After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side.

EZEKIEL 41:5KJV
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Ezekiel 41:5 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 41:5 mean?

Ezekiel 41:5 describes the prophet Ezekiel observing and recording the measurements of the temple’s wall and its side chambers during his vision. The wall of the temple is measured at six cubits thick, and each side chamber is four cubits wide, with these chambers running all around the temple building.

In this vision, Ezekiel is being led by a heavenly guide who measures the new temple structure, giving detailed dimensions. This verse is part of a larger passage where Ezekiel receives a precise architectural plan for a future temple, emphasizing order and holiness. The focus on measurements shows the care and significance given to the temple’s design in Ezekiel’s vision.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 41:5

  • בֵּית (bêṯ, "house"): This word is used here to refer to the main temple building, not just any house, highlighting the sacredness of the structure being measured.
  • יָתֵד (yāṯēḏ, "side chamber"): The word for "chamber" refers to small rooms built alongside the main temple wall, often understood as storage or priestly rooms, showing the temple’s complexity and functional design.
  • אַמָּה (’ammāh, "cubit"): The measurement unit "cubit" is roughly the length from a man’s elbow to the tip of his middle finger, about 18 inches (45 centimeters), which helps modern readers picture the actual size described.

Why Ezekiel 41:5 matters

  • This verse shows that Ezekiel’s vision is not just symbolic but includes concrete, physical details, indicating a real structure with specific dimensions.
  • The careful measurement of the temple’s wall and side chambers highlights the importance of order, holiness, and separation in the temple’s design.
  • Understanding these details helps readers see how Ezekiel’s vision fits into the larger biblical theme of God’s presence dwelling among His people in a holy, set-apart place.

Where else these words appear

“chamber” Hebrew H6763 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
  • Exodus 36:25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
  • 1 Kings 6:16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.

“measured” Hebrew H4058 · used in 49 verses

  • Exodus 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
  • Ezekiel 40:11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
  • Ezekiel 41:13 So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;

“wall” Hebrew H7023 · used in 64 verses

  • Exodus 30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
  • 1 Kings 6:29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
  • Ezekiel 8:8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

“breadth” Hebrew H7341 · used in 89 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • Ezekiel 41:2 And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits.