Ezekiel 40:3

“And he brought me thither, &c.] Being brought into the land of Israel in vision, and to a high mountain in it, by which were as the frame of a city; he was from thence brought to the city or temple itself, which looked like one: and, behold, a note of attention and admiration: there was a man; one in human form; not a created angel, but the Messiah, the builder and owner of the city and temple, whom it was proper the prophet should first have a view of; and by whom he was to be made acquainted with the several parts and dimensions of those buildings: he is called a “man”, not that he was a mere man, but the eternal God; or otherwise he would not have been fit to be the architect or builder…”

“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 (Zac 2:1). reed--used in measuring houses (Rev 21:15). It marked the straightness of the walls.”

“The 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. return to 'Top of Page'”

“A man - The same no doubt that appeared to the prophet, Eze 1:26, whose name is the branch, and who builds the temple, Zac 6:12-13, whose colour was like burnished brass; Rev 1:15, which speaks glory and strength. A line - A plumb - line, a mason's line to discover the rectitude of the building, or its defects. In the gate - In the north gate, next toward the east. Ezekiel 40:5”

“40:3 a man whose face shone like bronze: An angelic guide would host Ezekiel’s tour of the Temple. The bronze color is reminiscent of the heavenly creatures described in the opening vision (see 1:7). Unlike the guide for his previous visionary tour of the earthly Temple in chs 8–11, this guide was armed only with a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod, implements of construction rather than destruction. Measurement is a key theme in the chapters that follow, enabling the prophet to highlight the importance of certain parts of the Temple by making them larger and more precisely determined than other parts.”

“whose: Eze 1:7, Eze 1:27; Dan 10:5, Dan 10:6; Rev 1:15 with: Eze 47:3; Isa 8:20, Isa 28:17; Zac 2:1, Zac 2:2; Rev 11:1, Rev 21:15 Ezekiel 40:4”