Ezekiel 40:3

Ezekiel 40:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
• New International Version (NIV)He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

Context of Ezekiel 40:3

1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was taken, on that same day the hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me there. 2In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. 4The man said to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.” 5And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod.

Ezekiel 40:3 word by word

וַיָּבֵ֨יא אוֹתִ֜י שָׁ֗מָּה וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ֙ מַרְאֵ֙הוּ֙ כְּמַרְאֵ֣ה נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וּפְתִיל־פִּשְׁתִּ֥ים בְּיָד֖וֹ וּקְנֵ֣ה הַמִּדָּ֑ה וְה֥וּא עֹמֵ֖ד בַּשָּֽׁעַר׃Read the interlinear

• So He broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• me thereשָׁםshâm · thereH8033
• and beholdהִנֵּהhinnêh · beholdH2009
• there was a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• whose appearanceמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
• bronzeנְחֹ֫שֶׁתnechôsheth · bronzeH5178
• lineפָּתִילpâthîyl · cordH6616
• of flaxפֵּ֫שֶׁתpishteh · flaxH6593
• measuringמִדָּהmiddâh · measureH4060
• rodקָנֶהqâneh · branch: stemH7070
• in his handיָדyâd · handH3027
• and he was standingעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• in the gatewayשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179

Cross-references for Ezekiel 40:3

• Ezekiel 1:7Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze.
• Daniel 10:5I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz.
• Revelation 1:15His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
• Ezekiel 47:3When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles.
• Isaiah 8:20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
• Isaiah 28:17I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place.
• Zechariah 2:1Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.
• Revelation 11:1Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
• Revelation 21:15The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 40:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3A man, whose appearance was like - brass - Like bright polished brass, which strongly reflected the rays of light. Probably he had what we would term a nimbus or glory round his head. This was either an angel; or, as some think, a personal appearance of our blessed Lord.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The appearance of brass - Brightly shining. A line of flax - For measuring the ground plan. A measuring reed - For the walls (compare Jeremiah 31:38-39). To measure implied a separation for sacred purposes. The measurements are: (1) exact, to show that the promise is certain; (2) equal, to denote harmony; (3) vast, to mark majesty and grandeur.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3a man whose appearance was like bronze: An angelic guide would lead Ezekiel's tour of the temple. The bronze color reminds us of the heavenly creatures described in the first vision (see Ezekiel 1:7). Unlike the guide for his earlier vision of the earthly temple in Ezekiel 8–11, this guide carried only a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod. These are tools for building, not destroying. Measurement is a key theme in the following chapters. It allows…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. man--The Old Testament manifestations of heavenly beings as men prepared men's minds for the coming incarnation. brass--resplendent. line--used for longer measurements (Zec 2:1). reed--used in measuring houses (Re 21:15). It marked the straightness of the walls.Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 40:3

• Flax
• Reed

In the dictionaries

• Measuring Reed
• Balance
• Building
• Linen
• Prospect
• Architecture
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Desire of All Nations
• Ezekiel

Commentaries on Ezekiel 40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings