Ezekiel 42:4 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 42:4 mean?

Ezekiel 42:4 describes access to a row of rooms in the temple that Ezekiel sees in a vision. The KJV pictures a passage in front of the rooms, gives its width, and tells the reader which direction the doors face.

The verse is part of Ezekiel’s account of being shown the temple area. After describing the rooms’ position, Ezekiel turns to the space in front of them. The measurements and direction help the listener picture how the rooms were arranged.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 42:4

• “walk” — מַהֲלָךְ (mahalakh): This word can describe a place for walking. Here it suggests a passage alongside the rooms rather than an open courtyard.
• “inward” — פְּנִימִי (penimi): This word means “inner” or “toward the inside.” It places the walk within the arrangement of the rooms and surrounding space.

Why Ezekiel 42:4 matters

• The doors give an orientation for the rooms. Their facing “toward the north” helps a reader imagine the plan from a particular direction.
• The KJV gives two measurements, not just one: the walk is “ten cubits” broad, and the verse also mentions “a way of one cubit.” A cubit was a length based roughly on the distance from the elbow to the fingertips.
• The rooms have a stated purpose later in the passage. Ezekiel 42:13 identifies them as places where priests eat certain holy portions, so the walk and doors belong to a working part of the temple area.