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In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north.
Ezekiel 42:4 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Before the rooms was a walk of ten cubits’ width inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north.
  • KJV And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
  • BSB In front of the chambers was an inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north.
  • NASB In front of the chambers was an inner passage ten cubits wide, a way of one hundred cubits; and their openings were on the north.
  • NLT Between the two blocks of rooms ran a walkway 17-1/2 feet wide. It extended the entire 175 feet of the complex, and all the doors faced north.

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

A ten-cubit walkway ran before the chambers, with doors opening to the north. Access to the priestly rooms was clearly provided.

Overview

The guide notes the passage before the chambers and their northern doors. The careful provision for movement and entry continues the vision's emphasis on order and accessibility within the sacred space. These details quietly testify that God orders his house so that his servants may rightly carry out their ministry before him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Ezek 46:19Then he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy rooms for the priests, which looked toward the north: and behold, there was a place on the hinder part westward.
  • Luke 13:24“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.
  • Matt 7:14How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 42:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 42:4 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.