And these are the measures of the altar in cubits the cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth. The bottom was a cubit [in height] and the breadth a cubit, and its border on the edge thereof round about, one span and this was the base of the altar.
The glory of the Lord has filled the house, and now God measures the altar in front of it, part by part. So why record a base, a rim and a ledge in such detail — and why is the measuring unit so unusual?
One writer draws meaning from where the altar stands in the plan.
We turn from the vision of Jehovah's glory entering the house to the detailed measure of the altar. It stood at the centre of the whole enclosure, directly before the house. God looks out, as it were, from the place of His rest upon the place of sacrifice, which presents the basis of all blessing and glory.
The blessing that flows from it is not limited to Israel.
It stands as a lasting memorial of Christ and His sacrifice. This is central to all the blessing and glory in which Israel and the nations will participate, as indeed it is in regard to the whole universe (Col. 1:19-20).
The altar rises from the ground in stages, and each stage has its own size.
The "bottom," or ash pit, on the ground, is a square of sixteen cubits and one cubit high. The lower ledge is fourteen cubits square and two cubits high; the altar itself is twelve cubits square and four cubits high.
The verse pauses to define its own unit, and one writer takes that definition apart.
What is the cubit? It is simply the human forearm, measured from the tip of the elbow to the end of the little finger… The measure in human hands, as used here, is the measure of what man accomplishes… But man's weakness shows in his very measure. In every undertaking, in everything he accomplishes, he needs the support of Another… The cubit by itself is, then, strictly human. But if we add the handbreadth to it, this plainly gives us what lies beyond man.
That extra handbreadth also changes the scale of the whole building.
Ezekiel's cubit is one-sixth larger: it is a cubit and a handbreadth (Ezek. 40:5), the handbreadth counted as one-sixth of the ordinary cubit. His reed of six large cubits is therefore equal to seven ordinary cubits. Seven is the Scriptural number for completeness or perfection. So it is worth noticing that the measurements of Ezekiel's temple, the millennial temple, are brought up to the scale of perfectness.
Measuring runs right through these chapters, and it carries weight of its own.
This work of measuring has prophetic meaning… It suggests God's care and interest. Everything to do with His purposes and promises matters. It may also mean that God has risen up to take possession — He is asserting His title. Every false claim will be set aside, all stolen possession removed, and everything established by the measure of truth and righteousness.
Some read these chapters as a picture of the return from Babylon long ago. One writer answers that the history does not fit.
We have already seen that it is useless to apply this description to the past return from Babylon… the glory of God's presence never came back. The Jews were then groaning under Gentile power. Still less can it apply since the Romans destroyed the city. Why then should anyone dodge the only answer left? The fulfilment is future.
If that altar is still future, offerings will burn on it again. Some readers find that hard to accept.
Some have felt a difficulty about sacrifices being restored. The difficulty disappears when we remember that these sacrifices will belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and will be acts of remembrance… in the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin which was offered on the cross, just as those living under the law given through Moses pointed forward to it.
The same writer warns against pulling that future system into the present.
Ritualism tries to bring in the sacrificial system now, when we are called to act in the faith of the one offering of Christ, accepted in heaven. That is a falling away, a return to Jewish forms. But we ought not to close our eyes to the revelation of this future day for the earth, when God approves priest and people, sacrifice and altar, for Israel.
- Measure — the measuring is God taking possession. It shows His care for every detail, and it asserts His title.
- Centre — the altar stands at the heart of the courts, right before the house. God looks out from His rest upon the place of sacrifice.
- Base — the measures start at the ground, at the ash pit, one cubit high and sixteen cubits square. From there the altar rises in ledges.
- Cubit — the unit is the human forearm, the measure of what man can do. The added handbreadth is what lies beyond man, and it lifts the whole temple to a scale of completeness.
- Memorial — the offerings burned there in a future day take no sin away. They look back to the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
And from the bottom upon the ground to the lower settle was two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the small settle to the great settle, four cubits, and the breadth a cubit.
