Description
12-Design of Priestly Chambers
In this section of our Schematics, we will show that the dimensions and location of these chambers as per our Geometric Principle are consistent with the language of Ezekiel.
The chambers in question are the yellow chambers D and E as seen in The Modular Temple and pictures 5, 6, 7, and 8 of 04-Temple Principles and Layout of the Temple. Let’s examine Ezekiel 42:10-11 in order to show that this location is consistent with their location in these pictures.
Ezekiel 42:10-11: “10: In the thickness (or literally “width”—auth. note) of the wall of the court toward the east, facing the separate area and facing the building, there were chambers. 11: The way in front of them was like the appearance of the chambers which were on the north, according to their length so was their width, and all their exits were both according to their arrangements and openings.” 1995 NASB
Previously, we have observed that various walls of the House can contain complex structures. Thus, in our design we have widened the south and north ends of the east wall of the Inner Court by 94 cubits in a westerly direction and 100 cubits in a south and north direction to contain blocks of chambers with the same dimensions, floorplan, and openings as the south or north purple chambers (42:13) of the sons of Zadok. Please examine in section 05-Close Ups with Scriptural References of our Schematics, the eleventh picture titled Blowup of the Temple North East to South East for all the details.
Furthermore, the width faces the building behind the Inner Temple which is the Guest House. It also faces the separate area of the building (Guest House). It does not face the Inner Temple. Please locate G in picture 7 of 04, which is the label that is adjacent to the stone-grey wall of the Inner Court. If the location of the width in question that contains these chambers was the 6-cubits (10.5-feet) width of this stone-grey wall, we believe v.10 would state that it faces the Inner Temple because it is the Inner Temple that faces this wall. In our design if picture 7 of 04 is carefully examined, we believe you will discover the location of the width containing the yellow chambers to be consistent with v.10, which states that it faces the building behind the Inner Temple and its separate area.
This building is the Guest House in our design. Verse 11 states that the dimensions of the chambers of v.10 are identical to the dimensions of the south or north chambers of the sons of Zadok (see Ezekiel 42:13). No upper stories or galleries are implied or mentioned. If you examine the pictures in this section (section 12) of our Schematics, we believe you that you will find that the floorplan and openings of the yellow chambers are similar to the floorplan of the 100 x100 cubits (175 feet) purple chambers, the only difference being that the purple chambers on the ground floor contain an extra column of bedrooms. Note that the purple chambers contain a feature that distinguishes them from the tan chambers in our Schematics. They contain at their front a 10 cubits (17.5 feet) wide and 100 cubits long walkway.
V.11 tells us that the length and width of the yellow chambers are equal so that they are square. Since we know that this walkway is of length 100 cubits, we deduce that the length and width of the yellow chambers is also 100 cubits, which is consistent with our pictures in this section.
Ezekiel 42:12: “Corresponding to the openings of the chambers which were toward the south was an opening at the head of the way, the way in front of the wall toward the east, as one enters them.” 1995 NASB
Verse 12 describes the opening from the outer court of the 100 cubits (175 feet) long pathway that ends in front of the 6-cubits (10.5-feet) wide stone east wall of the Inner Court. Please examine the eleventh picture in 05-Close Ups with Scriptural References to see this. This opening corresponds to the entrance from the outer court into the purple chambers as described in Ezekiel 42:9 and is seen picture 19 of our 3-D Gallery. We refer to it as the East Door and it is captioned as such at the bottom of the pictures in the 09 and 12 sections of our Schematics.
Picture 48 in our 3-D Gallery shows the East Door opening “at the head of the way” from the outer court located at the southeast corner of the large block of chambers seen in the foreground, which are the southern yellow chambers in section 12. This “way” is 100 cubits (175 feet) long. Picture 49 shows the other end of this pathway where its northern boundary or end is the 6-cubits wide(10.5 feet) E/W stone wall of the Inner Court.
There are 5 prominent features seen in picture 49.
- The opening of the pathway into the Inner Court with its decorative porch. The base of the steps of the Altar of Sacrifice can be seen in the distance.
- The eastern end of the 100 cubits (175 feet) long inner walkway that is in front of the individual openings of these chambers which are bedrooms for the Levites (Temple ministers).
- The 100 cubits (175 feet) long wall that is between the inner walkway and the walkways of the bedrooms.
- At the immediate left, the 2.5-cubits (4.375-feet) wide, 100 cubits long, walkway that the row of bedrooms open into.
- Straight ahead is the southeast end (6-cubits or 10.5 feet wide E/W wall) of the 100 cubits (175 feet) long S/N stone wall of the Inner Court.
Pictures 13, 14, 23, 30, 31, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, and 59 are pictures of these chambers in our 3-D Gallery. Pictures 50, 57, and 59 are pictures of the priestly bedrooms.
Finally, we note that the width of the East Door pathway is 5-cubits (8.75-feet), so there is a 1-cubit (21 inches) difference between it and the 6-cubits (10.5-feet) width of the southeast stone wall of the Inner Court. This difference is not clear in the pictures in section 12 of our Schematics that we are describing. However, it can be seen in the eleventh picture titled Blowup of the Temple North East to South East found in 05-Close Ups with Scriptural References. This difference can also be appreciated in picture 49 of our 3-D Gallery section where the opening of these chambers from the inner walkway into the Inner Court can be seen.