Ezekiel 40:38
New International Version
A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings were washed.

New Living Translation
A door led from the entry room of one of the inner gateways into a side room, where the meat for sacrifices was washed.

English Standard Version
There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate, where the burnt offering was to be washed.

Berean Standard Bible
There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed.

King James Bible
And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

New King James Version
There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they washed the burnt offering.

New American Standard Bible
A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering.

NASB 1995
A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering.

NASB 1977
And a chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering.

Legacy Standard Bible
A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering.

Amplified Bible
A chamber with its doorway was by the side pillars of the gates; there the burnt offering was to be washed.

Christian Standard Bible
There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico. The burnt offering was to be washed there.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
There was a chamber whose door opened into the portico of the gate. The burnt offering was to be washed there.

American Standard Version
And a chamber with the door thereof was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt-offering.

English Revised Version
And a chamber with the door thereof was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
There was a room with a door that opened toward the entrance hall of the gateway. This is the room where the priests washed the animals for the burnt offerings.

Good News Translation
In the outer courtyard there was an annex attached to the inner gateway on the north side. It opened into the entrance room that faced the courtyard, and there they washed the carcasses of the animals to be burned whole as sacrifices.

International Standard Version
There was a chamber with a doorway by the side pillars next to the gate where they prepare the burnt offerings.

Majority Standard Bible
There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed.

NET Bible
There was a chamber with its door by the porch of the gate; there they washed the burnt offering.

New Heart English Bible
And a chamber with its door was by the porch of the gate; there they washed the burnt offering.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the chambers and its entries were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt-offering.

World English Bible
A room with its door was by the posts at the gates. They washed the burnt offering there.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the chamber and its opening [is] by the posts of the gates, there they purge the burnt-offering.

Young's Literal Translation
And the chamber and its opening is by the posts of the gates, there they purge the burnt-offering.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the cell and its entrance by the posts of the gates, there they will cleanse the burnt-offering.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And at every chamber was a door in the forefronts of the gates: there they washed the holocaust.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And at each one of the storerooms, there was a door at the front of the gates. There, they washed the holocaust.

New American Bible
There was a chamber opening off the vestibule of the gate where burnt offerings were washed.

New Revised Standard Version
There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate, where the burnt offering was to be washed.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the rooms and the vestibules thereof were by the porticoes of the gates, where they placed burnt offerings.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And there was a chamber door in the porches of the gate, and there they lay burning peace offerings
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And a chamber with the entry thereof was by the posts at the gates; there was the burnt-offering to be washed.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Its chambers and its door-ways, and its porches at the second gate served as a drain,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
38There was a chamber with a doorway by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed. 39Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.…

Cross References
Leviticus 1:3-5
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD. / He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. / And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

2 Chronicles 4:6
He also made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the priests used the Sea for washing.

Exodus 29:38-42
This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. / Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. / With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. ...

Leviticus 4:4-7
He must bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the LORD. / Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting. / The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. ...

Hebrews 9:12-14
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. / For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, / how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Leviticus 6:9-13
“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. / And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. / Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place. ...

1 Kings 8:64
On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these offerings.

Hebrews 10:11-14
Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. / But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. / Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet, ...

Leviticus 16:15-19
Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. / So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities. / No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel. ...

Numbers 28:3-8
And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. / Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, / along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ...

Hebrews 13:10-12
We have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat. / Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp. / And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.

Leviticus 17:3-6
‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it / instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people. / For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. ...

2 Chronicles 29:21-24
They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD. / So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar. / Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them. ...

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Leviticus 9:7-9
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.” / So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. / The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.


