Now the upper rooms were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middle, in the building.
Parallel translations
- KJV Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
- BSB Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.
- NKJV Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
- NASB Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.
- NLT Each of the two upper levels of rooms was narrower than the one beneath it because the upper levels had to allow space for walkways in front of them.
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 upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took up more space above. The building's design accommodated its tiered structure.
Overview
Ezekiel observes that the topmost rooms were smaller, the galleries reducing their size. The practical detail reflects the realistic, considered nature of the vision's architecture. Even such structural particulars affirm that God's plans are thorough and deliberate, never careless, a faithfulness ultimately seen in his redemptive work through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Ezek 41:7The side rooms were wider on the higher levels, because the walls were narrower at the higher levels. Therefore the width of the house increased upward; and so one went up from the lowest level to the highest through the middle level.
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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 42:5 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.