Ezekiel 42:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The storerooms were arranged in three levels and had no columns like those in the courts; thus, they jutted out from the lower and middle parts, measuring fifty cubits to the ground. There was an enclosure on the outside towards the storerooms, in the area of the outer courtyard before those storerooms, extending fifty cubits long. The storages of the outer courtyard measured fifty cubits in length, while the front of the temple was a hundred cubits long. At the base of these storerooms, there was an entrance on the east side for those coming in from the outer court, aligning with the width of the court's fence that faced the east by the separate structure. The storerooms were located before the building, and the pathway before them was identical in length and width to that of the storerooms on the northern side. Every entrance and feature, as well as the doors, were alike to those of the storerooms positioned to the south, and the main entrance was before the separate vestibule for those entering from the east.

And he brought me into the outer courtyard near the north gate, revealing five spaces beneath part of the structure adjacent to the separate building on the north, and aligning them as a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. They were designed similarly to the gates of the inner court and the columns in the outer court, positioned before the triple gallery and adjacent to the rooms, creating a passage ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long, with a path extending one cubit inward and their entrances directed north. The passages of the upper rooms were likewise structured, as the columns extended from the lower columns, maintaining similar distances. The galleries were three-tiered and lacked the columns found in the inner courts; thus, they extended out from those below, measuring fifty cubits from the ground. The light from the outside was identical to that in the outer court rooms facing north, which were also fifty cubits long. Their dimensions measured a hundred cubits, and the entrances to these rooms opened to the east, allowing entry into the courtyard, similar to the illumination present at the beginning of the south passage, facing south toward the remainder and the separate building. The rooms and the pathway facing them had identical measurements to those facing north, sharing the same length and width, with every exit, entrance, and illumination point consistent, along with the doors leading to the south and the entrance from the beginning of the light pathway.

It is noteworthy that what is designated as LXX to the east does not appear in the Hebrew text, which seems redundant. How could it lead out to the outer courtyard to the east while it states against the north gate? The translation indicates that he guided me to the storeroom adjacent to a separate building and a building facing north, contrasting with the LXX which mentions leading me out to reveal five rooms near the separate building to the north, an apparent distinction arises here. The variations between the Hebrew text and LXX are numerous, not only in order but also in the count and translation of words; delving deeply into each would stray significantly from the main topic. Given the complexity and elevated nature of these subjects, I initially hesitated to comment but decided it prudent to offer some insights rather than remain silent, reflecting on Socrates’ wisdom: ‘I know what I do not know, for part of knowledge is recognizing one's limitations.’ Thus, when the prophet had thoroughly examined the interior, the man with the rope and cane led him out to the outer court along the northern path, previously observed before entering. Our understanding unfolds in stages; discernment of the inward must coincide with that of the outward, maintaining the same form, measurements, and concealed mysteries.