THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And upon entering the inner courtyard, he measured the ledge of the gate, which was two cubits, and the gate itself was six cubits wide, with a breadth of seven cubits on either side. He went on to measure the length of the doors at twenty cubits, with a breadth of twenty cubits in front of the temple. He then said to me, "This is the holy of holies." While we may achieve excellence, there is always a higher excellence to pursue. Thus, after entering the temple, we venture inward, or as the Septuagint translates, into the inner court. In this ledge, noted in varying translations—such as Simmachus’ near the gate, Theodotion’s elam in Hebrew, Aquila’s door, and our translation of ledge—was measured at two cubits.
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This leads us to the place designated as the holy of holies, indicated by the dual number. The gate’s measurement, recorded as six cubits, signifies that through it we reach the eternal rest, symbolized by the sevenfold number. The LXX presents the width of the gate as seven cubits on both sides, while Hebrew sources reference it only once regarding the gate's breadth. The following measurement states that the doors are twenty cubits long; however, many of the LXX texts cite it as forty, with a breadth of twenty cubits before the temple, suggesting that at the temple’s entrance lies the measure of previous labor and actions. The significance of the double numbers reflects the importance of two decades. When the prophet entered through the gate measuring two cubits in height and six and seven cubits in breadth on both sides, along with a length of twenty cubits—equally reflected in the doors of the temple—he discerned what the space was designated as. He stated, "This is the holy of holies." If the area before the temple—referred to as before the face of the temple—is itself the holy of holies, then the hidden and inner sanctum undoubtedly embodies an even greater blessedness. As the prophet indicates, "This labor is before me, until I enter into the holy place of God," reflecting on the latter part of Psalm 72:17. It is noteworthy that in the tabernacle’s description, the holy of holies is conceptualized in the plural form, whereas here it is singularly acknowledged, signifying that after the holy of holies (sancta) we come to the sacred, much as after many songs we arrive at the Song of Songs—the ultimate song to which, as bridegroom and bride, we are united in love's embrace.