And he brought me to the north gate ,.... That is, of the inner court, for he had measured before the north gate that led to the outward court, Ezekiel 40:20 , and here the little chambers, posts, arches, and steps, in all things agree with those of the other gates: what were observed in it different from the rest, an account is given of it in the following verse. read more
And the chambers, and the entries thereof, were by the posts of the gates ,.... Of the north gate; the plural for the singular; for not at the other gates, only at the north gate, were the sacrifices slain and washed; as under the law, only on the north side of the altar, Leviticus 1:11 , now, by the posts of this gate, or at the entrance of it on one side, stood a cell or chamber, and a door into it F15 ולשכהופתחה "et cubiculum, et ostium ejus", Pagninus, Montanus; "caeterum... read more
The inner court , with its gates, chambers and slaughtering-tables: read more
The north gate of the inner court . The same minute specification of the guard-rooms, the pillars, wall-projections, windows, steps, is again repeated, as if to show that all parts in this divinely fashioned edifice were of equal moment. read more
The chambers . As the verse explains, these were different from the guard-rooms in the gates ( Ezekiel 40:7 , Ezekiel 40:21 ) and the chambers on the pavement ( Ezekiel 40:17 ), although the same Hebrew word is employed to designate the latter. The cells under consideration were expressly designed for washing "the inwards and the legs" of the victims brought for sacrifice (Le Ezekiel 1:9 ). Whether such a cell stood at each of the three gates, as the plural seems to indicate,... read more
Sacrifice essential to human worship. The entrances and vestibules of the new temple were planned on a magnificent scale. The mind of the worshipper would be naturally impressed both with the greatness of the Proprietor and with the transcendent importance of the use to which it was devoted. But by what methods will the Sovereign Majesty of heaven be approached? More and more this question oppresses a reflecting man. As he gains the central courts of the temple the answer is clear. Sin is... read more
The arrangements for sacrifice . Three things demand attention—the cells for washing, the tables for slaughtering, and the hooks. read more
The chambers - Render it: and chambers, not yet described. They were north of the altar, by the “posts” or pillars in front and along the sides of the gate-building. There were several gates in the gate-building. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 40:27-38
In these verses we have a delineation of the inner court. The survey of the outer court ended with the south side of it. This of the inner court begins with the south side (Ezek. 40:27), proceeds to the east (Ezek. 40:32), and so to the north (Ezek. 40:35); for here is no gate either of the outer or inner court towards the west. It should seem that in Solomon's temple there were gates westward, for we find porters towards the west, 1 Chron. 9:24; 26:8. But Josephus says that in the second... read more