וַיְבִיאֵנִי אֶל־הַהֵיכָל וַיָּמָד אֶת־הָאֵילִים שֵׁשׁ־אַמּוֹת רֹחַב מִפּוֹ וְשֵׁשׁ־אַמּוֹת רֹחַב־מִפּוֹ רֹחַב הָאֹהֶל

He brought me to the Sanctuary beyond the Hall, and he measured the pillars at the entrance to the Sanctuary, and they were six cubits in width on this side and six cubits in width on that side, which is also the width of the lintel of the tent.

וְרֹחַב הַפֶּתַח עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת וְכִתְפוֹת הַפֶּתַח חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת מִפּוֹ וְחָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת מִפּוֹ וַיָּמָד אָרְכּוֹ אַרְבָּעִים אַמָּה וְרֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה

The width of the entrance from north to south was ten cubits, and the walls at the sides of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and he measured its, the Sanctuary’s, length, and it was forty cubits, and the width of the Sanctuary was twenty cubits.

וּבָא לִפְנִימָה וַיָּמָד אֵיל־הַפֶּתַח שְׁתַּיִם אַמּוֹת וְהַפֶּתַח שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת וְרֹחַב הַפֶּתַח שֶׁבַע אַמּוֹת

Then he, the man, came to the inside, and he measured the pillar of the entrance to the innermost room, and it was two cubits, and the thickness of the entrance was six cubits, and the width of the space of the entrance, seven cubits.

וַיָּמָד אֶת־אָרְכּוֹ עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה וְרֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אֶל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי זֶה קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים

He measured its, the innermost room’s, length, twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, corresponding to the front of the Sanctuary, which was also twenty cubits in width, and he said to me: This is the Holy of Holies.

וַיָּמָד קִיר־הַבַּיִת שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת וְרֹחַב הַצֵּלָע אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת סָבִיב סָבִיב לַבַּיִת סָבִיב

He measured the thickness of the wall of the House, six cubits, and the width of the side chamber behind the western wall of the House, four cubits, surrounding the House all around. Similar side chambers surrounded the Sanctuary on all sides.

וְהַצְּלָעוֹת צֵלָע אֶל צֵלָע שָׁלוֹשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים פְּעָמִים וּבָאוֹת בַּקִּיר אֲשֶׁר לַבַּיִת לַצְּלָעוֹת סָבִיב סָבִיב לִהְיוֹת אֲחוּזִים וְלֹא־יִהְיוּ אֲחוּזִים בְּקִיר הַבָּיִת

The side chambers were built one side chamber to another. This repeated itself thirty-three times, and they come into the wall that was for the House, the wall adjacent to the Sanctuary. The wall was designed for the side chambers all around to be supported, attached to a single building, and they would not be supported by the wall of the House, the Sanctuary. The thirty-three side chambers surrounding the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies were not part of the Sanctuary wall; rather, they were attached to a separate wall that was adjacent to the Sanctuary.

וְרָחֲבָה וְנָסְבָה לְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה להצְּלָעוֹת כִּי מוּסַב הַבַּיִת לְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה סָבִיב סָבִיב לַבַּיִת עַל־כֵּן רֹחַב־לַבַּיִת לְמָעְלָה וְכֵן הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה יַעֲלֶה עַל־הָעֶלְיוֹנָה לַתִּיכוֹנָה

The side chambers widened and wound about higher and higher, because the House wound higher and higher all around the House; therefore, the House widened above. The upper chambers were wider than the lower ones, as the staircase occupied a certain amount of space in the lower chambers. And so one would ascend from the lowest row of chambers to the highest row through the middle row.

וְרָאִיתִי לַבַּיִת גֹּבַהּ סָבִיב סָבִיב מוּסְדוֹת הַצְּלָעוֹת מְלוֹ הַקָּנֶה שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת אַצִּילָה

I saw the height of the House all around, as the Sanctuary itself rose higher than the surrounding structure of chambers. The foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring rod of six expansive [atzila] cubits, a cubit measured from the edge of the hand to the armpit [atzil], unlike a standard cubit, which is measured from the elbow to the end of the middle finger.

