Section 147 of 18340:17–27Ezekiel

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King James VersionEzekiel 40:17–27

Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.

And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.

And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.

And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.

And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.

After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.

And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.

And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Ezekiel 40:17–27

Outer Court Pavement and North and South Gates Form a Symmetrical Approach

Thirty chambers on a pavement

He brings Ezekiel into the outward court, and lo, there are chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers are upon the pavement. The pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates is the lower pavement.

He measures the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward. The outer court is a place to wait and walk, not a leftover alley.

North and south copy the east

The gate of the outward court that looketh toward the north is measured: length fifty cubits, breadth twenty-five, three chambers on a side, windows, arches, palms, and seven steps. The inner court has a gate over against the north gate, a hundred cubits.

The south gate is the same measure: chambers, posts, arches, windows round about, fifty by twenty-five, seven steps, palms, and a matching inner gate a hundred cubits away. Symmetry is how this vision teaches that no compass point is a back door of contempt. It does not encode a modern political map. Gated access must not be used to exclude by race, class, or disability.

How this should shape us

Notice that north and south are given the same care as east. Order of approach is not a ranking of human worth. Do not turn matching gates into a secret diagram, and do not shut people out of public worship by copying a wall.

Teach it back

Explain Ezekiel 40:17–27 in your own words. Name its place in Ezekiel, one source-controlled observation, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, and one harmful use the passage does not authorize.

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The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible readings differ?

Best judgment: Symmetry does not encode a modern political map, and gated access must not justify exclusion based on race, class, or disability.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Ezekiel 40:17–27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.

Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 40:17–27

NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel

Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.

Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Ezekiel course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and passage studies

Supports: Reader-oriented historical, literary, theological, and pastoral synthesis with visible alternatives and ancient-to-modern limits.

Enter the Bible Ezekiel course, Outline and Theological Themes: temple, glory, worship, river, land, tribes, and city; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Jeremiah and Ezekiel: Ezekiel Parts 1-3 Study Guides

Supports: Current university-level literary-historical synthesis and interpretive questions, including ethical attention to gendered rhetoric and the final vision.

Yale Bible Study, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Ezekiel Part 3 study guide: dry bones, Gog, land, and temple utopia; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Gates and Entrances in Ezekiel 40-48

Supports: Gates, access, hierarchy, protection, and social space in the final vision, without pretending the inspected sample is a complete commentary.

Rhyder, 'Gates and Entrances in Ezekiel 40-48,' Vetus Testamentum 73 (2023), publication record, abstract, and author-hosted reading sample for pp. 752-765; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Sources for This Section

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Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Ezekiel 40:17–27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

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hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 40:17–27

Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗

translation and translator notes

NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF

Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.

Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Open the official NET Ezekiel PDF ↗

modern scholarly book course

Ezekiel course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and passage studies

Alan G. Padgett; revised by Tyler Mayfield

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised June 2023

Supports: Reader-oriented historical, literary, theological, and pastoral synthesis with visible alternatives and ancient-to-modern limits.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Ezekiel course, Outline and Theological Themes: temple, glory, worship, river, land, tribes, and city; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Open the Enter the Bible Ezekiel course ↗

open university study guide series

Jeremiah and Ezekiel: Ezekiel Parts 1-3 Study Guides

Joel S. Baden and Jacqueline Vayntrub

Yale Bible Study, 2024

Supports: Current university-level literary-historical synthesis and interpretive questions, including ethical attention to gendered rhetoric and the final vision.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Ezekiel Part 3 study guide: dry bones, Gog, land, and temple utopia; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Open the Yale Jeremiah and Ezekiel course ↗

peer reviewed spatial and social study

Gates and Entrances in Ezekiel 40-48

Julia Rhyder

Vetus Testamentum 73, 2023

Supports: Gates, access, hierarchy, protection, and social space in the final vision, without pretending the inspected sample is a complete commentary.

Exact location: Rhyder, 'Gates and Entrances in Ezekiel 40-48,' Vetus Testamentum 73 (2023), publication record, abstract, and author-hosted reading sample for pp. 752-765; applied to Ezekiel 40:17–27

Open the article record ↗