The measuring of the altar moves up from the ground — base, lower ledge, upper ledge. Why does God record the size of every step of a stone platform, and what will Israel one day bring to it?
These measurements follow the vision of the Lord's glory entering the house. One writer shows where the altar stood, and what God looks out on from His place of rest:
We turn from the vision of Jehovah's glory entering the house to the detailed measure of the altar. It stood at the centre of the whole enclosure, directly in front of the house. God looks out, as it were, from the place of His rest on what presents the basis of all blessing and glory — the place of sacrifice. The altar stands as a memorial bearing witness to Christ. He is the true Burnt Offering. His sacrifice never loses its power, and every offering brought to this altar recalls it.
The verse names three levels: the base on the ground, a lower ledge, and a higher one. One writer gives the size of each part, and compares the whole altar with the two Israel had known before:
In size it stands between the altar of the tabernacle and the altar of Solomon's temple (Ezek. 43). The "bottom," or ash pit, on the ground, is a square of sixteen cubits, and one cubit high. The lesser settle or ledge is fourteen cubits square and two cubits high; the altar itself is twelve cubits square and four cubits high.
Another translation gives the size of the cubit in use and names the top surface:
The cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth… and the hearth (literally Ariel, or lion of God) four cubits.
The ledge measured here is not decoration. A few verses later, blood touches the very corners this verse defines:
There will be a special ordinance when the new order begins, on the day the altar is made and sprinkled with blood. Sacrifices will be offered on the altar for seven days. The blood will be put on the four horns, on the four corners of the settle [ledge], and on the border all around (Ezek. 43:20-26).
One writer reads the figures as a pattern, because the main dimensions share a single divisor:
Ezekiel's altar is 12x12 cubits. Its main dimensions are 18, 16, 14, and 12 cubits. The one number that divides them all is two. As people often note, two speaks of competent witness, of fellowship, and especially of Christ… This last figure is the top of the structure. It is foursquare, 12 cubits on each side (4x3) — the number of divine government worked out through the whole creation… This seems to be the lesson of the altar, if we may read it by the number-symbolism of Scripture.
No altar has ever matched these figures. That fact shapes how we read the chapter:
We have already seen that it is useless to apply this description to the past return from Babylon… the Shechinah, the glory of God's presence, never came back. The Jews were groaning under Gentile power at that time. Since the Romans destroyed the city, it fits even less. Why then should men dodge the only alternative left? The fulfilment is future.
This altar will one day carry real sacrifices. One writer explains which way they point:
Some have felt a difficulty about sacrifices being restored. The difficulty goes away once we remember that these sacrifices belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and that they are commemorative in character. Under the old order they had no power at all apart from the way they pointed to Christ, for "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as the sacrifices under the law given through Moses pointed forward to it. So they will simply recall to the grateful, worshipping hearts of God's people the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, which cleanses from all sin.
- Centre. The altar stands in front of the house, at the centre of the whole enclosure. God looks out from His rest on the place of sacrifice.
- Base. Measuring starts on the ground with the ash pit, rises to the lesser ledge, then to the greater — and the whole altar stands as a memorial bearing witness to Christ.
- Blood. Blood later touches the very ledges this verse defines, so the measurements are for use, not display.
- Future. No past return from exile matches these figures; the fulfilment is still ahead.
- Memorial. Earlier offerings pointed forward to the cross; these will look back to it — one sacrifice, recalled by an earthly people in an earthly temple.
And the upper altar was four cubits; and from the hearth of God and upward were four horns.
This last measurement names the top of the altar: the hearth where the fire burns, with four horns at its corners. Two questions follow. What do the Hebrew names behind "altar hearth" mean? And why does a temple in a coming age still need a place of sacrifice?
Two Hebrew words stand behind the wording of verses 15 and 16, and commentators differ over how to render them:
It may be worth noticing first that the regular word for altar is neither of these terms. It is Mizbeach, from the verb zebach, to slay, especially to slay as a sacrifice. That is the word used in verses 13, 18, 22, 27. The words in question are figurative. The first, Harel, means the upper altar, which follows naturally from where the word comes from. The second can mean "lion of God," but here it is better taken as "hearth of God" — the whole upper surface of the altar.
Where the ESV has "altar hearth," another writer gives the name of the upper altar as "Mount of God":
Finally, it is remarkable that the Hebrew name of the upper altar in Ezekiel's temple is also "Har-El" or Mount of God (Ezek. 43:15). Here too, the altar is the place where man will draw near to God in a coming age. It is on the same basis of a burnt offering. That offering points to Christ, the true sacrifice which God Himself provided and which pleased Him completely.
The verse ends with four horns. Blood on them changes the direction of what they stand for:
The horn is a symbol of strength. So when the blood touched the horns, the whole strength of the altar changed direction. That strength had been against the sinner; now it works on his behalf. And it was shown in all its completeness. In this way the horns of the altar became a place of refuge, a sanctuary no one could violate, for all who had a right to their protection on the ground of the sprinkled blood. Joab sought this protection when he fled from Solomon (1 Kings 2:28); but he had no claim on it, for he was a murderer, and he was killed. Wherever there is trust in the value of the sacrifice offered to God on the altar, no power on earth or in hell can touch the soul that rests under its shelter and protection.
The altar rises in stages, and the hearth is the top one:
It is between the size of the one in the Tabernacle and the one in Solomon's Temple (Ezek. 43). The "bottom," or ash-pit, on the ground, is a square of sixteen cubits, one cubit high. The lesser ledge is fourteen cubits square and two cubits high; the altar itself is twelve cubits square, four cubits high.
Where the altar stands in the plan matters:
We pass from the vision of the entering glory of Jehovah to the detailed measure of the altar. It stood at the centre of the whole enclosure, right in front of the house. God looks out, as it were, from the place of His rest upon that which presents the basis of all blessing and glory — the place of sacrifice. It stands as a memorial bearing witness to Christ. He is the true Burnt Offering, and every offering presented on this altar recalls His sacrifice, which never loses its power.
Many readers stumble at an altar and animal offerings after the cross:
Some have found the restoring of sacrifices hard to accept. The difficulty disappears when we remember two things. These sacrifices will belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and they will be commemorative in character. Under the old system they had no power at all apart from their reference to Christ, for it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins (Heb. 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as those under the law foreshadowed it.
That future arrangement is no pattern for the present:
It is the renewal of sacrifice when the earth and Israel come under the reign of Messiah. He will be displayed in glory, governing in righteousness and peace. Ritualism, which seeks to bring in the sacrificial system now, is a falling away, a return to Jewish forms. We are called instead to act in faith of the one offering of Christ, accepted in heaven.
- Named — the top of the altar has a figurative name, "hearth of God." Its other name, "Mount of God," marks the place where man draws near.
- Strong — the four horns are the altar's strength. Blood on them turns that strength from a threat to the sinner into shelter for him.
- Central — the altar stands at the centre of the enclosure, in front of the house. Sacrifice is the basis of all blessing.
- Memorial — every offering on that hearth points back to Christ, the true Burnt Offering. It points forward to nothing still needed.
- Future — the restored altar belongs to Israel under Messiah's reign. To revive a sacrificial system now turns away from the one offering already accepted in heaven.
And the hearth of God was twelve [cubits] long, by twelve broad, square in the four sides thereof.
Ezekiel is still inside his vision of a future temple, and the measuring has now reached the altar. Why measure a place of sacrifice so closely, and what is a square hearth doing in front of the house God has just filled with His glory?
Nothing in Israel's history has yet matched this vision. The measuring of the altar belongs to a scene still ahead.
