Ezekiel Chapter 42 verse 4 Holy Bible
And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits' breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north.
read chapter 42 in ASV
And in front of the rooms was a walk, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long; and their doors were facing north.
read chapter 42 in BBE
and before the cells was a walk of ten cubits in breadth, [and] a way of a hundred cubits inward; and their entries were toward the north.
read chapter 42 in DARBY
And before the chambers was a walk to ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
read chapter 42 in KJV
read chapter 42 in WBT
Before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits' breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north.
read chapter 42 in WEB
And at the front of the chambers `is' a walk of ten cubits in breadth unto the inner part, a way of one cubit, and their openings `are' at the north.
read chapter 42 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 4. - Before the chambers a walk. Whether this walk ran along the longer, i.e. northern, or in front of the eastern side of the chambers, and how it stood related to the way, which is likewise mentioned in connection with the chambers, are litigated questions. The LXX. identifies the two, and understands a way in front of the chambers of ten cubits broad and a hundred cubits long. Ewald and Keil so far agree with the LXX. as to change the one cubit way into a hundred-cubit way; but whereas Ewald thinks of a passage ten cubits broad and a hundred cubits long, running from west to east between two sets of chambers, Keil speaks of a walk of ten cubits broad and a hundred cubits long in front of the cells, extending into a way of equal breadth and length, leading westward into the inner court. Havernick's, Hengstenberg's, and Kliefoth's idea, favored by Schroder, and probably the best, is that of a walk of ten cubits in front of the cells, and a way of one cubit leading into them from the walk. Dr. Currey reverses this, and makes a walk of ten cubits leading inward, and a way, or kerb, of one cubit in front. Plumptre agrees that the passage leading into the chambers was ten cubits broad, but regards the one cubit as denoting the thickness of the wall separating the walk from the interior of the chambers.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) A walk of ten cubits breadth inward.--The meaning of this clause depends upon that of the next, "a way of one cubit." There is every reason to suppose here an error of the text, and that one cubit should be one hundred, as it reads in the Greek. The change requires only a transposition of the first letters in one word, and a consequent alteration of one letter in the other. Exactly the same transposition has occurred in Ezekiel 42:16, where it is corrected in the margin of the Hebrew, and properly translated "five hundred" instead of "five cubits." One cannot conceive of a walk or an entrance of one cubit (twenty inches) serving any useful purpose. Assuming this change, the meaning will be that a walk (see Plan II., K [Ezekiel 40:44-49]) of 10 cubits wide and 100 long led to the entrance of the chambers. That this was on the north is plain from its being expressly said that the door was on the north. It may seem surprising that this should have been in the outer court, but a glance at the plan in connection with what is said below will explain the reason of the arrangement. The length of the walk, 100 cubits, just reaches to the steps of the north gate of the inner court. It will be remembered that in Ezekiel 40:39-43 this was described as the place for killing and preparing the sacrifices. Now, only the fat and kidneys of the sin and trespass and peace offerings were burnt upon the altar; the whole of the former (ordinarily) and the priests' portion of the latter were to be carried to this chamber (Ezekiel 42:13). The walk was therefore placed in the best possible situation.
