Ezekiel 45:2 - Exposition

Of this district , either of 25,000 x 10,000, or 25,000 x 20,000 reeds, according to the view taken of Ezekiel 45:1 , there should be measured off for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth. The supplement here also, Keil, Kliefoth, Plumptre, and others consider to be "reeds," since obviously the whole temple with its precincts is intended ( Ezekiel 42:16-20 ), though Hengstenberg and Schroder prefer "cubits," holding the sanctuary to be the temple buildings enclosed within the outer court well ( Ezekiel 40:1-49 .). The free space of fifty cubits round about for the suburbs (or, open places ) thereof seems to indicate that the larger area was that alluded to by the prophet. That the term מִגְדָשׁ . occurs more frequently in the so-called priest-code (Le 25:84; Numbers 35:2 , Numbers 35:3 , Numbers 35:4 , Numbers 35:5 , Numbers 35:7 ; Joshua 14:4 ; Joshua 21:2 , Joshua 21:3 , Joshua 21:8 , Joshua 21:11 , Joshua 21:13 , etc.) and in the Chronicles ( 1 Chronicles 5:16 ; 1 Chronicles 6:35 , 1 Chronicles 6:37 ; 1 Chronicles 13:2 ; 2 Chronicles 11:14 ; 2 Chronicles 31:19 ) than in Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 27:28 ; Ezekiel 48:15 , Ezekiel 48:17 ) is a fact; but on this fact cannot be founded an argument for the priority of Ezekiel, since it rather points to Ezekiel's acquaintance with such "suburbs" in connection with priestly and Levitical cities.