So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place.

And he measured the length thereof twenty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, before the face of the temple: and he said to me: This is the holy of holies.

And he measureth its length twenty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, unto the front of the temple, and he saith unto me, 'This is the holy of holies.'

And by his measure it was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide in front of the Temple: and he said to me, This is the most holy place.

And he measured its length to be twenty cubits, and its width to be twenty cubits, before the face of the temple. And he said to me, "This is the Holy of Holies."

The Temple - here is the holy place as distinguished from the most holy, "the Oracle," which is "before" the holy place, inwards.

The length thereof, twenty cubits - This is the measurement of the sanctuary, or holy of holies. See G in the plan. This also was the exact measurement of Solomon's temple, see 1-Kings 6:20. This, and the other resemblances here, sufficiently prove that Ezekiel's temple and that of Solomon were on the same plan; and that the latter temple was intended to be an exact resemblance of the former.

So he measured the length thereof twenty cubits,.... That is, of the most holy place, from east to west; which was the measure of it in Solomon's temple, 1-Kings 6:20,
and the breadth twenty cubits before the temple: that is answerable or according to the breadth of the temple or holy place; which was also twenty cubits in breadth: this stood at the west end of it, and was equal in breadth to it; see 1-Kings 6:2,
and he said unto me, this is the most holy place; the divine Person in human form said to the prophet, take notice of this building; this answers to the most holy place in the temple. This was an emblem of the most holy and perfect state of the church on earth; it represents the New Jerusalem church state, that holy city, and into which nothing shall enter that defiles; and, as in the most holy place, the divine Shechaniah or majesty of God dwelt; so here will dwell in person the God-man and Mediator, the head of the church, our Lord Jesus; whose tabernacle will now be with men, in this perfect state, raised from the dead, and he will dwell among them: and as this most holy place in its dimensions is a foursquare, so is the holy city described; denoting its stability and perfection; see Revelation 21:2.

thereof--of the holy of holies.
before the temple--that is, before, or in front of the most holy place (so "temple" is used in 1-Kings 6:3). The angel went in and measured it, while Ezekiel stood in front, in the only part of the temple accessible to him. The dimensions of the two apartments are the same as in Solomon's temple, since being fixed originally by God, they are regarded as finally determined.

Thereof - Of the holy of holies, which was an exact square. Before - Parallel with the breadth of the temple.