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Ezekiel 40:31

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 40:31 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the ascent to it had eight steps.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
Ezekiel 40:31 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 40

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
28Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29and the lodges thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
30And there were arches round about, five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
31And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
32And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures;
33and the lodges thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
34And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
← Ezekiel 40:30Ezekiel 40:32 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the arches thereof were toward the outward court, &c.] And so not within the gate of the inward court, but on the outside of it, towards the outward court, at the front of the gate as you went in: and palm trees were upon the posts thereof; of the gate, or of these arches or porticos; signifying that none should enter here but righteous persons; this is the gate of the righteous, (<19B819>Psalm 118:19,20 <232602>Isaiah 26:2), (see Gill on “<264016>Ezekiel 40:16”); and the going up to it had eight steps; one more than the ascent to the outward gates; some say eight more, and make these to be fifteen, answerable to the fifteen steps by which the Levites went up from the court of the women…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“eight steps--The outer porch had only seven (Eze 40:26).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Utter court - Translate outward court Ezekiel 40:37; Ezekiel 42:1, Ezekiel 42:7, Ezekiel 42:14; Ezekiel 44:19; Ezekiel 46:20-21. Arches toward the outward court - See Ezekiel 40:14 note. Eight steps - So for the east Ezekiel 40:34 and north gates Ezekiel 40:37. From the precincts to the outer court were “seven” steps, from the outer to the inner court “eight,” making together the number of the Psalms Ps. 120–134, supposed by some to have been called Psalms of Degrees, because they were sung by the choir of Levites upon the steps (“degrees”) of the temple-courts. In later times these Psalms were used as pilgrims’ songs by the Jews who went up from their abodes in foreign countries to…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“and palm: Eze 40:26, Eze 40:34 eight: Eze 40:22, Eze 40:26, Eze 40:34, Eze 40:37 Ezekiel 40:32”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification