The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 335

been alrendy given, while others are new. but which probably meant the sBme thing Starting from the gizra.h, or sepa.mte plaoo, as the preceding clause, "throuah oil tho this summary mentions that the " man" house round a.bout." . Cherubic figures measured (1) the whole length of the erec- formed part of the adornment of the to.ber- tion; (2) the length of its "galleries" on nacle curtains (Exod. xxvi. 1 ; xxxvi, 8). the north and south sides; and (3) the inner (On the nature of the cherubim and their temple with the porches of the colll't, The symbolic significance, see eh. i. 5-10.) length of the separate plaoe is not stated, Ver. 21.-The posts of the temple were that having been already done (ver. 13). aqua.red; literally, as for the temple the doo1·- The length of the galleries is specified as a. posts were squared, or " the se.nctuo.ry post hundred cubits, which shows they extended work of square form" (Keil). The remain- a.long the whole side of the building. As ing clauses ought to read as in the Revised for the nature of these "galleries," or o•P.r:ii::t, Version, "As for the foce of the sanctuary, nothing can be ascertained from the deriva- the appearance thereof was BB the appearance tion of the word. The LXX. renders it in of the temple," the sanctuary being the holy this verse by dcr&.\01·.-a (" things left over"), of holies as distinguished from the holy in eh. xiii. 3 and 5 by ,repl<T.-v.\a. and <T.-oa.l: place or the house as a whole. The precise the Vulgate has here ethecas, the Hebrew force of the last words, the appearance as Latinized, and in eh. xiii. porticw!. The the appearanoe, is supposed by Kliefoth arid ethekim were most likely passages or porches Keil to be tho.t the se.nctue.ry door, like that running a.long both (north and south) sides of the temple, had square posts; by Ewald, of the building, and supported either by that it appee.red to be what it really was; pillars or ledges in the wall. The inner by Plumptre, that the appearance was like temple, which was measured, was the that he (Ezekiel) had formerly described; " house " which stood between the gizmh by Currey, that the appeo.rance in this vision and the inner COUI't; the porches of the was the se.rne as in the other visions, and as in oourt were the gate buildings in the inner the actual temple (comp. eh. xliii. 2). . Some- and outer con:rts. Of all these the dimen- thing can be said for each of these attempts sions have already been reported, and are not to elucide.te a dark phrase. Smend e.nd again rehearsed. Hitzig, follow the LXX. in connecting the Vera. I 6, 17 introduce severe.I new details. last cle.use of ver. 21 with ver. 22 in this (I) That the door-posts (rather, thresholds), fashion, "And in front of the holy place was and the ne.rrow (or, closed) windows, and an appearance like the sight of a wooden the galleries round about on their three altar." stories, were covered with a wainscotting of Ver. 22.-The altar. This was the alte.r wood from the ground up to the windows. of incense (Exod. xxx. I, etc.), which stood (2) That the windows, whether openings on in the holy place in contradistinction to the the first 1loor (Kliefoth) or skylights in the altar of blll'nt offering, which we.s located in roof (Hengstenberg), were "covered," which the outer court. The altar of burnt offering may signify, as Ewald and Plumptre think, in Solomon's temple was of brass (2 Chron. that they were not left open, but protected iv. I), and in the tabernacle of shittim wood by a lattice-work of be.re or planks; or, u.s (Exod. xxvii. I) ; the altar of incense in the Currey suggests, that they were wainscotted te.berne.cle (Exod. xxx. I) and in Solomon's BS well as the space from the ground to the temple (I Kings vii. 48) was constructed of .windows. (3) That nothing was constructed wood overlaid with gold, but in this temple by caprice or at random, but that a.II about only of wood. Plumptre, commenting ou the building proceeded by exact measure- this, writes, "Possibly Ezekiel shared the ment. feelings of Daniel (ix. 25), tho.t the rebuild- Vere. 18-20.-As in Solomon's temple ing would be 'in troublous times,' and did (I Kingsvi29), thewainscottingwasadorned not contemplate an abund11nce of gold as witi.J artistic carving of cherubim and palm likely to he the outcome of the scant offer- trees, a palm tree and a cherub standing ings of an impoverished people." The allnnately. Each cherub bad two of its dimensions of this altar in the tabernacle four faces exhibited (since four could not be were two cubits high and one cubit long conveniently represeuted on a plain surface) and broad; in the Solomonie temple, though -a man's face (symbolizing the ralirmal crea- not stated, they were probably the some as tion) directed towards the palm tree on one in the tabernacle; in Ezekiel's temple they side, and a young lion's face (symbolizing were three cubits high, two cubits long (and the irrational cn:ution) turned towards the probably two cubits broad). The oomers palm tree on the other side, This parti- of the altar were most likely "the horns, or cular style of ornamentation was employed horn-shaped points projecting nt the cor- from the ground unto above the door, which ners." Tho length. Ew11ld, Keil, Smend, Plumptrc interprets as an indication of the e.nd others, after the LXX., change into height of the palm trees and cherubic figures, "base," "stand," or "pedestal," on t!le Olt. XLi. 1-26.J THE BOOK or TitE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 347