Ezekiel 40:48

Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records a vision in which a measuring figure brings him to the temple's portico to survey its dimensions. This occurs during a sequential architectural tour immediately after the outer court and altar are measured.

The words — The verb וַיָּ֙מָד֙ (va.ya.mod) translates literally as "and he measured," denoting the act of surveying the structure. The noun אֻלָ֔ם ('u.lam) refers to the "porch" or portico, specifically identifying its side pillars.

The thread — These portico dimensions correspond to the specifications for Solomon's temple in 1 Kings 6:3 and 2 Chronicles 3:4. The repeated emphasis on exact architectural proportions runs through the temple vision in Ezekiel 40–43.

Why it lands — The text establishes that sacred space is defined by precise, unchanging measurements rather than human approximation. It requires the reader to acknowledge divine order as the standard for holiness without adding symbolic speculation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

Cross-references

1 Kings 6:3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the temple.
2 Chronicles 3:4 The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.