The outer court

July 20, 2017

The kitchen for the offerings (Ezek 46:20-46:20)

“He said to me.

‘This is the place

Where the priests

Shall boil

The guilt offering,

As well as the sin offering.

This is where

They shall bake

The grain offering.

Thus,

They will not bring them out

Into the outer court.

If they did,

They would communicate

Holiness

To the people.’”

Ezekiel saw the so-called holy kitchen. The bronze man explained that the priests boiled their guilt and sin offerings here. They also baked the grain offerings here. Thus, they would not bring out these offerings to the outer court. If they brought them out to the outer court, then the people would touch or see these holy offerings. Yahweh, via Ezekiel, did not want the people to come in contact with these holy offerings, less they become holy also.

July 13, 2017

The correct linen holy vestments or garments (Ezek 44:17-44:19)

“When they enter

The gates

Of the inner court,

They shall wear

Linen vestments.

They shall have nothing

Of wool on them,

While they minister

At the gates

Of the inner court,

As well as within.

They shall have

Linen turbans

On their heads.

They shall have

Linen undergarments

On their loins.

They shall not

Bind themselves

With anything

That causes sweat.

When they go out

Into the outer court

To the people,

They shall remove

The vestments

In which

They have been ministering,

They shall lay them

In the holy chambers.

They shall put on

Other garments,

So that they may not

Communicate holiness

To the people

With their vestments.”

When these Zadok Levitical priests entered the gates of the inner court, they had to wear certain garments or vestments made of linen when they ministered to Yahweh. They could not have anything made of wool on them, when they were in the inner court. They would have to wear linen turbans on their heads. They also would have to wear linen underwear. They could not wear any binding clothes, anything that would make them sweat. When they went out to the outer court, they had to change clothes. They were not allowed to communicate holiness to the people in the outer court with their holy vestments. Thus, the holy linen garments were kept in the holy chambers or rooms.

July 8, 2017

The parallel wall (Ezek 42:7-42:10)

“There was a wall outside,

Parallel to the chambers,

Toward the outer court,

Opposite the chambers.

It was fifty cubits long.

The chambers

On the outer court

Were fifty cubits long.

Those opposite

The temple

Were one hundred cubits long.

At the foot

Of these chambers

Ran a passage

That one emerged

From the east,

In order to enter them

From the outer court.

The width of the passage

Was fixed by the wall

Of the court.”

Ezekiel further explained about an outside wall of 50 cubits or about 80 feet long. This wall was parallel and opposite to the chambers of the outer court, also 50 cubits long. Opposite the Temple, was a passage way that was 100 cubits long or about 160 feet. This walkway emerged from the east to enter the outer court. Obviously, this passageway length was fixed by the wall of the court along the side of it.

July 2, 2017

The dimensions of eastern inner court (Ezek 40:33-40:34)

“Its recesses,

Its pilasters,

Its vestibule

Were of the same dimensions

As the others.

There were windows

All around within it,

As well as in its vestibule.

Its depth was

Fifty cubits.

Its width was

Twenty-five cubits.

Its vestibule

Faced the outer court.

Palm trees were

On its pilasters.

Its stairway

Had eight steps.”

This description of the eastern inner court is an absolute word for word description of the south inner court. The only exception was the mention of other 25 cubits by 5 cubits vestibules in the eastern inner court description. There was no mention of them here. This vestibule was 50 cubits or 80 feet long and 25 cubits wide or 40 feet wide that faced the outer court, with palm trees on its pilasters. This stairway had 8 steps also.

July 1, 2017

The outer court (Ezek 40:17-40:19

“Then he brought me

To the outer court.

There were chambers there.

There was a pavement,

All around the court.

Thirty chambers

Fronted on the pavement.

The pavement

Ran along

The side of the gates.

They corresponded

To the length

Of the gates.

This was the lower pavement.

Then he measured

The distance

From the inner front

Of the lower gate

To the outer front

Of the inner court,

One hundred cubits.”

Then the bronze man brought Ezekiel to the outer court, where there were 30 chambers with a pavement all around the court. These chambers looked out on the pavement that ran along the side of the gates. The length of this lower pavement was the same as the gates themselves. The bronze man measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, 100 cubits or over 165 feet, the largest measurement so far.