Section 148 of 18340:28–37Ezekiel

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

Jump to a verseOpen a verse without taking it out of context.

Try Ezekiel 36:26, Book of Ezekiel 36:26, or Ezk 36:26.

Choose book, chapter, and verse

BookChapterVerse

King James VersionEzekiel 40:28–37

And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.

And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.

And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;

The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

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 40:28–37

Inner South, East, and North Gates Repeat the Pattern

The inner court repeats the gate on three sides

He brings Ezekiel to the inner court by the south gate and measures the south gate according to these measures: chambers, posts, and arches as before, windows round about, fifty cubits long, twenty-five broad. The arches toward the utter court, palms on the posts, and eight steps going up.

He brings him to the inner court toward the east and measures the east gate the same way, then the north gate the same way. Length, breadth, chambers, posts, arches, windows, palms, eight steps: the inner three match one another as the outer three did.

Eight steps, not a password

The inner gates are higher: eight steps instead of seven. Holiness is graded by approach, not by a riddle. Repeated description is the guide making sure Ezekiel can report what he saw.

Repeated gates do not prove a hidden code, and they do not authorize coercive control of worship space. The pattern is fairness of measure, not a police state in the courts.

How this should shape us

Let inner space be more carefully entered without turning stairs into a test of belonging. Do not invent a password from eight steps, and do not staff a sanctuary like a checkpoint against the people it is for.

Teach it back

Explain Ezekiel 40:28–37 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.

Explain the section in your own words

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Go deeper

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: Repeated gates do not prove a hidden code or authorize coercive control of worship space.

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 40:28–37, 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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

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 40:28–37, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

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 40:28–37

Open the article record ↗