Yehezkiel 43:8-14

43:8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger. 43:9 Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.

43:10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern. 43:11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole design – all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its statutes and do them.

43:12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

43:13 “And these are the measurements of the altar: ¹  Its base ²  is 1¾ feet ³  high, ⁴  and 1¾ feet ⁵  wide, and its border nine inches ⁶  on its edge. This is to be the height ⁷  of the altar. 43:14 From the base of the ground to the lower edge is 3½ feet, ⁸  and the width 1¾ feet; ⁹  and from the smaller ledge to the larger edge, 7 feet, ¹⁰  and the width 1¾ feet;

[43:13]  ¹ tn Heb “the measurements of the altar by cubits, the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth.” The measuring units here and in the remainder of this section are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard feet and inches, with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes. On the altar see Ezek 40:47.

[43:13]  ² tn The Hebrew term normally means “bosom.” Here it refers to a hollow in the ground.

[43:13]  ³ tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).

[43:13]  ⁴ tn The word “high” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[43:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm).

[43:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “one span.” A span was three handbreadths, or about nine inches (i.e., 22.5 cm).

[43:13]  ⁷ tc Heb “bulge, protuberance, mound.” The translation follows the LXX.

[43:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “two cubits” (i.e., 1.05 meters).

[43:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “one cubit” (i.e., 52.5 cm; the phrase occurs again later in this verse).

[43:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “four cubits” (i.e., 2.1 meters; the phrase also occurs in the next verse).