area, are the holy rooms where the priests who approach Jehovah shall eat the set apart, holy, offerings. There they shall lay the set apart, holy, offerings; the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. 14When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy room into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people. 15Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out through the gate that faces toward the east, and measured it all around. 16He measured the east side with the measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 17He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 18He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 19He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 20He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy from the profane.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 The prophet has taken a very exact view of the temple and the buildings belonging to it, and is now brought again into the outer court, to observe the chambers that were in that square.
I. Here is a description of these chambers, which (as that which went before) seems to us very perplexed and intricate, through our unacquaintedness with the Hebrew language and the rules of architecture at that time. We shall only observe, in general, 1. That about the temple, which was the place of public worship, there were private chambers, to teach us that our attendance upon God in solemn ordinances will not excuse us from the duties of the closet. We must not only worship in the courts of God's house, but must, both before and after our attendance there, enter into our chambers, enter into our closets, and read and meditate, and
pray to our Father in secret; and a great deal of comfort the people of God have found in their communion with God in solitude. 2. That these chambers were many; there were
three stories of them, and, though the higher stories were not so large as the lower, yet they served as well for retirement,
Ezek 42:5,
Ezek 42:6. There were many, that there might be conveniences for all such devout people as Anna the prophetess, who
departed not from the temple night or day, Luke 2:37.
In my Father's house are many mansions. In his house on earth there are so; multitudes by faith have taken lodgings in his sanctuary, and
yet there is room. 3. That these chambers, though they were private, yet were near the temple, within view of it, within reach of it, to teach us to prefer public worship before private (
the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, and so must we), and to refer our private worship to the public. Our religious performances in our chambers must be to prepare us for the exercises of devotion in public, and to further us in our improvement of them, as our opportunities are. 4. That before these chambers there were
walks of five yards broad (
Ezek 42:4), in which those that had lodgings in these chambers might meet for conversation, might walk and talk together for their mutual edification, might communicate their knowledge and experiences. For we are not to spend all our time between the church and the chamber, though a great deal of time may be spent to very good purpose in both. But man is made for society, and Christians for the communion of saints; and the duties of that communion we must make conscience of, and the privileges and pleasures of that communion we must take the comfort of. It is promised to Joshua, who was high priest in the second temple, that God will
give him places to walk in among those that stand by, Zech 3:7.
II. Here is the use of these chambers appointed,
Ezek 42:13,
Ezek 42:14. 1. They were
for the priests that approach unto the Lord, that they may be always near their business and may not be non-residents.
Therefore they are called
holy chambers, because they were for use of those that ministered in holy things during their ministration. Those that have public work to do for God and the souls of men have need to be much in private, to fit themselves for it. Ministers should spend much time in their chambers, in reading, meditation, and prayer, that their
profiting may appear; and they ought to be provided with conveniences for this purpose. 2. There the priests were to deposit
the most holy things, those parts of the offerings which fell to their share; and there they were to
eat them, they and their families, in a religious manner, for
the place is holy; and thus they must make a difference between those feasts upon the sacrifice and other meals. 3. There (among other uses) they were to lay their vestments, which God had appointed them to wear when they ministered at the altar, their linen ephods, coats, girdles, and bonnets. We read of the providing of priests garments after their return out of captivity,
Neh 7:70,
Neh 7:72. When they had ended their service at the altar they must lay by those garments, to signify that the use of them should continue only during that dispensation; but they must
put on other garments, such as other people wear, when they
approached to those things which were for the people, that is, to do that part of their service which related to the people, to teach them the law and to answer their enquiries. Their holy garments must be
laid up, that they may be kept clean and decent for the credit of their service.
15 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 (
Ezek 42:16-
Ezek 42:19), 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,
Isa 49:18;
Isa 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.