Ezekiel 42:8

Eze 42:8 For the length of the chambers that [were] in the utter court [was] fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple [were] an hundred cubits.

Ver. 8. Here the Rabbis call again for the help of their Elias. See on Eze 40:6.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eze 42:8-12. For the length of the chambers, &c. — The chambers that were built over the cloisters were in length fifty cubits. And lo, before the temple were a hundred cubits — In passing from the north to the south side of the temple, Eze 42:11-12, over the space of ground that fronted the east side of it, the prophet was shown that it measured a hundred cubits, Eze 41:14. And from under these chambers was the entry, &c. — The entry into these south chambers was by a pair of stairs at the east corner of the outer court: see Eze 46:19. The chambers were in the thickness — Or rather, in the breadth of the wall — That is, of the ground which that wall enclosed. Over against, or before, the separate place, and before the building — These expressions denote that these south chambers had the same situation with respect to the temple, as the north chambers had, spoken of Eze 42:1. And the way before them, &c. — Such a way led to these chambers, as did to the chambers on the north side. As long as they, and as broad as they — The proportions of both were the same; and the windows, doors, and passages belonging to these, were exactly uniform with those on the north side. The sense of the twelfth verse would be plainer, if the words were thus translated, And such were the doors of the chambers toward the south; namely, as those toward the north. There was a door in the head of the way, &c. — Namely, like that described Eze 42:9.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(8) The length of the chambers.—We should say the breadth, since a longer measurement the other way immediately follows; but the word is used in connection with, and as a reason for, the length of the wall mentioned in Eze_42:7, as if it were said, “The wall was fifty cubits long, because this side of the building was fifty cubits long.” To prevent any possible misunderstanding it is immediately added, “Before (literally, upon the face of) the Temple an hundred cubits;” i.e., the length east and west was 100 cubits.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. The shorter wing of chambers lying toward the outer court was 50 cubits long. Fig. 3, uv.

and lo, … the temple] The exclamation and lo! is rather unnatural, a slight change of punctuation gives, but those. The expression “before the temple” is difficult. Usually “temple” means merely the holy place. The phrase “before” the temple makes no difficulty, “before” means merely “facing,” and does not imply the “front” of the temple in the technical sense. The LXX. (so Ew. Corn.) reads differently: and these (the shorter wing, Fig. 3, G´) faced the others (the longer, Fig. 3, G), together 100 cubits—“together” referring to the shorter wing and wall (Fig. 3, uv + vw).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits,.... Which was the reason why the wall was of the same length, that it might be answerable to them; here length is put for breadth; see Eze 42:2, this measure was from the north to south, as Lipman (x) observes:

and lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits; as the breadth of the wall and chambers was fifty, so in length, as they were over against the temple, they were an hundred cubits, as in Eze 42:2, unless the account is to be taken thus; that the row of chambers towards the north were fifty cubits long, and the row towards the south over against the other was fifty cubits, and so both made a hundred; to which sense is the Septuagint version,

"for the length of the chambers that look to the outward court was fifty cubits, and those (that is, those that looked to the temple, or were before that) answered to them, the whole a hundred cubits;''

that is, both rows made a hundred cubits; but rather, as Lipman (y) says, the chambers contained from east to west a hundred cubits.

(x) Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, sect. 71. (y) Ibid.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The length - From north to south.

Before the temple - This describes their position in a general way; more precisely they lay over against partly the “separate place” and partly the “temple-court” Eze 42:1.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This verse gives us a reason why the wall over against the chambers was but fifty cubits, it might not be more or less because it was to hold exact symmetry with these buildings, which it confronted: possibly this verse may give some light to the second verse, latter part.

The utter court: see Eze 42:1,7.

And, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits: some say the angel, conducting the prophet from these north chambers to the south, hath occasion given him to take notice of, and to measure a second time, this space before the temple; but what if the angel and the prophet were now on the roof of this fifty cubits’ building, as they seem to be Eze 42:5, measuring it, and thence the angel might point to the hundred cubits’ space before the temple, and bid the prophet to mind it? The former, most received, suits best with the 11th and 12th verses.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

According to the statement contained in this verse, the chambers that were in the outer court, i.e. the chambers whose windows looked into the outer court, projected fifty cubits into the outer court; i.e. this was their breadth or depth from north to south; whereas those before the temple were a hundred cubits; i.e. the chambers whose windows fronted the temple, were a hundred cubits from east to west.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the length of the chambers from north to south, was fifty cubits.

and behold, before the Temple from east to west, paralleling the Hall and the Temple and House of the Ark Cover, [i.e., the Holy of Holies] and the cells, were one hundred cubits.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.