Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 41:6
And the side chambers [were] three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which [was] of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house.
6. The Heb. would naturally read: “and the side-chambers were side-chamber against side-chamber three and thirty times” which would give 33 chambers. Apart from syntax this is not probable. LXX. and some other versions give a different order: “and the side-chambers, side-chamber against side-chamber, were thirty, three times” (cf. 1Ki 7:4-5). It is probable that the chambers were thirty; those in the outer court were also thirty (Eze 40:17), and Josephus is cited as witness for this number (Boett., Corn.).
wall of the house for the side chambers ] It must not of course be supposed that the house had two walls, a separate one for the chambers. The word “entered into” must either be taken as a noun: and there were intakes in the wall of the house for the side chambers; or it must be altered into some other word having this sense (1Ki 6:6, LXX. uses the same word here as there) and there were rebatements &c.; or some word of this meaning has fallen out before “entered into.” LXX. has rendered the word “times,” doubly, “thrice” “twice.” If the word “times,” lit. steps, could have the required meaning of intakes, it might be supposed that being written twice it had fallen out. But this is doubtful.
might have hold ] It is self-evident that the second and third stories must have been supported in some way by the wall of the house, which was their own wall on one side, and mere contact with a perpendicular wall could be no support. The beams had support on the wall, but were not let into the wall in holes.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Three, one over another, and thirty in order – i. e., there were three stories, and each story was divided into thirty chambers.
The wall which was of the house for the side chambers – Not the wall of the temple but another wall Eze 41:9 parallel to it, which might be said to be of the house, i. e., belonging to it. The side-chambers of Solomons Temple were built against the temple-wall, but in Ezekiels vision the desire to keep the temple still more separate and holy led to a fresh arrangement, namely, that another wall should be built at such a distance from the temple-wall as to allow of chambers being built against it, facing the temple-wall, and opening into a passage or corridor (F), separating them from the temple itself.
That they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house – that they might have hold but not have hold on the wall of the house, i. e., entirely separating the chambers from the temple-wall proper.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. The side chambers were three] We find by Joseph. Antiq. viii. 3, 2, that round Solomon’s temple were chambers three stories high, each story consisting of thirty chambers. It is supposed that twelve were placed to the north of the temple, twelve to the south, and six to the east.
Entered into the wall] The beams were admitted into the outer wall, but they rested on projections of the inner wall.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
One over another; in three stories high.
Thirty in order: how these thirty in a row were distributed is not said, some guess twelve on the north side, as many on the south side, and six on the west; but as this may be, so possibly it may not be; but we are sure the whole number is thirty in a row on each story, i.e. three times thirty, or ninety in all.
The wall; not the five or six cubit wall, which was the wall of the house, but another wall of one cubit thickness, on the top whereof was a rest or ledge of one cubit breadth, on which the ends of the cedar beams were fastened. It is said this was built
for the side chambers: either from the foundation the wall was made so thick, that at five cubits from the ground they might rebate or draw in the thickness of the ascending wall one cubit, or else this cubit-thick wall was after added; but this, as not probable, I reject.
That they might have hold; that the beams of the chambers might have good and firm resting hold.
