After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth
of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every
side. And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty
in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for
the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they
had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an enlarging,
and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the
winding about of the house went still upward round about the house:
therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so
increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst. I saw
also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the
side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. The thickness of
the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits:
and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were
within. And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits
round about the house on every side. And the doors of the side
chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the
north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the
place that was left was five cubits round about (verses 5-11).
He measured first the wall which surrounded the Holy and the Most Holy
part. This wall was six cubits. Then there are side chambers. Such side
chambers were also in the temple of Solomon (1 Kings vi:5). There are
three stories and each contains thirty chambers, so there are ninety
chambers in all. These three stories with the ninety chambers surrounded
the temple on its three sides, the North, West and South sides, the East
side being the vestibule and entrance into the temple; no side chambers
are found above this entrance. These side chambers enter into the wall,
that they might have hold and still they have not hold of the wall
itself. In this also the temple corresponds to the arrangement of
Solomon's temple. 1 Kings vi:6 explains the construction of these
chambers: "On the outside he made rebatements in the wall of the house
round about, that the beams should not have hold in the wall of the
house." The side chambers in the Solomonic temple were fastened on the
house with timber of cedar (1 Kings vi:10). This probably explains the
meaning of the attachment of these three stories of chambers in
Ezekiel's temple. The side chambers must therefore be considered as an
addition to the wall itself which surrounds the Holy and Most Holy. We
do not know what will be the use of these ninety chambers in the
millennial temple. The seventh verse shows that the stories of this
addition to the wall, containing the chambers, have galleries round
about. And the gallery of the second story is broader than the gallery
of the first, and the gallery of the third is broader than the second
story, so that this annex broadens upward. The expression "winding
about" has led some of the few expositors of these chapters to identify
with the winding stairs of the Solomonic temple (1 Kings vi:8); but this
is incorrect. The text does not mention a staircase at all. A better
rendering of verse 8 is: "And I saw that the house had an elevation
round about, the foundations of the side chambers, a full reed, six
cubits to the joint."[41] There was then a raised basement on the three
sides of the temple and the six cubits correspond to the ten steps
(xl:49) marking the height of the elevation. Verse 9 shows that the
thickness of the wall, which was for the side chambers without was five
cubits, besides this there was a free place along the building. "And
between the chambers (and the house) was a width of twenty cubits round
about the house on every side." This afforded the proper light for these
chambers. "And the entry of the side chambers was toward what was left
free, one entry toward the North, and one entry toward the South; and
the width of the space left free was five cubits round about." The side
chambers were therefore entered from the outside.
[41] i. e., To the level place where the side chambers begin.