Ezechiele 40:49 Commento

The waters of the sanctuary which this prophet saw in vision (Eze 47:1) are a proper representation of this prophecy. Hitherto the waters have been sometimes but to the ankles, in other places to the knees, or to the loins, but now the waters have risen, and have become "a river which cannot be passed over." Here is one continued vision, beginning at this chapter, to the end of the book, which is justly looked upon to be one of the most difficult portions of scripture in all the book of God. The Jews will not allow any to read it till they are thirty years old, and tell those who do read it that, though they cannot understand every thing in it, "when Elias comes he will explain it." Many commentators, both ancient and modern, have owned themselves at a loss what to make of it and what use to make of it. But because it is hard to be understood we must not therefore throw it by, but humbly search concerning it, get as far as we can into it and as much as we can out of it, and, when we despair of satisfaction in every difficulty we meet with, bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough, and wait till God shall reveal even this unto us. These chapters are the more to be regarded because the last two chapters of the Revelation seem to have a plain allusion to them, as Rev 20:1-15 has to the foregoing prophecy of Gog and Magog. Here is the vision of a glorious temple (in this chapter and ch. 41 and 42), of God's taking possession of it (ch. 43), orders concerning the priests that are to minister in this temple (ch. 44), the division of the land, what portion should be allotted for the sanctuary, what for the city, and what for the prince, both in his government of the people and his worship of God (ch. 45), and further instructions for him and the people, ch. 46. After the vision of the holy waters we have the borders of the holy land, and the portions assigned to the tribes, and the dimensions and gates of the holy city, ch. 47, 48. Some make this to represent what had been during the flourishing state of the Jewish church, how glorious Solomon's temple was in its best days, that the captives might see what they had lost by sin and might be the more humbled. But that seems not probable. The general scope of it I take to be, 1. To assure the captives that they should not only return to their own land, and be settled there, which had been often promised in the foregoing chapters, but that they should have, and therefore should be encouraged to build, another temple, which God would own, and where he would meet them and bless them, that the ordinances of worship should be revived, and the sacred priesthood should there attend; and, though they should not have a king to live in such splendour as formerly, yet they should have a prince or ruler (who is often spoken of in this vision), who should countenance the worship of God among them and should himself be an example of diligent attendance upon it, and that prince, priests, and people, should have a very comfortable settlement and subsistence in their own land. 2. To direct them to look further than all this, and to expect the coming of the Messiah, who had before been prophesied of under the name of David because he was the man that projected the building of the temple and that should set up a spiritual temple, even the gospel-church, the glory of which should far exceed that of Solomon's temple, and which should continue to the end of time. The dimensions of these visionary buildings being so large (the new temple more spacious than all the old Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem of greater extent than all the land of Canaan) plainly intimates, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, that these things cannot be literally, but must spiritually, understood. At the gospel-temple, erected by Christ and his apostles, was so closely connected with the second material temple, was erected so carefully just at the time when that fell into decay, that it might be ready to receive its glories when it resigned them, that it was proper enough that they should both be referred to in one and the same vision. Under the type and figure of a temple and altar, priests and sacrifices, is foreshown the spiritual worship that should be performed in gospel times, more agreeable to the nature both of God and man, and that perfected at last in the kingdom of glory, in which perhaps these visions will have their full accomplishment, and some think in some happy and glorious state of the gospel-church on this side heaven, in the latter days. In this chapter we have, I. A general account of this vision of the temple and city (Eze 40:1-4). II. A particular account of it entered upon; and a description given, 1. Of the outside wall (Eze 40:5). 2. Of the east gate (Eze 40:6-19). 3. Of the north gate (Eze 40:20-23). 4. Of the south gate (Eze 40:24-31) and the chambers and other appurtenances belonging to these gates. 5. Of the inner court, both towards the east and towards the south (Eze 40:32-38). 6. Of the tables (Eze 40:39-43). 7. Of the lodgings for the singers and the priests (Eze 40:44-47). 8. Of the porch of the house (Eze 40:48, Eze 40:49).