“These are the dimensions
Of the altar
By cubits.
The cubit is a cubit
With a handbreadth.
Its base shall be
One cubit high,
One cubit broad,
With a rim
Of one span
Around its edge.
This shall be
The height of the altar.
From the base
On the ground
To the lower ledge,
Two cubits,
With a width
Of one cubit.
From the smaller ledge
To the larger ledge,
Four cubits,
With a width
Of one cubit.”
Ezekiel continued with his detailed explanation about the size of the altar. First, he started with the altar base that was relatively small. His measurement was the larger cubit that also included a hand size or another 5 inches to the already normal 18-inch cubit. Thus, the altar base was one cubit, only 23 inches high, or just less than 2 feet high and wide. However, it had a rim around its edge. Apparently, there were 2 ledges, a small ledge and a larger ledge. The smaller lower ledge was only 2 cubits high and 1 cubit wide. The larger ledge was 4 cubits high and 1 cubit wide.