רֹחַב הַקִּיר אֲשֶׁר־לַצֵּלָע אֶל־הַחוּץ חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת ואֲשֶׁר מֻנָּח בֵּית צְלָעוֹת אֲשֶׁר לַבָּיִת

The width, thickness, of the outer wall that was for the side chambers was five cubits, and so for the remaining space between the side chambers and the House. Between the chambers and the Sanctuary there was an open space, a hallway of sorts, which was five cubits wide.

וּבֵין הַלְּשָׁכוֹת רֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה סָבִיב לַבַּיִת סָבִיב סָבִיב

Between the chambers of the courtyard there was a width of twenty cubits. These chambers, which were located at the outer edge of the courtyard, were surrounding the Sanctuary at a distance from the House all around (see chap. 42).

וּפֶתַח הַצֵּלָע לַמֻּנָּח פֶּתַח אֶחָד דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן וּפֶתַח אֶחָד לַדָּרוֹם וְרֹחַב מְקוֹם הַמֻּנָּח חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת סָבִיב סָבִיב

The entrance of the side chamber faced to the remaining space, one entrance northward and one entrance southward. All the chambers could be entered from the hallway that was five cubits wide; the doors of those on the south opened to the hallway on their north side, and, vice versa, the doors of those on the north opened to the hallway on their south side. And the width of the remaining space, the hallway, was five cubits all around.

וְהַבִּנְיָן אֲשֶׁר אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה פְאַת דֶּרֶךְ־הַיָּם רֹחַב שִׁבְעִים אַמָּה וְקִיר הַבִּנְיָן חָמֵשׁ־אַמּוֹת רֹחַב סָבִיב סָבִיב וְאָרְכּוֹ תִּשְׁעִים אַמָּה

The building, the complex of chambers, that was before the conspicuous structure, the Sanctuary, which was prominent in its height, to the west side was seventy cubits in width, and the outer, surrounding wall of the building was five cubits wide, thick, all around, and its length, the length of the conspicuous structure, was ninety cubits.

וּמָדַד אֶת־הַבַּיִת אֹרֶךְ מֵאָה אַמָּה וְהַגִּזְרָה וְהַבִּנְיָה וְקִירוֹתֶיהָ אֹרֶךְ מֵאָה אַמָּה

He, the man, measured the House, and it was one hundred cubits in length; this measurement included the length of the conspicuous structure, the Sanctuary, the building of the side chambers surrounding the Sanctuary, and its walls. They were together a total of one hundred cubits in length.

וְרֹחַב פְּנֵי הַבַּיִת וְהַגִּזְרָה לַקָּדִים מֵאָה אַמָּה

The width of the front of the House and of the conspicuous structure to the east was also one hundred cubits.

וּמָדַד אֹרֶךְ־הַבִּנְיָן אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה אֲשֶׁר עַל־אַחֲרֶיהָ וְאַתִּיקֶיהָ מִפּוֹ וּמִפּוֹ מֵאָה אַמָּה וְהַהֵיכָל הַפְּנִימִי וְאֻלַמֵּי הֶחָצֵר

He measured the length of the building of side chambers that was before the conspicuous structure that was to its rear, on the west side of the Sanctuary, and its supporting structures, or beams, on this side and on that side, to the north and south, and it was a combined one hundred cubits. As for the inner Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, and the halls of the courtyard,

הַסִּפִּים וְהַחַלּוֹנִים הָאֲטֻמוֹת וְהָאַתִּיקִים סָבִיב לִשְׁלָשְׁתָּם נֶגֶד הַסַּף שְׂחִיף עֵץ סָבִיב סָבִיב וְהָאָרֶץ עַד־הַחַלּוֹנוֹת וְהַחַלֹּנוֹת מְכֻסּוֹת

the thresholds, the narrowing, or sealed, windows, which were alcoves in the wall, and the supporting structures all around, for the three of them, as there were three supports, to the west, south, and north of the Sanctuary, or, alternatively, this refers to all three types of structures mentioned in the verse, the thresholds, the narrowing windows, and the supports, there was a wood panel all around these structures and on the two doorposts and the lintel. No part of the Temple was made of wood alone, but there were wooden panels attached to the building so that it could be covered with gold, as stone itself cannot be covered with gold. And likewise, the structure from the ground up to the windows, and the windows themselves, were covered with wood,

עַל מֵעַל הַפֶּתַח וְעַד־הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי וְלַחוּץ וְאֶל־כָּל־הַקִּיר סָבִיב סָבִיב בַּפְּנִימִי וּבַחִיצוֹן מִדּוֹת

up to above the entrance, to the inner room and to the outside and to the entire wall all around in the inner and the outer sides of the walls, with panels of size. All these walls had specific dimensions, although Ezekiel does not specify them. Alternatively, the verse means that all these walls were covered with wide panels, which are called middot due to their large size or because the word middot, or madim, can also mean clothing and the walls were “clothed” with the panels.

