Book of Ezekiel Chapter 40 Summary

Introducing Bronze Guy

  • In the twenty-fifth year of the exile, God takes Ezekiel to Jerusalem, near the site of the now ruined Temple.
  • He sits Ezekiel on a high mountain, and a guy who looks like he's made of bronze shows up. Guy made the mistake of only using SPF-15 in that Israeli sun.
  • Bronze dude has a linen cord and a measuring reed. He tells Ezekiel to remember everything he's about to show him.
  • He launches into describing and visually revealing the structure of the new Temple and its outer and inner courts. He provides extremely detailed measurements of the walls, east gateway threshold, recesses, vestibule, pilasters—all measured in cubits. 
  • Bronze dude continues providing measurements for the outer court, its thirty chambers, its pavement, its north and south gates in the outer court, and even the palm trees planted throughout. 
  • He then describes the gates on the inner court, its recesses, pilasters with paintings of palm trees on them, and vestibules. 
  • Next, he shows Ezekiel the chamber in vestibule of the north gate where the burnt offering is washed, again describing it in super-detail and providing all the measurements.
  • He goes on to the tables where the burnt offering, guilt offering, and sin offering are killed. Some of them are made of cut stone, some with pegs. 
  • Next come the chambers for singers, and the chambers for Zadokite and Levite priests; then he shows Ezekiel the Temple itself, measuring its vestibules and pilasters first.