Ezekiel 40:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 40:16
And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.
to close (the lips or ears) · verb, qal passive participle, feminine plural absolute
windows
וְחַלֹּנ֣וֹתve.cha.lo.Not
H2474
a window (as perforated) · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural absolute
chambers
הַתָּאִ֡יםha.ta.'Im
H8372
a room (as circumscribed) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
posts
אֵלֵיהֵ֨מָה'e.lei.He.mah
H352
properly · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
within
לִפְנִ֤ימָהlif.Ni.mah
H6441
faceward · preposition + adverb
gate
לַשַּׁ֙עַר֙la.Sha.'ar
H8179
an opening · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
about
סָבִ֣יבsa.Viv
H5439
(as noun) a circle · noun, common both genders singular absolute
arches
לָאֵֽלַמּ֑וֹתla.'e.la.Mot
H361
a pillar-space (or colonnade) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
windows
וְחַלּוֹנ֞וֹתve.cha.lo.Not
H2474
a window (as perforated) · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural absolute
about
סָבִ֔יבsa.Viv
H5439
(as noun) a circle · noun, common both genders singular absolute
inward
לִפְנִ֔ימָהlif.Ni.mah
H6441
faceward · preposition + adverb
post
אַ֖יִל'A.yil
H352
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
trees
תִּמֹרִֽיםti.mo.Rim
H8561
(architectural) a palm-like pilaster (i.e. umbellate) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Kings 6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
2 Chronicles 3:5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
Ezekiel 41:26 And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of…
1 Kings 6:29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
1 Kings 6:32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with…
1 Kings 6:35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
Ezekiel 40:21-22 And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the…
Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 40:5-26
The measuring-reed which was in the hand of the surveyor-general was mentioned before, Eze 40:3. Here we are told (Eze 40:5) what was the exact length of it, which must be observed, because the house was measured by it. It was six cubits long, reckoning, not by the common cubit, but the cubit of the sanctuary, the sacred cubit, by which it was fit that this holy house should be measured, and that was a hand-breadth (that it, four inches) longer than the common cubit: the common cubit was eighteen inches, this twenty-two, see Eze 43:13. Yet some of the critics contend that this measuring-reed was but six common cubits in length, and one handbreadth added to the whole. The former seems more pr…
narrow--latticed [HENDERSON]. The ancients had no glass, so they had them latticed, narrow in the interior of the walls, and widening at the exterior. "Made fast," or "firmly fixed in the chambers" [MAURER].
arches--rather, "porches."
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 40:15
Fifty cubits - The length of the building. See MMMMM in the plan.
John Gill on Ezekiel 40:16
And there were narrow windows to the little chamber,.... The walls being sloped both within and without, that the light let in might be spread the more: as those "little chambers" signify the several congregated churches of Christ in the Gospel dispensation; See Gill on Ezekiel 40:7, so these windows design the word and ordinances therein administered, which are the means of letting light into them; see Sol 2:9, in attending on these, the light of God's countenance is enjoyed, which lies in the discoveries of his love; in the manifestations of himself; in his gracious presence, and in communion with him; than which nothing is more desirable or delightful: through these ordinances Christ the…
And oblique windows in the chambers. In slanted windows, the part through which light enters is narrow, but the interior part which receives the light is wide, because the minds of those who contemplate, although they may see something slight of the true light, are nevertheless expanded within themselves with great amplitude. And indeed these minds can scarcely grasp even a few of the things they behold. For truly what those contemplating see of eternity is exceedingly small, yet from this small amount the bosom of their minds is enlarged into an increase of fervor and love; and hence they become spacious within themselves, from whence they admit the light of truth to themselves as if through narrow openings. Because this greatness of contemplation can be granted only to those who love, slanted windows are said to be in the chambers, or in those things which are said to be near the chambers, no longer on the outside but on the inside.
