Ezekiel 40:26 - meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 40:26
And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
properly · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
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
Ezekiel 40:22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up…
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 window…
Ezekiel 40:6 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was…
Psalms 92:12-13 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 7:7-8 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
Ezekiel 40:29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it an…
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
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…
and toward the east--an elliptical expression for "The gate of the inner court was over against the (outer) gate toward the north (just as the inner gate was over against the outer gate) toward the east."
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 40:24
According to these measures - The same measures that had been used at the eastern court.
John Gill on Ezekiel 40:26
And there were seven steps to go up to it,.... To the south gate, as there were to the east and north gates, Ezekiel 40:6,
and the arches thereof were before them; See Gill on Ezekiel 40:22,
and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof; that is, on the posts of this gate were palm trees, two on each post, one on one side, and the other on the other: this verse shows us how many palm trees were painted on the posts, and how they were disposed of; See Gill on Ezekiel 40:16.
Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 40:20-27
The North Gate and the South Gate of the Outer Court (1 Plate I A)
The description of these two gate-buildings is very brief, only the principal portions being mentioned, coupled with the remark that they resembled those of the east gate. The following is the description of the north gate. - Eze 40:20. And the gate, whose direction was toward the north, touching the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth, Eze 40:21. And its guard-rooms, three on this side and three on that, and its pillars and its wall-projections. It was according to the measure of the first gate, fifty cubits its length, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. Eze 40:22. And its windows and its wall-projection…
The Church Fathers
"And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof." What is the meaning of this, that earlier a painting of palms was on the fronts, but now carved palms are mentioned as being on the front? In the carving of stones, indeed, the works appear to be external. But, as we have already said above, the painting of palms is a display of signs. Now, however, carving of palms is spoken of, so that a demonstration of good works may be designated. For to those highest preachers themselves it is said: "Let them see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Therefore those who demonstrate that holy works have been impressed upon their life have carved palms on the front, because they already now show in their holy works how great a victory follows them in the future. Or certainly because we have said that faith is designated through the Eastern gate, hope through the Northern gate, but charity through the Southern gate, we must note that in the Eastern gate a painting of palms is reported, but in the Northern and Southern gates, carving is said to be, because it often happens that those who are still beginners do not yet exercise themselves in solid and great works; but those who return from iniquities to virtues are frequently exercised in great works, so that they may be able to cover their faults before the eyes of almighty God. And those who have already grown in virtues by the fervor of the spirit burn as it were like the South in holy actions. In the Eastern gate, therefore, there is painting, but in the Northern and Southern gates there is carving, because the sign of victory which is shown in beginners is already held more solidly and more firmly in those who are returning and in those who are fervent. It must also be noted with great importance what is said: "on this side and that." For all of us who strive toward the entrance of life must have the palm both on the right and on the left side. For what is said "on this side and that" signifies each side. Therefore, he has the palm on the right whom prosperity does not exalt; he has the palm on the left whom adversity does not cast down. Paul carried the palm as if from each side when he said: "Through the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left, through…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
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…
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).
The steps that led up to each gate heightened the sense of their inaccessibility. The inner, more sacred areas of the Temple were significantly higher in elevation than the outer parts, which provided another dimension of separation.
Rashi on Ezekiel 40:26
its steps [Heb. עֹלוֹתָו,] like מַעֲלוֹתָו, its steps.
on its posts Atop the post was pictured a palm tree.
