Reed, Measuring
Reed, Measuring
mezhur-ing ( , keneh ha-middah): In Ezekiel’s vision of the temple a man (an angel) appears with a measuring reed to measure the dimensions of the temple (Eze 40:3 ff; Eze 42:16 ff). The reed is described as 6 cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each, i.e. the cubit used was a handbreadth longer than the common cubit (see CUBIT; WEIGHTS AND MEASURES; TEMPLE). In the Apocalypse this idea of a measuring reed reappears for measuring the temple (Rev 11:1) and the holy city (Rev 21:15, Rev 21:16, a golden reed). The thought conveyed is exactitude in the dimensions of these edifices, symbolic of the symmetry and perfection of God’s church.