And in their fronts which were within the gate on every side round about. For there were windows in the chambers, and there were also windows in their fronts, which had been constructed within the gate on every side all around, because he who has a heart within also receives the light of contemplation. For those who still think immoderately about external things do not know what the openings of contemplation concerning eternal light may be. For that infusion of incorporeal light is not grasped together with images of corporeal things, because while only visible things are thought about, invisible light is not admitted to the mind. But whoever now attends to the light of contemplation must take great care to always guard the mind in humility, never to exalt himself because of the grace with which he is filled, and to consider what the oblique windows that mark the minds of contemplatives are like. For through oblique windows light enters, and a thief does not enter, because those who are true watchmen always keep their understanding pressed down in humility, and the understanding of contemplation enters their minds, but the boasting of pride does not enter. And so the windows are both open and fortified, because the grace with which they are filled is open in their minds, and yet they do not permit the adversary to enter through pride. It should be noted that within the gate, windows slanting inward are mentioned on every side throughout the circuit. For the grace of contemplation is not given only to the highest and denied to the lowly, but often the highest receive it, often the lowly, more frequently those who have withdrawn from the world, and sometimes even the married. If therefore there is no office among the faithful from which the grace of contemplation can be excluded, whoever has a heart within can also be illuminated by the light of contemplation, because within the gate windows slanting inward are constructed on every side throughout the circuit, so that no one may boast of this grace as though it were something singular to himself. Let no one think he possesses the gift of true light as his own private possession, because in that which he thinks he has as something special, often another is richer—one whom he did not think possessed any good within himself.
Dictionary and topics
Arch — An architectural term found only in Ezek. 40:16, 21, 22, 26, 29. There is no absolute proof that the Israelites employed arches in their buildings. The arch was employed in the building of the…
Palm Tree · In the temple seen in the vision of Ezekiel — In the temple seen in the vision of Ezekiel
Window · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 40:6-16
The Buildings of the East Gate
(See Plate II 1). - Eze 40:6. And he went to the gate, the direction of which was toward the east, and ascended the steps thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate one rod broad, namely, the first threshold one rod broad, Eze 40:7. And the guard-room one rod long and one rod broad, and between the guard-rooms five cubits, and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate from the temple hither one rod. Eze 40:8. And he measured the porch of the gate from the temple hither one rod. Eze 40:9. And he measured the porch of the gate eight cubits, and its pillars two cubits; and the porch of the gate was from the temple hither. Eze 40:10. And of the guard-…
The carved palm trees recall the rich fertility of the Garden of Eden (see also 1 Kgs 6:29).
Rashi on Ezekiel 40:16
And narrowing windows [were made] for the cells These cells did not have doors facing the outside, but one open to the other; and so we find in Tractate Middoth (4:3) regarding the cells around the Temple: “Each one had three entrances, one to the cell on the right, one to the cell on the left, and one to the cell above.” But as for the cells in the Court which were only three cells, one beside the other, having no cells above them the middle ones had two entrances: one to the cell on the right and one to the cell on the left; and the outer one, [standing] at the side of the gate, had two entrances: one open to the middle one and one to the side of the gate, and it was likewise with the oute…
And likewise there were windows round about within in the vestibules. After he said there were windows in the fronts, he adds windows in the vestibules round about on the inside, because not only do the lofty members of holy Church who stand out have the grace of contemplation, but often even those members receive this gift who, although they already spring up toward the highest things through desire, nevertheless still lie low through their office. For unless almighty God poured the light of contemplation even into those who seem despised, there would not have been windows in the vestibules. And so we see some who are placed in the highest positions of holy Church speaking lofty things about heavenly matters, searching out with wondrous zeal, insofar as the illuminated mind suffices, the secrets of the heavenly fatherland: these are windows in the fronts. But others are contained within the bosom of holy Church and seem despised in human eyes, yet within themselves they are occupied with the pursuits of wisdom, they yearn for heavenly things, and insofar as they are able, they consider what the eternal joys may be: these therefore are oblique windows, but in the vestibules. It is well said "round about," because all inquiry into hidden things involves a circuit, since in its cogitation the mind says: "Do you suppose it is this? Do you suppose it is that?" It goes around, as it were, in order to find what it seeks. When the uncircumscribed light begins to break forth into knowledge, it is as though a ray of truth comes through an oblique window. For thus in our contemplation we make progress by circling around many things in our thoughts, just as we often seek examples of good people in order to make progress in our conduct. For when the mind is already thinking of passing on to better things, it seeks out whatever better thing it can hear about from others; it examines now the life of this holy person, now of another. Hence a certain chosen one, who had cast the eyes of his mind throughout the whole world in the broad embrace of Holy Church, seeking the life of good people for imitation, said: "I will go about and sacrifice in the tabernacle of God a sacrifice of jubilation." Behold, in order to sacrifice a sacrifice of jubilation, he was going about, because unless he sent his mind here and there to seek out the life of good people, he himself would not…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).