Chapter XLI
. . . before the iHird—the altar of incense (cl). 44.16); at it, not at the table of shewbread, the priests daily ministered. It stood in front of the veil, and is therefore said to be " liefore the Lord." It is called a table, as being that at which tlie Lord will take delight in His people, !i,s at a feast. Hence its dimensions are larger than that of old—three cubits high, two broad, instead of two and one. SJ5. thick planks—a thick-plauk work at tlie threshold.
Ver. l-2fi. The Chambers and Ornaments of the Temple. 1. tabernacle—as in the measurement of the outer porch he had pointed to Solomon's temple; so here in the edifice itself, he points to the old tabernacle, which being eight boards in breadth {each one and a half cubits broad) would make in all twelve cubits, as liere. Internally it was only ten cubits. 3. length thereof—viz., of the holy place. [Fairbairn.] 3. inward—towards the most holy
place. 4. thereof—of the holy of holies, before the temple—t. e„ before, or in front of tlie most holy place (so " temple" is used in 1 Kings 6.3). The angel went in and measured it, whilst Ezekiel stood In front, in the only part of the temple accessible to him. The dimensions of the two apartments are the same as in Solomon's temple, since being fixed originally bj' God, they are regarded as finally determined. 5. side chamber—the sinijular used collectively for the plural. These chambers were appendages attached to the outside of the temple, on the west, north and south ; for on the east side, the principal entrance, there were no chambers. The narrowness of the chambers was in order that the beams be supported witliout needing pillars. The plan is similar to that of the hall at Koyunjik, a large central hall, called the oracle, witli smaller rooms built round it. 6. might . . . hold, b«t
CHAPTER XLII. Ver. 1-20. Chambers of the Priests: Measurements OF THE Temple. 'Z. Before flie length of an hundred cubits— 1. e.. Before "the separate place," which was that length (ch. 41. 13). He had before spoken of chambers for the official ing priests on tlie north and south gates of the inner court (ch. 40. 44—10). He iiovj returns to take a more exact view of them. 5. sliorter— i. e., the building became narrower as it rose in lu ight. Tiie chambers were many: so " in my Father's house are many mansions " (John 14.
2); and besides these there was much "room" still left
(cf. Luke 14. 22i. Thechambers, though private, were near the temple. Prayer in our chambers is to prepare us for public devotions, and to help us in improving them. 16. five hundred reeds—LXX. substitute "cubits" fof "reeds," to escape the immense compass assigned to the whole, viz., a square of 500 rods or 3000 cubits (two'feet each; ch. 40. 5), in all a square of one and one-seventh miles. I.e., more than all ancient Jerusalem; also, there
. . . not hold in . . . wall of the house—1 Kings 6. 6, tells us there were rests made in the walls of the temple for supports to the side-chambers; but the temple walls did not thereby become part of this side building; they stood separate from it. "They entered," viz., the beams of the chambers, which were three-storied, and thirty in consecutive order, entered into the wall, i. e., were made to lean on rests projecting from the wall. 7. the breadth ... so increased from the lowest ... to the highest
is much space tlius left unappropriated. Fairbairn rightly supports Engli-ih Version, which agrees with the Hebrew. The vast extent is another feature marking the ideal character of the temple. It symbolizes the great enlargement of the kingdom of God, when Jehovah-Messiah shall reign at Jerusalem, and from thence to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 2.2-4; Jeremiah 3. 17; Romans
i. e.,,the breadth of the internal space above was greater than that below. 8. foundations . . . six . . . cubits—
11. 12, 15). 20. wall . . . separation between . . . sanctuary and . . . profane—no longer shall the wall of partition be to separate the Jew and the Gentile (Ephesians
* the sub-structure, on which the foundations rested, was a full reed of six cubits, great lit., to tlie extremity or root, viz., of the hand. [Henderson.] "To the joining," or point, where the foundation of one chamber ceased and another began. [Fairbaien.] 9. that which was left—there was an unoccupied place within chambers that l)elonged to the house. The buildings in this unoccupied place, west of the temple, and so much resembling
2. 14), but to separate the sacred from the profane. The lowuess of it renders it unfit for the purpose of defence
(tlie object of tlie wall. Revelation 21. 12). But its square form (as in the city, Revelation 21. 16) is the emblem of the kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12. 28), resting on prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone.
it in size, imply that no place was to be left which was to be held, as of old, not sacred. Manasseh (2 Kings 23. 11) had abused these "suburbs of the temple" to keeping horses sacred to the sun. All excuse for such abominations was henceforth to be taken away, the Lord claiming every space, and tilling up this also with sacred erections. [Fairbairn.] 10. thechambers—i.e., of the priests in the court: between these and the side-chambers was the wideness, &c. Whilst long details are given as to the chambers, &o., no mention is made of the ark of the covenant. Fairbairn thus interprets this : In future there was to be a perfect conformity to the Divine idea, such as there had not been before. The dwellings of His people should all become true sanctuaries of piety. Jehovah Himself, In the full display of the Divine Shekinah, shall come in