The Man with a Measuring Rod// Zechariah 2:1–5
1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of Yahweh was upon me, and He took me there. 2In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.
- EZK 40:1[NOTE]THE TWENTY FIFTH YEAR. April 573 BC, fourteen years after the city fell. See Ezekiel's Temple.
3So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4“Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your heart on everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”
- EZK 40:3[ALLUDED TO]The New Testament refers to this → REV 11:1
- EZK 40:3[NOTE]A MAN LIKE BRONZE. Most likely an angel, so his words stay black. Some Christians think he is the Lord Himself.
- EZK 40:4[TEXT]SET YOUR HEART. The Hebrew says sim libbekha, set your heart. The KJV says set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee.
The East Gate
5And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the measuring rod in the man’s hand was 10½ feet long, and he measured the wall to be 10½ feet thick and 10½ feet high.
- EZK 40:5[TEXT]THE LONG MEASURE. Ezekiel's measuring unit was the usual elbow to fingertip length plus a hand's width, about 21 inches. Every measure in chapters 40 to 48 is given in feet, inches and miles by that long unit. The measuring rod was six of them, 10½ feet.
6Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be 10½ feet deep. 7Each gate chamber was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet wide, and there were 8¾ feet between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was 10½ feet deep. 8Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside; 9it was 14 feet deep, and its jambs were 3½ feet thick. And the portico of the gateway faced the temple.
10There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements. 11And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be 17½ feet, and its length was 22¾ feet.
12In front of each gate chamber was a wall 21 inches high, and the gate chambers were 10½ feet square. 13Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet from doorway to doorway.
14Next he measured the gateposts to be 105 feet high. The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard. 15And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was 87½ feet.
16The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.
The Outer Court
17Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement, 18which flanked the gateways and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.
19Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was 175 feet on the east side as well as on the north.
The North Gate
20He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north. 21Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 22Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.
23There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be 175 feet.
The South Gate
24Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others. 25Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 26Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side.
27The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway toward the south to be 175 feet.
The Gates of the Inner Court
28Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. 29Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 30(The porticoes around the inner court were 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet deep.) 31Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.
32And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 34Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
35Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, 36as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. 37Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
38There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed. 39Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.
40Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered.
42There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offering, each 31½ inches long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. On these were placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.
43The double-pronged hooks, each three inches long, were fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables.
Chambers for Ministry
44Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two chambers, one beside the north gate and facing south, and another beside the south gate and facing north.
45Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 46and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach Yahweh to minister before Him.”
The Inner Court
47Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.
48Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be 8¾ feet on each side. The width of the gateway was 24½ feet and its sidewalls were 5¼ feet on either side. 49The portico was 35 feet wide and 21 feet deep, and ten steps led up to it. There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.