Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 41:22
The altar of wood [was] three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, [were] of wood: and he said unto me, This [is] the table that [is] before the LORD.
22. The altar was 3 cubits high and 2 long. LXX. adds that it was 2 broad.
the length thereof of wood ] and the base thereof, a simple emendation, after LXX., cf. Exo 26:19 seq. The altar had corners, probably somewhat raised, but not horns. It was wholly of wood, and is called the table which is before the Lord. The term table is applied to the altar of burnt-offering Eze 44:16 (cf. Mal 1:7; Mal 1:12). This is quite natural, as the flesh was the bread of Jehovah (Eze 44:7). Ezek. does not name any other object in the holy place besides this table, and it is probable that he refers here to the altar-like table of shewbread, the cakes on which would also be considered an offering of bread for the Lord.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The altar of wood – The altar for incense (marginal reference); altar of gold (see 1Ki 7:48).
Walls – The corner pieces of the altar, rising into projections called in Exodus horns, here corners.
Table – table and altar were convertible terms Mal 1:7.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eze 41:22
The altar of wood was three cubits high.
The enlarged altar
That for incense, whereof see Exo 30:6, but here of a much larger size. See in chap. 12:1. This altar of wood, and four-square, was a type of Christ (not of the Cross), in whom our prayers come before God as incense, and He is the propitiation for our sins (1Jn 2:2; Exo 30:1; Psa 141:2; Rev 5:8). The largeness of this altar above that of old, showeth that the saints under the Gospel would make much more improvement of the Lord Jesus in prayer, and make use of His mediation and intercession by faith in their heavenly supplications, than the saints of old were ordinarily wont to do. (J. Trapp.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 22. The altar of wood] This was the altar of incense, and was covered with plates of gold.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The altar of incense.
Of wood; so the inward parts were made, and covered with gold, Exo 30:1-10; 1Ki 6:20,22; and from this covering of gold it was called the
golden altar. Three cubits high; one cubit higher than that in the tabernacle of Moses, Exo 30:2.
The length thereof two cubits; as long again as Mosess altar of incense in the tabernacle.
The corners; the horns framed out of the four posts at each angle on the top of the altar. The sides of this altar, for it was made up on all sides, are here called
the walls thereof, made of wood, but covered with gold.
The table; some say it is spoken of this altar of incense; others say, the angel pointed him to the table of shew-bread, and spake of that.
Before the Lord; in the temple, not in the oracle, or holy of holies: this incense altar was placed without the oracle, as appears from the priests offering incense at it by courses, whereas none but the high priest might enter into the holy of holies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. table . . . before the Lordthealtar of incense (Eze 44:16).At it, not at the table of showbread, the priests daily ministered.It stood in front of the veil, and is therefore said to be “beforethe Lord.” It is called a table, as being that at which the Lordwill take delight in His people, as at a feast. Hence its dimensionsare larger than that of oldthree cubits high, two broad, insteadof two and one.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits,…. This was the altar of incense, and was typical of Christ in his intercession and mediation. It was made of “wood”; that in the tabernacle of Moses was of shittim wood, a kind of cedar; and that in Solomon’s temple was of cedar, Ex 30:1 and may signify the human nature of Christ, in which he mediates and intercedes; which is excellent as the cedars: fair and beautiful, strong, durable, and incorruptible: though its original is of the earth, as wood: or was made of a woman; of the earth, earthly; but produced without sin. This altar, both in the tabernacle and temple, was covered with gold; as it was fit it should be with some hard substance that would bear incense to be burned on it; and therefore was called the golden altar, Ex 30:3 and so the altar at which our Lord officiates as Mediator and Intercessor is called a golden one, Re 8:3, which may denote the deity of Christ, that gives virtue to his mediation; or the glorification of his human nature in heaven, in which he ministers; and also the preciousness of his intercession, and the duration of it. The incense burnt on this altar may signify both the mediation of Christ, which is pure and holy, though for sinners; large and frequent, continually made, and very fragrant and acceptable; and the prayers of the saints which are offered up on this altar, which sanctifies them; and through the much incense, which perfumes them, whereby they ascend up to God, and are sweet odours to him, being fragrant and fervent, pure and holy. This altar in the tabernacle of Moses, and probably in the temple of Solomon, though its dimensions there are not given, was foursquare,
Ex 30:2 very likely so was this; and indeed the Septuagint version adds,
and the breadth two cubits; which, being the same with its length, made it foursquare; and so may point at the firmness, unchangeableness and perfection of this part of Christ’s priesthood, his intercession, which is true of the whole of it, Heb 7:19 and it may be observed, that the altar here was a cubit longer, and a cubit broader, as well as a cubit higher, than the Mosaic one, Ex 30:2. Kimchi says this altar was not like to that which Moses or Solomon, or the children of the captivity, made; it was larger than any of them; which shows that the intercession of Christ our high priest is larger and more extensive than that of the priests under the law; they offered incense only for the people of Israel: but Christ, as he is the propitiation, so the advocate for Gentiles, as well as Jews; though not for the whole world of men, yet for the world of the elect; and of all blessings of grace and glory for them, 1Jo 2:1 and, moreover, that under the Gospel dispensation there would be more praying souls, and more use made of the Mediator, of his name, blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and intercession; and a greater spirit of grace and supplication poured out, especially in the latter day; hence we read of Christ’s much incense, Joh 16:23:
and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood; that is, the horns that were at the four corners of it; and the top of it, which was its length and breadth; and the sides of it, called its walls, were all of wood, though covered with gold. The mystical sense of which has been given; only it may be observed, that the four corners or horns of it may denote the strength of Christ’s intercession; and to which men have recourse, and lay hold on for their relief, even from all parts of the world, east, west, north, and south:
and he said unto me, this is the table that is before the Lord; that is, either the altar before described is the table before the Lord, which he has spread, and where his people feed in his presence; the intercession of Christ being a feast to the faith of saints: or it may be, that the divine guide of the prophet, turning himself to the right hand of the altar, pointed to the table of shewbread, which stood in the same place; and said this or that which stands yonder is the table before the Lord; and which also was typical of Christ, the true bread that comes down from heaven, who is the food of his people; for quality, the finest of the wheat; for quantity, enough and to spare; for savour, such as gracious souls desire always to have; for duration, continual bread, set forth by priests, and only eaten by them; and, like that,
bread of faces, as the shewbread is called p; denoting the intercession of Christ, the Angel of God’s presence; and who always appears in the presence of God for his people, bearing on him the names of the children of Israel, to which the twelve shewbread loaves answered. The “table” on which they were set signifies the communion saints have with Christ in his word and ordinances; which are called a feast, of which Christ is the sum and substance; and where, as at a table, he sits and favours them with fellowship with himself; see Pr 9:2 The Jews q have an observation upon this text, that it begins with an altar, and ends with a table; and further observe, that, while the temple stood, the altar atoned for a man, but now a man’s table atones for him: but this is not a man’s table, but the Lord’s table; and Christ the sacrifice held forth on this table does indeed atone for a man.
p “panis facierum”, Exod. xxv. 30. q T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 55. 1. Chagiga, fol. 26. 1. Menachot, fol. 97. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Altar of Burnt-Offering in the holy place (see Plate III n). “The abrupt style of writing is still continued.” The altar wood for the altar was of wood three cubits high; its length, i.e., the expanse of the wall from one corner to the other, was two cubits; the breadth (thickness), which is not expressly mentioned, was the same, because the square form is presupposed from the shape of this altar in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. Under the term , its corner-pieces, the horns projecting at the corners, or the horn-shaped points, are probably included, as the simple mention of the corners appears superfluous, and the horns, which were symbolically significant features in the altar, would certainly not have been wanting. There is something strange in the occurrence of before and along with , as the length is already included in the walls, and it would not be appropriately said of the length that it was of wood. is therefore certainly a copyist’s error for , (lxx), its stand or pedestal. The angel describes this altar as the “table which stands before Jehovah” – in perfect harmony with the epithet already applied to the sacrifices in the Pentateuch, the “bread ( ) of God,” though not “because the altar table was intended to combine the old table of shewbread and the altar of incense” (Bttcher). The table of shewbread is not mentioned any more than the candlestick and other portions of the temple furniture. – The altar of burnt-offering stood before Jehovah, i.e., before the entrance into the holy of holies. This leads in Eze 41:23. to the notice of the doors of the sanctuary, the character of which is also described as simply openings ( ), since the doorway had been mentioned before. delet signifies a moveable door, and the plural , doors, whether they consist of one leaf or two, i.e., whether they are single or folding doors. Here the in Eze 41:23 and Eze 41:24 ( ) are folding doors; on the other hand, the first in Eze 41:24 and ibid. are used for the wings of the door, and for the swinging portions (leaves) of the separate wings. The meaning is this: the holy place ( ) and the holy of holies ( ) had two folding doors (i.e., each of these rooms had one). These doors had two wings, and each of these wings, in the one door and in the other, had two reversible door-leaves, so that when going in and out there was no necessity to throw open on every occasion the whole of the wing, which was at least three or four cubits broad. There is no foundation for the objection raised by Kliefoth to the interpretation of as signifying the holy place and the holy of holies; since he cannot deny that the two words are so used, in 1Ki 6:5, 1Ki 6:17, 1Ki 6:31, 1Ki 6:33, and in Lev 16:2-3, etc. And the artificial explanation, “to the temple space, and indeed to the holy place,” not only passes without notice the agreement between our verses and 1Ki 6:31-34, but gains nothing further than a side door, which does violence to the dignity of the sanctuary, a passage from the side chambers into the holy place, with which Bttcher has presented Solomon’s temple. – These doors were ornamented, like the walls, with figures of cherubim and palms. – Other remarks are added in vv. 25 b and 26 concerning the porch in front of the holy place. The first is, that on the front of the porch outside there was . The only other passage in which the word occurs in a similar connection is 1Ki 7:6, where it refers to wood-work in front of the Ulam of Solomon’s porch of pillars; and it cannot be determined whether it signifies threshold, or moulding, or threshold-mouldings. On the shoulders, i.e., on the right and left side walls of the front porch, there were closed windows and figures of palms. The cherubim were omitted here. – The last words of Eze 41:26 are very obscure. may be taken in connection with the preceding clause, “and on the side-rooms of the temple,” as there is no necessity to repeat the preposition in the case of closely continuous clauses (vid., Ewald, 351 a); and the side-rooms not only must have had windows, but might also be ornamented with figures of palms. But if the words be taken in this sense, the must also signify something which presented, like the walls of the porch and of the side chambers, a considerable extent of surface capable of receiving a similar decoration; although nothing definite has hitherto been ascertained with regard to the meaning of the word, and our rendering “beams” makes no pretension to correctness.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(22) The altar of wood.This is what was known in the tabernacle (Exo. 30:1-3) as the altar of incense, and in the Temple as the altar of gold (1Ki. 7:48), although here its dimensions are enlarged.
