The width of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. He also measured the length of the outer sanctuary to be forty cubits, and the width to be twenty cubits.
Parallel translations
- WEB The width of the entrance was ten cubits; and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured its length, forty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.
- NASB The width of the entrance was ten cubits and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. He also measured the length of the sanctuary, forty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits.
- NLT The doorway was 17-1/2 feet wide, and the walls on each side of it were 8-3/4 feet long. The sanctuary itself was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The entrance and the main hall of the temple are measured, forty cubits long and twenty wide. The Holy Place is given exact proportions, marking it as sacred space.
Overview
The dimensions of the temple's nave match the pattern of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:17), signaling continuity with God's established worship. The precise measurements affirm that this is God's true house, not human imagination. As the place where priests served before God, it anticipates Christ's mediating work that brings worshipers into God's presence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Kgs 6:17And the main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.
- 1 Kgs 6:2The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
- 2 Chr 3:3The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, according to the old standard.
- 2 Chr 29:7They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.
- 2 Chr 3:7He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
- John 10:7So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
- Exod 36:37For the entrance to the tent, he made a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen,
- John 10:9I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
- Exod 26:36For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen.
- 1 Kgs 6:31–35For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 41:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.