CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Ezekiel 42
Chapter 42 of 48
Chapter Overview
What happens in Ezekiel 42
The guide shows Ezekiel the priests' rooms on the north and south sides of the temple, where they eat the holy food and change their clothes. He then measures the outer wall of the entire temple complex.
Scripture
Ezekiel 42
The Priests' Rooms
Study note
The guide led Ezekiel to rooms north and south of the temple that were specifically for the priests. These rooms had three levels and were set back from the outer wall to create walkways. The priests who approached the Lord would eat the most holy offerings there, including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. They were also to change their clothes before going out to the people, because the clothing worn during service were holy.
1 The man led me north into the outer courtyard. He brought me to rooms that faced the temple courtyard and the outer building on the north side. Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north.
2 The building on the north side was about one hundred seventy-five feet long. It was about eighty-seven and a half feet wide. Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
3 On one side it faced the thirty-five-foot inner yard. On the other it faced the outer yard's pavement. The rooms rose three stories high. Each level's walkway faced the one across from it. Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
4 In front of the rooms ran a walkway about seventeen and a half feet wide and about one hundred and seventy-five feet long. The room entrances faced north. And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
5 The top-floor rooms were narrower than the lower ones. The walkways took up more space from them than from the rooms on the ground and middle floors. Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
6 The rooms on the third floor had no pillars like those in the courtyard. Therefore they were set back more than the lower and middle floors. For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground.
7 An outer wall ran parallel to the rooms on the side facing the outer courtyard. It extended about eighty-seven and a half feet in front of the rooms. And the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits.
8 The rooms along the outer yard were about eighty-seven and a half feet long. The rooms near the temple were about one hundred seventy-five feet. For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.
9 The ground-floor rooms had their entrance on the east side, accessible from the outer courtyard. And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.
10 On the south side, rooms ran along the outer yard wall. They faced both the temple yard and the outer building. The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.
11 A walkway ran in front of them. These rooms were identical to the north rooms in their dimensions, exits, and overall design. Their doorways were the same. And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.
12 The south rooms' entrance was at the eastern end of the walkway, along the matching wall. And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.
13 The man explained, "The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the holy rooms. The priests who approach the Lord will eat the most sacred offerings there. That is also where they will store the most sacred offerings: the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, because the area is holy." Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
14 "After the priests enter the holy area, they cannot go directly into the outer courtyard. They must first change out of the clothing they wore while serving, since those clothes are holy. They need to put on regular clothes before going to the public areas." When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.
The Outer Measurements
Study note
The guide then measured the entire temple complex along all four sides. Each side was about eight hundred and seventy-five feet long, making a perfect square. The purpose of the wall was to separate the holy from the common, maintaining the distinction between God's sacred space and the ordinary world outside.
15 He finished measuring all inside the temple grounds. Then he brought me out through the east gate. He measured the full outer edge. Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.
16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod: about eight hundred and seventy-five feet. He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
17 He measured the north side: about eight hundred and seventy-five feet. He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
18 He measured the south side: about eight hundred and seventy-five feet. He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
19 He turned to the west side and measured it: about eight hundred and seventy-five feet. He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.
20 He measured all four sides. The surrounding wall formed a square about eight hundred and seventy-five feet on each side. This wall marked the boundary between the holy area and the ordinary area. He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
Key Themes
Themes in Ezekiel 42
Sacred and common distinctionPriestly holinessPreparation for serviceBoundaries in worship
Apply This Today
Living Ezekiel 42
The priests' rooms were set apart for specific holy purposes — eating sacred food and changing clothing. This principle of setting things apart for God applies to our lives too. Having dedicated times and spaces for prayer, study, and worship helps us maintain a sense of the sacred in a busy world.
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