The corners thereof.This doubtless includes the horns, or projecting pieces at the corners, which were always an important part of the symbolism of the altar. The expression length in its repetition is generally thought to mean (by a slight change in the text) the stand or base. Table and altar are used synonymously, as in Mal. 1:7.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘The altar was of wood. It was three cubits high and its length was two cubits. And its corners, and its length, and its walls were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table which is before Yahweh”.’
Once again we have the heavenly visitant speaking with awe as he describes something very special. It is ‘the table which is before Yahweh’. The object in question is ‘an altar of wood’ which stands before the entrance to the holy of holies, where the Zadokite priests will minister (Eze 44:16). This seemingly combines the table of the shewbread, the ‘table of the Presence’ (Exo 25:23-30; Lev 24:5-9; 1Ki 7:48) and the altar of incense (Exo 30:1-7; Exo 37:25-28; Lev 4:7; 1Ki 6:22; 1Ki 7:48; Rev 8:3). Here the intercessions of the people of God are offered before Yahweh (Rev 8:3), in terms of the incense (compare Psa 141:2), and here is ‘offered’ the shewbread, the most holy of all the offerings ‘made by fire’, which represents God’s gifts to His people for their daily sustenance and their expression of gratitude towards God (Lev 24:9). The latter were eaten by the priests in ‘a holy place’ (Lev 24:9). This twofold aspect can be compared with ‘hallowed be your name — give us this day our daily bread’ (Mat 6:9; Mat 6:11).
Once again we note the absence of gold. The heavenly temple has no need or place for gold. It is above man’s vanities.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 41:22. The altar of wood The altar which was of wood, was three cubits high, two cubits long, and two broad; and it had horns; the bases and sides of it were wood. See the LXX and Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 41:22 The altar of wood [was] three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, [were] of wood: and he said unto me, This [is] the table that [is] before the LORD.
Ver. 22. The altar, ] scil., That for incense, whereof see Exo 30:6-7 , but here of a much larger size. See on Eze 40:1 . This altar of wood and square was a type of Christ (not of the cross, as Vilalpandus doateth), in whom our prayers come before God as incense, and he is the propitiation for our sins. 1Jn 2:2 Exo 30:1 Psa 141:1-10 : 2Ki 5:8 The size of this altar above that of old, showeth that the saints under the gospel would make much more improvement of the Lord Jesus in prayer, and make use of his mediation and intercession by faith in their heavenly sublimated supplications, than the saints of old were ordinarily wont to do. a
This is the table.
a Cobbet, Of Prayer, p. 235.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
altar: This must signify the altar of incense; which, both in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, was covered with plates of gold. It is very remarkable, that in this temple described by Ezekiel, there is not the least mention of gold or silver, though there was such a profusion of these metals in the former; which may probably imply, that a glory of a more spiritual nature was intended under these emblems. Exo 30:1-3, 1Ki 6:20, 1Ki 6:22, 1Ki 7:48, 2Ch 4:19, Rev 8:3
This is: Eze 23:41, Eze 44:16, Exo 25:28-30, Lev 24:6, Pro 9:2, Son 1:12, Mal 1:7, Mal 1:12, 1Co 10:21, Rev 3:20
before: Exo 30:8
Reciprocal: Eze 40:39 – tables on that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 41:22. The altar of wood was for the purpose of burning incense, hence did not require to be covered with metal. Table before the Lord is in allusion to the aitar of incense that was in the tabernacle, and located against the vail covering the ark of testimony where the Lord was represented by the glorious light.