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 40 This and the eight following chapters contain a vision of a city and temple herein described, and are thought to be the most difficult part of the whole Bible. The Jews forbid the reading of it till a man is arrived to thirty years of age; and then he must expect to meet with things in it he does not understand, and which must be left until Elijah comes to explain them. Many Christian commentators have omitted the exposition of these chapters; and all acknowledge the difficulties in them. Something however may be got out of them, relating to the Gospel, and Gospel church state, which I am fully persuaded is intended by the city and temple; for that no material building can be designed is clear from this one observation; that not only the whole land of Israel would not be capable of having such a city as is here described built upon it, but even all Europe would not be sufficient; nor the whole world, according to the account of the dimensions which some give of it. The circumference of the city is said to be about eighteen thousand measures, Eze 48:35; but what they are is not certain. Luther makes them to be thirty six thousand German miles; and a German mile being three of ours, the circuit of this city must be above a hundred thousand English miles; and this is sufficient to set aside all hypotheses of a material building, either of city or temple, the one being in proportion to the other. The Jews dream of a third temple to be built, by their vainly expected Messiah; but nothing is more clear than that the true Messiah was to come into the second temple, and by that give it a greater glory than the former ever had; as is evident from Hag 2:6 and, according to Malachi, he was to come suddenly into his temple, which could be no other than the then present one, Mal 3:1, and into which Jesus came, and where he often appeared and taught, as well as entered into it with power and authority, as the Lord and proprietor of it; by which he appeared to be the true Messiah, as by many other characters; see Luk 2:22. There are some who think that Solomon's temple, as it was before it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and as it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, is here described; and that partly to let the Jews know what a glory to their nation they lost by their sins; and partly that they might have a complete pattern for the rebuilding of it, as well as to comfort them under its present ruins; but there is no agreement between them. This temple was to be built at a distance from the city, several miles; according to some ten, others twenty, and by the best account twenty seven miles; see Eze 45:1, whereas Solomon's temple, and that built by Zerubbabel, were in the city of Jerusalem: nor from either of these flowed waters, which rose up to a river, on the bank of which were many trees for food and medicine, and whose waters were healing, and quickened wherever they came, as from this, Eze 47:1, nor do we ever read of the east gate of these temples always shut, as this, Eze 44:2, and besides, both these temples were profaned and destroyed; whereas this shall never be, but God will dwell in it forever, Eze 43:7, neither place, structure, nor worship, agree. Nor is this city here the same with the New Jerusalem John had a vision of; for though he borrows some of his expressions to describe it from hence; and in some things there is an appearance of agreement, as of the river of water of life, and the tree of life on both sides of the river, Rev 22:1, yet the description agrees not, either with respect to its gates, or its compass; and though there was no temple in that John saw, as there was none in this, it being without the city; yet here is a temple in this vision, and the greatest part of it is taken up in the description of it. It remains that this must be understood mystically and figuratively of the Gospel church, which is often spoken of as a city and temple, Heb 12:22 and which began to have its accomplishment in the first times of the Gospel, immediately after the death and resurrection of Christ; when his disciples had a commission to preach the Gospel to all nations; and who accordingly did, even before the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the material temple, so that Gospel churches were planted in all parts of the world; and especially this was the case, when the Roman empire, called the whole world, became Christian: though the further and greater accomplishment of this vision will be in the latter day; when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; when Jews and Gentiles will be converted, and Gospel churches be set up everywhere; so that the Gospel church state, or kingdom of Christ, signified by the great mountain in Dan 2:35, and by this large city here, will fill the whole earth: and the rather this may be thought to be the design of this vision to represent it, as it follows the prophecies of the Jews' settlement in their own land; and of the destruction of Gog, or the Turk, attempting to dispossess them; of which in chapters 37-39. In this chapter are first an account of the vision in general, the time, manner, and place of it, Eze 40:1, a description of the person, the builder and owner of the house; and by whom the prophet is shown each of the parts and dimensions of it, whom he calls to him for that purpose, Eze 40:3, and then a particular account is given, which begins with the outward wall around the house, Eze 40:5, then the east gate, with its posts, porch, and chambers, and the outward court with its chambers, Eze 40:6, then the gate of the outward court to the north, with its chambers, and the gate of the inner court over against that, Eze 40:20, then the gate to the south, with its posts, arches, and chambers, Eze 40:24, then the inner court to the east, its gate, chambers, and arches, Eze 40:32, then the north gate, with its posts, chambers, and arches, Eze 40:35, in the porch of which are the tables, on which the sacrifices are slain, Eze 40:39, after which are described the chambers for the singers and the priests, Eze 40:44, then the inner court and altar in it; and the chapter is concluded with the dimensions of the porch of the house, Eze 40:48.