We have already seen that it is useless to apply this description to the past return from Babylon… The present chapter is evidence enough; there has been no return of the Shechinah. The Jews were then groaning under Gentile power. Since the destruction of the city by the Romans it applies still less. Why then should men avoid the only alternative? The fulfilment is future. Israel will yet return to the land, be truly converted, and be blessed under Jehovah their God.
The word Ezekiel uses for the altar's top is not the usual Hebrew word for altar. It can be read as "lion of God," though one writer argues for "hearth of God" here.
It may be well to notice first that the regular word for altar is neither of these terms, but Mizbeach. That word comes from the verb zebach, to slay, and especially to slay as a sacrifice. So this is the word used in verses 13, 18, 22, 27. The words in question are figurative. The first, Harel, means the upper altar, and that sense follows naturally from the word it comes from. The second can mean "lion of God," though in this scripture it means "hearth of God" — the whole upper surface of the altar.
The altar is not tucked away at the edge. It stands in the middle of the enclosure, in front of the house.
We pass from the vision of the entering glory of Jehovah to the detailed measure of the altar. It stood at the centre of the whole enclosure, directly before the house. God looks out, as it were, from the place of His rest upon that which presents the basis of all blessing and glory — the place of sacrifice. It stands as a memorial bearing witness to Christ. He is the true Burnt Offering. His sacrifice never loses its power, and every offering presented on this altar recalls it.
A square top is not new in Scripture. The same shape marks many things set apart for God.
This may be the most perfect earthly shape for a flat figure (the "cube" being perfection for a solid). It was the shape of the bronze altar, Ex. 27:1; the breastplate, Ex. 28:16; and the altar of incense, Ex. 30:2… also of the court of the future temple, Ezek. 40:47; the altar of the same, Ezek. 43:16; the portion of the land offered as a holy oblation, Ezek. 48:20; the sanctuary, Ezek. 45:2; and the city, Ezek. 48:16.
Twelve is the measure of the altar's topmost part. One writer takes that number as a picture of God's rule over the whole creation.
Ezekiel's altar is 12x12 cubits. Its principal dimensions are 18, 16, 14, and 12 cubits… This last is the topmost part of the structure, and it is foursquare, 12 cubits each side (4x3). Twelve is the number of divine government exercised throughout creation, according to the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Christ. To that fullness all things in heaven and on earth are reconciled, in the power of the blood of the cross by which peace has been made.
Ezekiel's cubit is not the ordinary one. Verse 13 adds a handbreadth to it, and one writer finds meaning in that small addition.
What is the cubit? It is simply the human forearm, measured from the elbow-tip to the end of the little finger… It stands for what man is to accomplish, yet man's weakness comes out in his very measure. In everything he undertakes and accomplishes, he needs the support of Another. The cubit by itself is, then, strictly human. But now, if we add the handbreadth to it, this gives us plainly what is beyond man… Man may have his part in the structure the prophet sees in vision, but it must be man enabled and guarded by the divine hand upon him.
- Future — Ezekiel's temple has never yet stood. The glory has not returned, so the fulfilment waits for Israel's restoration and blessing.
- Central — The altar is not at the edge. It stands in front of the house, and God looks out from His place of rest onto the place of sacrifice.
- Memorial — Every offering laid on that hearth points to Christ. He is the true Burnt Offering, and His sacrifice never loses its power.
- Square — Twelve by twelve on all four sides. It is the shape of things set apart for God, and one writer reads it as His rule over creation.
- Measured — Even the measuring rod is a forearm plus a handbreadth. Man has his part, but a hand beyond his own holds him up.
And the settle was fourteen [cubits] long by fourteen broad in the four sides thereof; and the border about it, half a cubit; and the bottom thereof a cubit round about and its steps looked toward the east.
The measuring of the great altar ends here: its ledge, its rim, its base, and the way up, which faces east. Why does God measure a place of sacrifice so exactly? And why are there steps at all, when steps up to an altar were once forbidden?
