Ezekiel 40:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 40:7
And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.
a reed (as erect) · noun, common masculine singular 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
Ezekiel 40:36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and…
1 Kings 6:5-10 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the o…
1 Chronicles 9:26 For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.
1 Chronicles 23:28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in t…
2 Chronicles 3:9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
2 Chronicles 31:11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them,
Ezra 8:29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusal…
Jeremiah 35:4 And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the ch…
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…
chamber--These chambers were for the use of the Levites who watched at the temple gates; guard-chambers (Kg2 22:4; Ch1 9:26-27); also used for storing utensils and musical instruments.
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 40:7
And every little chamber was one reed - These were the chambers of the buildings which were within the inclosure of the temple round the court, and these chambers appear to have been numerous. See the map, which has been carefully copied from that of Calmet.
John Gill on Ezekiel 40:7
And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad,.... The length and breadth were equal, three yards and a half long and broad; a perfect square. There were several of these little chambers or apartments in this building, at each of the gates, and in other places after mentioned; of these chambers which were in the gates of the courts; as there were also others, according to Kimchi, on the wall of the mountain of the house; Lipman (x) says there is no mention made of them in the building of the second temple: these design not the hearts of particular believers, where Christ has a place, takes up his residence, and takes his rest; nor the many mansions in Christ's Father's house…
And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad. Let us consider what usually happens in a bridal chamber, and from that let us understand what takes place in the holy Church. In the bridal chamber, of course, the bridegroom and bride are joined in covenant and united to each other in love. What then are the bridal chambers in the holy Church, if not the hearts of those in whom the soul is joined through love to the invisible bridegroom, so that it burns with desire for him, no longer covets the things that are in the world, considers the length of this present life a punishment, hastens to depart, and rests in the embrace of love in the vision of the heavenly bridegroom? The mind, therefore, that is already such receives no consolation from the present life, but sighs from its inmost depths for him whom it loves, burns, pants, is filled with anxiety. The very health of the body becomes worthless to it, because it has been pierced by the wound of love; hence in the Song of Songs it says: I am wounded by love. But it is an evil health of the heart that knows not the pain of this wound. But when it has begun to pant for heavenly desire and to feel the wound of love, the soul becomes healthier from the wound, whereas before it was sick from health. But for the soul that strongly loves her spouse, there is usually one consolation for the delay of this present life: that through the very fact that she herself is deferred from the vision of him, the souls of others may profit by her word and be kindled with the flames of love toward the heavenly spouse. She grieves because she sees herself delayed; everything she beholds is sad to her, because she does not yet see him whom she longs to see. But as I said, it is no small consolation if, while a fervent soul is delayed, many are gathered through her, so that she may see late with many the one whom she wished to see sooner alone. Hence again the bride says in the Song of Songs: "Stay me with flowers, and surround me with apples, for I languish with love." For what are flowers except souls already beginning a good work and giving forth the fragrance of heavenly desire? What are apples from flowers except the already perfect minds of the good, who arrive at the fruit of good work from the beginning of holy purpose? She who languishes with love therefore seeks to be stayed with flowers and surrounded…
And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. While the threshold which is now described is mentioned to be inside next to the vestibule of the gate, it is openly shown that the threshold which was described before was outside. But if the gate is the Lord, let us inquire what the threshold of the gate inside and outside might be. For through the threshold everyone enters the gate. And what are these two thresholds, except the fathers of the Old Testament and the fathers of the New Testament? For not only those from whom the Lord deigned to become incarnate, but all the fathers of the Old Testament were the threshold of this gate, because those who merited to foretell Him and to hope in Him opened the entrance of faith to all coming to Him; and all who believed in the Lord through these, as it were, already entered the gate of this threshold. But why is it called before the outer threshold and after the inner threshold, except because first were the fathers of the Old Testament, and afterward the teachers of the New Testament? Rightly, moreover, the outer threshold designates the fathers of the Old Testament, because through their preaching perverse works were punished. But through the sayings of the new fathers, the mind of each person is restrained even from illicit thoughts, while guilt is shown to be complete even in the deliberation of the heart. For those took care to prohibit the souls of their hearers from shameful acts, from cruelties, from robberies; but these, since they cut off not only perverse works but also illicit thoughts, what else have they become for us except an inner threshold? Hence Truth Himself also speaks, saying: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be guilty of judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be guilty of judgment." Rightly also the outer threshold designates those fathers who stood at a greater distance through intervals of time from the very incarnation of our Redeemer. And indeed from the blood of Abel the passion of the Church already began, and there is one Church of the elect who preceded and who followed. But nevertheless, because it is said to the disciples: "Many kings and prophets wished to see what you see, and did not see," for the ancient fathers to have stood as it were…
Dictionary and topics
Weights And Measures — A. WEIGHTS.—The general principle of the present inquiry is to give the evidence of the monuments the preference on all doubtful points. All ancient Greek systems of weight were derived, either…
Reed · Used as a measuring — Used as a measuring
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-…
Six guard alcoves lined the inside of the gates, three on each side, confirming their defensive significance. These gates were similar in layout to those excavated at Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, but substantially larger in size.
Rashi on Ezekiel 40:7
And the cell This was a projecting gallery, called appentis in French (see I Kings 6:5). There were three on the right of the gate and three on the left, as is stated in this section. The cells were near the eastern wall of the Women’s Court, on the outside, facing the Temple Mount. Now, from where do I learn that they were on the outside? From what is written after this entire account (verse 17): “And he brought me to the outer Court.” From here I learn that all that had been spoken of previously was outside it, for he had not yet entered it.
And the cell was one rod in length, etc. The inner area of each one was six cubits square.
and between the cells five cubits The walls separating th…
And between the little chambers were five cubits. He had said one above concerning the bedchamber, and afterwards he relates that there are five cubits between the bedchambers: for the reason evidently that many bedchambers make one, just as many Churches are also called one Church. Hence also in the Apocalypse of John it is written to seven Churches, through which one catholic Church is designated. Therefore those who in the holy Church, as we have said, thirst with fervent love to see God, and are now joined to Him through desire, are called bedchambers. But nevertheless there are in her certain ones who, not being able to penetrate subtle things, and still weighed down by the five bodily senses, love Him who made all things so much less as they are more bound up in those things which have been made. And indeed they now strive to exercise themselves in the fear of the Lord, and to extend themselves in love of neighbor, to do good works bodily, to redeem sins through almsgiving; but because they do not know how to burn with intimate love toward heavenly desire, they are held as if still bound by bodily senses. Therefore these are not bedchambers, but nevertheless they are contained among the bedchambers, because through the guidance of those who perfectly love the vision of God, they themselves also are directed toward advancement of mind. Therefore there are five cubits between the bedchambers, because those who from the five exterior senses do not yet rise up to mystical understanding, while they are among those who burn with the spirit of love, as if remaining among the bedchambers they make progress in the construction of faith, and are not separated from the measure of the heavenly building. For they also withdraw themselves somewhat from the appetite of bodily senses, and with the space of the mind enlarged, imitating the charity which they behold, they are extended on this side and that toward the bedchambers. The fact therefore that they are described not by six cubits, but by five, designates their very imperfection still remaining. But nevertheless through good desire they are remembered in the measure of the spiritual edifice, because by the voice of holy Church it is said through the Psalmist: Your eyes saw my imperfection, and in your book all shall be written. Hence again the same Psalmist says: The Lord has blessed all who fear him, the…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