«And the length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and there were steps to it: and pillars before the gates one on this side, and another on that side.» But what follows, the length of the vestibule is twenty cubits, and the width is eleven cubits, seems to raise the question of how the dual number, which refers to two decades, and the eleventh, which seems to have one less, can be said to complete the sacred number twelve in the temple vestibule. Most people solve this problem in the following way: Although the priests are holy and placed in the service of the temple, and offer daily sacrifices to Christ, because they dwell in this mortal and fragile body, subject to sickness and vice, they have the number twenty and eleven. Where was it that the Apostle said, 'Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death' (Rom. VII, 24)? Not that we believe, according to the most savage heresy, that bodies are to be destroyed; but that it is our desire to be clothed upon, not stripped, and to receive immortality with this mortal, and to put on incorruption with this corruptible. However, what follows, 'And it was ascended by eight steps' (I Cor. XV), that is, to the inner gate, presents a great difficulty for those who know the Hebrew language. Finally, Symmachus, whom we have followed in this place, set out eight degrees: Seventy, ten; Theodotion and the second edition of Aquila, eleven; but the first edition set no number, but simply said, and the degrees by which it was ascended to it: so that either according to the custom of the previous gates, we understand eight degrees, as Symmachus understood, or certainly those which the inner gate had, whose number Scripture did not say (for which in Hebrew it is placed, Urob (), that is, breadth, Aste (), Esre (). But if it is read in this way, eleven signifies; but if we read 'Esre,' which means ten, without the final 's,' it does not signify ten but a pronoun (which). To experts in the Hebrew language, these may seem like delusions; but now we are not writing about controversies or speeches in which the composition of words is commonly used, but about explanations and commentaries on Hebrew books. But let us return to our task. The number eight or ten, which is a perfect number, or eleven, about which we have already spoken, is ascended to the gate of the holy ones, on the front of which there were columns, one on this side and another on that side. He did not say 'two' so as not to incur the number dual, but 'one and one', which is a perfect number, and imitates the unity of God. These, however, were two columns, of which it is also said in the Apocalypse: 'He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more' (Rev. 3:12). And Peter and John are called the pillars of the Church (Gal. 2), through whom we enter into the Holy of Holies, and by whose teaching our entrance to Christ is made.

By the steps - This was a flight of steps that led to the temple; there were eight steps in each flight. See YY in the plan.

THE REMAINING CHAPTERS, THE FORTIETH THROUGH FORTY-EIGHTH, GIVE AN IDEAL PICTURE OF THE RESTORED JEWISH TEMPLE. (Eze. 40:1-49) beginning of the year--the ecclesiastical year, the first month of which was Nisan. the city . . . thither--Jerusalem, the center to which all the prophet's thoughts tended.

twenty . . . eleven cubits--in Solomon's temple (Kg1 6:3) "twenty . . . ten cubits." The breadth perhaps was ten and a half; Kg1 6:3 designates the number by the lesser next round number, "ten"; Ezekiel here, by the larger number, "eleven" [MENOCHIUS]. The Septuagint reads "twelve." he brought me by the steps--They were ten in number [Septuagint]. Next: Ezekiel Chapter 41