Commentators read the altar's place in the plan as the point of the whole vision.
We turn from the vision of the glory of Jehovah entering, and look at the detailed measure of the altar. It stood at the centre of the whole enclosure, right in front of the house. From the place of His rest God looks out, as it were, on what presents the basis of all blessing and glory — the place of sacrifice. It stands as a memorial bearing witness to Christ. He is the true Burnt Offering, and every offering presented on this altar recalls His sacrifice, whose power lasts for ever.
The same writer notes who would be looking at it, and what they would read there:
The worshippers in the outer court, and "the Prince" who came in among them or sat in the east gate, would have their attention and interest fixed on this great altar. We may say that the glory of God in the house would look toward it. It would always stand before the eyes of all as basic to the blessing and welfare of the people. It gave visible expression of their acceptance, and of the ground on which the glory could stay among them.
The fourteen cubits of this verse belong to a structure that rises in stages. Older translations call the ledges "settles."
In size it comes between the altar of the Tabernacle and the altar of Solomon's Temple. The "bottom," or ash pit, on the ground, is a square of sixteen cubits, one cubit high. The lower settle, or ledge, is fourteen cubits square and two cubits high. The altar itself is twelve cubits square and four cubits high.
One writer finds a lesson in the falling series of numbers, read by the number-symbolism of Scripture:
Ezekiel's altar is 12x12 cubits. Its principal dimensions are 18, 16, 14, and 12 cubits. The one number that divides them all is two, which, as often noted, speaks of competent witness, fellowship, and above all of Christ… The topmost part of the structure is foursquare, 12 cubits on each side (4x3). That is the number of divine government over all creation, according to the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in Christ. All things in heaven and on earth are reconciled to that fulness by the power of the blood of the cross, by which peace has been made.
Exodus 20:26 banned going up to God's altar by steps, so that the priest's nakedness would not be exposed. Here the plan includes steps, and commentators differ on why the ban no longer applies. One writer ties it to the finished work of Christ:
For the latter, steps will be made — the very thing forbidden in Exodus 20:26. For then the priests will be enjoying the rich results of the sacrifice of Christ, and by virtue of that sacrifice their nakedness will not appear… No perfection apart from that sacrifice. No lack of it when enjoying the fruits of the death of God's own Son.
Another limits the original command to a particular kind of altar:
The ban on steps in Exodus 20:26 refers to the early altar of EARTH or of UNCUT STONE. Of that altar it was also said that lifting a tool upon it would pollute it. The priests' garments, given later, removed the need for the ban.
No one has ever built this altar. One commentator places the vision in a future day under Messiah, and warns against bringing its ritual into the present:
It is the renewal of sacrifice when the earth and Israel come under the reign of Messiah. He will be displayed in glory, and will govern in righteousness and peace. It is apostasy, a turning back to Jewish ritual, when ritualism tries to bring in the sacrificial system now. We are called instead to act in faith of the one offering of Christ, accepted in heaven.
In that future age the offerings will point back to the cross, not repeat it:
Under the old order the sacrifices had no power at all apart from the way they pointed to Christ… and in the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as the sacrifices under the law of Moses pointed forward to it.
- Centre. The altar stands at the middle of the whole enclosure, in front of the house the glory has entered. God looks out on the place of sacrifice.
- Measure. The fourteen-cubit ledge is one stage in a structure of eighteen, sixteen, fourteen and twelve. One writer reads Christ in those numbers.
- Ascent. Steps facing east give a way up where Exodus once forbade one. Commentators differ: some point to the covering won by Christ's sacrifice, others to the sort of altar Exodus had in view.
- Memorial. What is offered there will not add to the cross but recall it — remembrance, not repetition.
- Acceptance. For everyone in the courts the altar was the visible sign that they were accepted, and the ground on which God's glory could stay among them.