They had not hold in the wall; the ends of the beams were not thrust into the main body of the wall of the temple, as we see beams laid into the body of the walls of houses. But for each story a rebatement of one cubit in the thickness of the wall, so that six cubits thick at the ground, up to the first floor, and five cubits thick from that to the second floor, and four cubits thick from the second to the third floor, so each floor rests on a ledge of one cubit without the wall, and each story grows a cubit broader than that which is next lower.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. might . . . hold, but . . . nothold in . . . wall of the house 1Ki6:6 tells us there were rests made in the walls of the temple forsupports to the side chambers; but the temple walls did not therebybecome part of this side building; they stood separate from it. “Theyentered,” namely, the beams of the chambers, which werethree-storied and thirty in consecutive order, entered into the wall,that is, were made to lean on rests projecting from the wall.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order,…. There were three stories of them, and thirty in every storey, in all ninety; there were such chambers round about Solomon’s temple, and so many stories of them, though their number is not expressed, 1Ki 6:5, but Josephus z says they were thirty, and one above another, three stories of them, as here. Some think twelve were on the north side, twelve on the south, and six on the west; or fifteen on the north, and fifteen on the south. The Misnic doctors a say there were thirty eight in the second temple, fifteen on the north side, fifteen on the south, and eight on the west. The Targum is,
“the chambers were chamber over chamber thirty three, eleven in a row;”
and so some b understand it, that they were in all but thirty three, eleven in the first storey, as many in the second, and the same number in the third; and place them four in the north, four in the south, and three in the west, so Starckius; but the first account seems best. This denotes the number of churches in Gospel times, especially in the latter day; when there will be large conversions, and room enough for all the converts: and as there are many mansions in heaven for all the saints; so there will be room enough in the New Jerusalem, the more perfect state of the church on earth, to hold the whole palm bearing company, whose number no man can number; and all the nations of them that are saved, who will walk in the light of it, Re 7:9:
and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house; the beams of the floors of those side chambers rested indeed upon the wall of the house which was built for them; but were not inserted into it, or laid in it, as we see in some buildings; but there were projections or buttresses in the wall, or what are called narrowed rests, 1Ki 6:6 or rebatements of the breadth of a cubit, on which they were laid and rested; and so it was in the upper stories, as in the lowermost; there being an abatement of a cubit in the thickness of the wall in each storey, as in the following verse. This shows the firmness of this spiritual building resting upon such a wall and such buttresses as God himself is to it;
[See comments on Eze 41:5].
z Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2. a Misn. Middot, c. 4. sect. 3. b Lipman. Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, sect. 69. fol. 10. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) Three, one over another, and thirty in order.Literally, three (and that) thirty timesi.e., there were three storeys of chambers one above the other, and this was repeated thirty times, giving thirty chambers in each storey, or ninety in all. These chambers were exactly like those surrounding Solomons Temple, except that they were one cubit narrower, and the description of them is made clearer by a comparison with 1Ki. 6:5-10. The Greek version says that there was a space between these chambers and the wall of the house, and several interpreters have followed this explanation; but this is quite inconsistent with the language of the original, and would involve an inner wall for the chambers, of which there is no mention, and for which no space is allowed.
Entered into the wall . . . but they had not hold.More exactly, they came upon the wall. The house cannot without violence be understood of anything but the Temple itself. The construction was the same as in Solomons Temple (1Ki. 6:6), the wall receding with each storey of the chambers, thus leaving a ledge on which the beams should rest, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
Nothing is said of the distribution of these chambers, but, as will be seen by the plan, a uniform size requires that they should be placed twelve on each side, and six at the end of the Temple.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 41:6. And they entered into the wall At five cubits’ height from the ground, the wall, or the buttresses which supported the outward chambers, abated of their thickness one cubit, and there was a rest or ledge of one cubit in breadth, on which the end of the rafters of each story was fastened; for they had not hold in the wall of the house. They were not fastened into the main wall of the house, but rested on the outside of the wall, where it grew narrower. See Lowth, and Houbigant’s note on this and the following verse.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 41:6 And the side chambers [were] three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which [was] of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house.
Ver. 6. And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order, ] i.e., Three stories, a and thirty in each story. Resemblably, there is a threefold rank or order of the members of the Church; there are lowermost, middlemost, and uppermost. These, as they have their several offices and gifts accordingly, so they must keep to their own stations, do their own business, live in love, and wait till called unto a higher room.
a Substractiones. – Polan. Coatae. – Vatab.
one over another: Heb. side chamber over side chamber, thirty in order. or, three and thirty times, or feet. We find by Josephus, that around Solomon’s temple were chambers three stories high, each story consisting of thirty chambers; which are supposed to have been on the north, south, and east sides of the temple.
and they: 1Ki 6:6, 1Ki 6:10
have hold: Heb. be holden, 1Pe 1:5
but: That is, the beams or supporters, of the chambers were not let into the main wall of the temple; but rested on projections of the outer wall, which became a cubit narrower at every story, leaving a ledge of one cubit, to support the beams.
Reciprocal: 1Ki 6:8 – went up 1Ch 23:28 – for the service 1Ch 28:11 – upper chambers Eze 41:5 – side chamber Eze 42:6 – General
Eze 41:6. The chambers were three stories high and were attached to the wall but not built as a part of it. No doubt such an arrangement was had so that each chamber could be made steady but not weakened by being merged with the other material.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary