doorway and the threshold, or one-fifth of in modem chnrches. To the objection the entire length of the gate-building. The sometimes urged age.inst what is called the second portion of the verse, the length of "exaggerated" height of these columns, the gate thirteen cubits, ie expl11ined by Kliefoth replies, "If it he.d been considercci Bottcher, Hitzig, Hii.veruick, Keil (with that our church towers have grown up oat whom Plumptre agrees), as eignifyiug the of gate-pillars, that one can see, not merely length of the covered way from the east in Egyptian obelisks and Tnrkish minarets, entrance, since it is supposed the whole but also in our own hollow factory chimneys, length of forty cubits (the length of the gate how upon a base of two cubits, square without the porch) would hardly be roufed pillars of sixty cubits high can be erected, in ; so that assuming a lillllilar covered way and that fiually the talk is of a colossal of thirteen cubits at the other end of the building seen in vision, no critical diffi- b'll.te-building, as one came" from the house," culties would have been discovered in there would be an open space, well, or this statement e.s to height." The last uncovered courtyard, of fourteen cubits in clause, even unto the post ot the court round length and six broad, enclosed on all sides about the gate, should read, and the court by gate-buildings. The roofs extending reached unto the po•t (S:~ being used from the east and west would be supported collectively), the gate being round abont on the " posts" of the chambers mentioned (Revised Version); or, the court round about in ver. 10. Smend, however, infers, from the gate reached to the pillar• (Keil) ; or, the windows in the posts within the gate at the pillar th6 court was rowid. about the (ver. 16), that the whole extent was roofed gate (Kliefoth). 'rhe sense is, that the in, and accordingly can offer no expla.nation court le.y round a.bout the inner egress from of the clause; Kliefoth and Schroder prefer the gate, The Authorized Veraion, with to regard the thirteen cubits as the height which Dr. Currey, in the ' Speaker's Com- of the gate, although the worj tmnslated mentary,' agrees, thinks of an inner hall "length " never elsewhere has this meaning. between the porch of the gate and the two Ver. 12.-The space also before the little most western guard-chambers, round the chambers; more correctly, and a border be- sides of which the sixty-cubit oolumus 0 fore the lodges. Though the construction stood. Ewe.Id, following the corrupt text of this border, fence, or barrier ( comp. eh. of the LXX., tronslates, "And the threshold xxvii. 4; xliii. 13, 17; Exod. xix. 12) is not of the outer vestibule twenty cubits, the described, ih design most likely was to gute court abutting on the chambers round enable the guardsman, by stepping beyond about." his cell, to observe whllt was going on in the Ver. 15.-The whole length of the gate, gate without. either interrupting or being from the outer entrance to the inner exit, interrupted by the passengers. As the fifty oubits, we.a thus composed- barrier projected one oubit on each eide of the ten-cubit way, only eight cubits re- !. Au outer threshold ... . .. 6 onbits mained for persons going in or out. 2. 'l'hree guard-chambers, six Ver. 13.-The brea.dth of the gate from cubits each ... .. . 18 the roof of oue little chamber or lodge to 3, Two spaces between the oh11m- 11notlier, measuring from door to door, was bers, fi vo cubits each 10 five and twenty cubits, which were thus 4. An inner threshold ... 6 ,, made up: 10 cubita of footway + 12 (2 x 6) 5. A porch before the gate 8 eubits for the two guard-rooms + 3 (2 X say 6. One post., or pillar 2 l½) cubits for the thickness of the two side = walls 25 cubits in e.11. According to Total 50 ver. 42, the length of a hewn stone was one Ver. 16.-A.nd there were narrow (Hebrew, cubit e.nd a half. The doors from which the closed) windows, probably of lattice-work, measurements were taken must have been so fixed as to prevent either egress or in the side walls e.t the be.ok of the guard- ingress. That these "wiudows" (n\J\~~. rooms. so called from being perforated) were Ver. 14.-He ma.de also posts. In using intended to impart light to the gateway, the verb "ma.de" the prophet either went either in whole or iu part, is apparent, be.ck in thought to the time when the man though it is difficult to form a olear idea of who then explained the building he.d how they were situated. They were in the fashioned it (Hengstenberg); or he employed chambers, and in their post~ and in the the term in the sense of constituit, i.e. fixed arches, or colonnades (Revised Version or estimated, '' inasmuch as such e. height m11rgin). In the chambers, or "lodges," could not be measured from the bottom to they were most likely in the back walls, the top with the me11Suring-rod" (Keil). and in or near the posts, or pillars, belong- The" posts," the c•~•!$ of ver. 9, were sixty ing to the doors of these chambers, the oubit.s high, and corresponded to the towers clause, " and in their post.," being re- THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [011. XL. 1--40.
garded BI! epexogetio of the preceding, Thus to one standing within, the whole and designed to furnish a more precise gateway appeared studded round and round explanation of tho particular pe.rt of the with windows. The description of the gate guard-room iu which the windows were. closes with the statement that upon ee.ch Similar windows existed in the Solomonic p~st were palm trees, which ~ay signify temple (I Kings vi 4). Tho "arches," or either that the shaft wns fashioned like a "colonnades" (n,o~t:1), were probably wall- palm tree, as is sometimes seen in ancient projections on the sides of the chambers, buildings in the East (Dr. Currey, Plumptre) IC that light was admitted from three sides, or that it was ornamented with representa- OUTER GATE. Imma GATB,
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