Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_200.lzh/6_226.TXT

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.,priests, and only eaten by them; and, like that, bread of
ce.s, as the shew-bread is called {p}; denoting the inter-
cession of Christ, the Angel of God's presence; and who
always appears in the presence of God for his people,
bearing on him the names of the children of Israel, to
which the twelve shew-bread loaves answered. The
table on which they were set signifies the communion
saints have with Christ in his word and ordinances;
which are called a feast, .of which Christ is the sum
and substance; and where, as at a table, he sits and
fayours them with fellowship with himself; see Pray.
ix. 2. Cant. i. lo.., and v. 1. Rev. iii. 20. The Jews {q}
have an observation upon this text, that it begins with
an altar, and ends with a table; and further observe,
that, while the temple stood, the altar stoned for a man,
but now a man's table atones for him: but this is not
a man's table, but the Lord's table; and Christ the
sacrifice held forth on this table does indeed atone for
a man.
Ver..0.3. And the temple and the sanctuary had two
doors.] Or the house of propitiatory, as the Targum;
that is, the most holy place; not two doors apiece,
but each had one door, which made two; the door of
the temple was ten cubits broad, and the door of the
most holy place six cubits, vet. 2, 3. shewing the door
is wider, and more enter into the outward visible
church, or less perfect state, even some bad, as well as
good, than the door of the Jerusalem church-state, or
heavenly glory, into which fewer enter.
Ver. 0.4. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two
turning leaves, &c.] Each of these doors had two
leaves, which met in' a tniddle post, and might be
opened either singly or together, as Occasion required;
see the note on ch. xl. 4S: two leaves for the one door,
and two leaves for the other door; two ibr the door of
the temple, a,,d two for the door of the most holy
place; or each leaf of both doors had two foldings; as
there were two leaves in a door, there were two fold-
ings in every leaf; so that the door might be opened
wider or narrower, as was thought fit; denoting the
greater number of persons let in, and the greater light
and knowledge had, at one time than at another; see
1 Kings vi. 31, 34.
Ver. 25. And there were made on them, on the doors
of the temple, &c.] Both of the holy, and the most
holy place: cherubim and palm-trees, li/ce as were made
on the walls; the doors of both places had- the same de-
corations as the walls of each; see the notes on ver.
18, 19, 20. and so it was in Solomon's temple, I Kings
vi. 32, 35. a cherub and a palm-tree on each leaf, or
on each folding of a leaf, according as it would admit
of: and there were thick planlcs upon the face of the [orch
without; on the outward front of the porch were some
thick wainscot boards, which projected as a cover to
the entrance into it; or, as it may be rendered, also on
the thiclc piece of wood in the front of theporch without {r} ;
which, as Starckius thinks, was a large wooden bar,
which shut and held in the folding leaves of the door;
and on this, or these thick planks, were cherubim and
palm-trees.
Ver. 26. And there were narrow windows, &c.] See
ver. 16: and ch. xl. 16: and pabn-trees on the one side
and on the other side, on the sides of the porch; upon
the posts that were on each side the porch, north
and south; see ch. xl. 16, 26: and upon the side-cham-
bers of the house, and thick planks; that is, there were
palm-trees upon the side-chambers, which were in
number thirty, vet. 6. and upon the planks also;
every part of this fabric within and without were
ornamented.

C H A P. XLII.

In this chapter are a description ofsome chambers in
the northern part of the outward court, vet. 1--12.
an account of the use made of them by the priests, ver.
13, 14. the measuring of the area., or whole compass of
ground, on which the whole building before mea-
sured stood, with the wall that surrounded it, ver.
15--20.
Ver. 1. Then he brought me forth into the utter court,
the way toward the narth, &c.] After the dimensions
of the gates and courts of this building had been shewn,
and that of itself, the holy and most holy place, with
the ornaments thereof; the prophet is brought by his
guide into the outward court, which encompassed the
building to the north part of it; probably he came out
of the north gate of the house into it. So the Targum
renders it, "by the way of the gate which is open to the
"way of the north :" and he brought me into the cham-
ber that was over-against the separate place; or holy of
holies; see ch. xli. l2. over-against or before this, to
the north of it, were a chamber or chambers; the sin-
gular being put for. the plural; whither the prophet
was brought to take a view of, being a new and dis-
tinct building from all others he had seen before; tmto
one of them, or to the place of them, as Jarchi, where
they stood: there were two rows of them opposite to
each other, and a walk between them; they are after-
wards called the north and south chambers, vet. 13:
and uhich was before the building toward the north ; this
chamber or chambers were over-against or before the
whole fabric, to the north of it. The Jews here con-
fess their ignorance, there being nothing in the first or
second temple answerable to these. Lipman ' ex-
pressly says these chambers. were not in the second
temple; perImps they may design the Protestant re-
formed churches in the northern parts of the world;
the religion of Protestants is by the Papists called the
northern heresy: and if our northern churches are here
pointed at and described, it is a great honour that is
done them, to have a particular aparment allotted them
in this wonderful building; compare Psal. xlviii. 2.

{p} \^Mynp Mxl\^ panis facierum, Exod. xxv. 30.
{q} T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 55.1. Chagiga, fol. 26.1. Menachot, fol. 97.1.
{r} \^Uwxhm Mlwah ynp la Ue bew\^ etiam denso ligno in fronte vesti-
buli extrinsecus, Junius & Tremellius; & trabs lignea ante vestibulum
erat foris, Starckius.
{s} Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, sect. 71.