Ezek 40

40:1–48:35 The final section of Ezekiel focuses on the new Temple (40:1–47:12; see “Temple Architecture as Theology” Theme Note; “Temple Legislation as Theology” Theme Note) and on reallotment of the land (47:13–48:35; see “Israel’s Geography as Theology” Theme Note). The Temple at the center of the land was the capstone of God’s program of restoring and sanctifying his people so that he could once again dwell in their midst (see 37:28). This Temple, which Ezekiel saw in a vision, was never actually constructed.40:1–46:24 The prophet’s tour of the new Temple proceeded from the outside of the Temple into its center. From the inside, he then returned outwards, ending up at the kitchens in the corners of the outer courtyard (46:19-24).

40:2 a very high mountain: Revelations from God often took place on mountaintops in the Old Testament. Moses received God’s law and the design for the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai (Exod 19–40), and he viewed the Promised Land that he would never enter from Pisgah Peak (Deut 34:1-4). Similarly, on this mountaintop Ezekiel met with God and saw the wonderful future that God had prepared for his people, even though he would not live to experience it.

40:3 a man whose face shone like bronze: An angelic guide would host Ezekiel’s tour of the Temple. The bronze color is reminiscent of the heavenly creatures described in the opening vision (see 1:7). Unlike the guide for his previous visionary tour of the earthly Temple in chs 8–11, this guide was armed only with a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod, implements of construction rather than destruction. Measurement is a key theme in the chapters that follow, enabling the prophet to highlight the importance of certain parts of the Temple by making them larger and more precisely determined than other parts.

40:5-16 The exact architectural details of the Temple are difficult to translate, but the overall impression of these gates was unmistakable. They were fortress-like constructions, designed to keep out unauthorized intruders. The eastern gateway is described first since it was the most important. It lay on the sacred east–west axis of the Temple along which the entire construction was oriented, and it was the gate through which the glory of the Lord would finally return (43:1-5).40:5 a wall completely surrounding the Temple area: Walls regulate and define space, marking an “inside” and an “outside.” This wall was substantial; its function was to separate the “profane” area outside the Temple from the holy area inside so that this crucial distinction would never again be blurred (see 22:26).

40:7 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.

40:16 The carved palm trees recall the rich fertility of the Garden of Eden (see also 1 Kgs 6:29).

40:17-19 The outer courtyard provided a buffer zone around the holy things in the inner courtyard, and thirty rooms were built around the walls. The purpose of these rooms is not stated, nor are their dimensions precisely given, which heightens the contrast between the relatively less significant outer area of the Temple and the crucially important central holy space. These rooms were most likely to be used by the Levites for a variety of activities.

40:20-27 The gateway on the north and the south gateway are described in similar terms, though in less detail than the east gateway. They were also a formidable defensive barrier against the intrusion of any defilement. There is no west gateway to the outer or the inner court because the area behind the Temple proper was blocked off to prevent access from the rear.

40:22 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.

40:28-34 The inner courtyard was separated from the outer courtyard by another series of substantial gateways, similar in scale and function to the gateways of the outer courtyard. These gateways had entry rooms facing outward toward the outer courtyard, rather than inward as at the outer gates.

40:35-37 There is no mention of a wall around the inner courtyard, perhaps because it was elevated from the outer court by another eight steps, perhaps a total of eight feet. If there were no wall around the inner court, there would be a free-standing archway that provided a clear view of activities in the inner area without any likelihood of accidental trespass into the realm of the sacred. Alternatively, reference to a wall around the inner court may simply have been omitted.

40:38-43 The sacrificial animals were slaughtered and prepared in rooms beside the gateways into the inner courtyard. This detail highlights the primary function of this new Temple as a place of sacrifice. The animals had to be washed and cut into pieces before they could be offered on the altar. • This new Temple in Ezekiel’s vision was radically focused on sacrifices that atoned for sin. By contrast, the Temple in Jerusalem was both a center for sacrifice and a house for prayer (see 1 Kgs 8:27-30, 52-53; Isa 56:6-8; Matt 21:13).

40:43 The hooks might be used to store the knives and implements mentioned in 40:42.

40:46 The Lord at last rewarded the loyalty of Zadok (see 44:15) by decreeing that his descendants were the only ones permitted to approach the Lord to minister to him. Access to God in this Temple was restricted to those whom the Lord had chosen and who were fit to enter the holy space.

40:47 The themes of sacrifice and restricted access coalesce in the summary of the dimensions of the inner courtyard. It was a perfect square, the shape of holy spaces throughout the Old Testament (see Exod 26:1-35; 1 Kgs 6:20), 175 feet on each side. Meanwhile, at its center stood the altar of sacrifice, the only piece of furniture located in that space. Holy sacrifices had to be offered without threat of defilement to ensure the continuing presence of the Lord once he returned to fill the Temple with his glory.

40:48–41:3 The Temple was at the protected center of the Temple complex, adjacent to the inner court. It was located at the highest point of the complex, a further ten steps up from the inner court, which was itself eight steps above the outer court. Like Solomon’s Temple before it, this Temple was made up of three areas: the entry room, the sanctuary, and the Most Holy Place.

40:49 Outside the entry room were square (see 41:21) columns of unspecified function, just as in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 7:15-22).