וְעָשׂוּי כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרִים וְתִמֹרָה בֵּין־כְּרוּב לִכְרוּב וּשְׁנַיִם פָּנִים לכְּרוּב

It, each of these planks, was fashioned with engravings of cherubs and date palms, and a date palm was between one cherub and another, and there were two faces to each cherub:

וּפְנֵי אָדָם אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה מִפּוֹ וּפְנֵי־כְפִיר אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה מִפּוֹ עָשׂוּי אֶל־כָּל־הַבַּיִת סָבִיב סָבִיב

The face of a person toward the date palm on this side and the face of a young lion toward the date palm on that side. Each cherub had two faces, one of a person and one of a young lion, both of which faced the palm trees between them. It is unclear whether the form of the cherub was crouching like a young lion or standing upright like a person. So was it fashioned throughout the House all around.

מֵהָאָרֶץ עַד־מֵעַל הַפֶּתַח הַכְּרוּבִים וְהַתִּמֹרִים עֲשׂוּיִם וְקִיר הַֹהֵֹיֹכָֹלֹ

From the ground until above the entrance were cherubs and date palms fashioned, and the wall, all the walls, of the Sanctuary as well. These decorations, as well as others, are also mentioned in connection to the First Temple, which had more lions.

הַהֵיכָל מְזוּזַת רְבֻעָה וּפְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ הַמַּרְאֶה כַּמַּרְאֶה

At the entrance to the Sanctuary, the doorposts were square rather than circular. Alternatively, this means that the Sanctuary had four doorposts, because it had double doors. And the front of the Sanctum, the entrance to the Holy of Holies, the appearance that was revealed to me was like the appearance that is unique to the Holy of Holies, which is indescribable.

הַמִּזְבֵּחַ עֵץ שָׁלוֹשׁ אַמּוֹת גָּבֹהַּ וְאָרְכּוֹ שְׁתַּיִם־אַמּוֹת וּמִקְצֹעוֹתָיו לוֹ וְאָרְכּוֹ וְקִירֹתָיו עֵץ וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלַי זֶה הַשֻּׁלְחָן אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי ה'

The altar in the Sanctuary was made of wood. It is not specified here whether this altar was covered with gold, as stated in the Torah with regard to the incense altar. In any case, the altar was three cubits high, and its length was two cubits; its corners were made of it, wood, and its length and its walls were also made of wood. He said to me: This is the table that is before the Lord.

וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתוֹת לַהֵיכָל וְלַקֹּדֶשׁ

There were two doors for the Sanctuary and for the Sanctum, the Holy of Holies.

וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתוֹת לַדְּלָתוֹת שְׁתַּיִם מוּסַבּוֹת דְּלָתוֹת שְׁתַּיִם לְדֶלֶת אֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי דְלָתוֹת לָאַחֶרֶת

There were two doors for each of the doors, two swinging doors: two for one door and two doors for the other. There were four doors: two swinging doors at the entrance to the Sanctuary and two swinging doors at the entrance to the Holy of Holies.

וַעֲשׂוּיָה אֲלֵיהֶן אֶל דַּלְתוֹת הַהֵיכָל כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרִים כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשׂוּיִם לַקִּירוֹת וְעָב עֵץ אֶל־פְּנֵי הָאוּלָם

Fashioned on them, on the doors of the Sanctuary, were forms of cherubs and date palms, like they were fashioned upon the walls. The decorations on the walls and the doors were identical. And there was a thick beam on the front of the Hall on the outside, possibly a horizontal beam to support the roof.

וְחַלּוֹנִים אֲטֻמוֹת וְתִמֹרִים מִפּוֹ וּמִפּוֹ אֶל כִּתְפוֹת הָאוּלָם וְ צַלְעוֹת הַבַּיִת וְהָעֻבִּים

There were narrowing windows and engravings of date palms on this side and on that side, on the sides of the Hall, and engravings of palm trees on the side chambers of the House, and on the beams.