Treasury of Scripture

And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

the chambers

Ezekiel 40:12
The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

Ezekiel 41:10,11
And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side…

1 Kings 6:8
The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.

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Burnt Burnt-Offering Chamber Chambers Covered Door Doorway Entries Entry Gate Gates Gateways Inner Offering Offerings Opening Pillars Portico Posts Purge Rinse Room Side Thereof Vestibule Washed Way
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Burnt Burnt-Offering Chamber Chambers Covered Door Doorway Entries Entry Gate Gates Gateways Inner Offering Offerings Opening Pillars Portico Posts Purge Rinse Room Side Thereof Vestibule Washed Way
Ezekiel 40
1. The time, manner, and end of the vision of the city and temple
6. The description of the east gate of the outer court
20. of the north gate
24. of the south gate
27. of the south gate of the inner court
32. of the east gate
35. and of the north gate
39. Eight tables
44. The chambers
48. The porch of the house














There was a chamber
The Hebrew word for "chamber" is "lishkah," which refers to a room or a space designated for a specific purpose. In the context of the temple, chambers were often used for storage or specific ritual functions. This particular chamber's presence highlights the meticulous organization and sacred purpose of the temple complex. It signifies a place set apart for holy activities, emphasizing the order and sanctity that God desires in worship.

with a doorway
The term "doorway" in Hebrew is "petach," indicating an entrance or opening. This doorway serves as a transition point, symbolizing access to a sacred space. In the spiritual sense, doorways often represent opportunities or transitions into deeper experiences with God. The presence of a doorway here underscores the accessibility of God's presence and the invitation to enter into His holy service.

by the portico of the gate
The "portico" or "ulam" in Hebrew refers to a porch or a covered entrance. The portico of the gate suggests a place of transition and preparation before entering the more sacred areas of the temple. Historically, porticos were common in ancient Near Eastern architecture, serving as places of gathering or waiting. Spiritually, this can be seen as a place of reflection and readiness, preparing one's heart before approaching God.

where the burnt offerings
The phrase "burnt offerings" translates from the Hebrew "olah," meaning "that which goes up" or "ascent," referring to the smoke rising to God. Burnt offerings were a central part of Israelite worship, symbolizing atonement, dedication, and the complete surrender of the worshiper to God. This sacrificial act points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who offered Himself wholly for the atonement of humanity's sins.

were to be washed
The act of washing, from the Hebrew "rachats," signifies purification and cleansing. In the temple context, washing the offerings was a necessary step to ensure that what was presented to God was pure and acceptable. This ritual cleansing reflects the broader biblical theme of purification, reminding believers of the need for spiritual cleanliness and the transformative power of God's grace. It points to the New Testament teaching of being washed by the Word and the Spirit, preparing believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

(38) And the chambers and the entries thereof.--These words in the original are in the singular, and have no article. The word for chamber is an entirely different one from that used in the former part of the chapter (Ezekiel 40:10; Ezekiel 40:12-13). The verse should be translated, "And a cell with its door by the posts of the gates; there they washed the burnt offering." All the arrangements for sacrificing are here described in connection with the north gate, although in Ezekiel 46:2 it is said that at certain festivals the prince shall enter by the east gate, and there worship while the priests prepare his offerings. In the law it was required (Leviticus 1:11; Leviticus 6:25; Leviticus 7:2) that all sacrifices should be slain in the court at the north side of the altar. Here the slaying is done at the north gate, but within the outer court. The reason appears to be that in the law each offerer was to slay his own victim, but here (Ezekiel 44:11) the sacrifice is to be slain by the Levites, and it was therefore desirable that it should be done in the presence of the offerer and the people, i.e., in the outer court. There was also a further reason in the convenience of disposing of the flesh of the victims. Only the whole burnt offerings and the fat and the kidneys of the others required to be taken to the altar in the inner court; while all the flesh of the sin offerings and the priests' portion of the peace offerings was to be carried to the priests' cooking place (F, Plan II.) to which a walk led from this point. The rest of the flesh of the peace offerings was taken to the people's cooking places (E) in the corners of the outer court. . . . Verses 38-43. - The arrangements for sacrifice. Three things demand attention - the cells for washing, the tables for slaughtering, and the hooks. Verse 38. - The chambers. As the verse explains, these were different from the guard-rooms in the gates (vers. 7, 21) and the chambers on the pavement (ver. 17), although the same Hebrew word is employed to designate the latter. The cells under consideration were expressly designed for washing "the inwards and the legs" of the victims brought for sacrifice (Leviticus 1:9). Whether such a cell stood at each of the three gates, as the plural seems to indicate, although described only in connection with the north (Keil, Kliefoth, Plumptre), or merely at one gate, and that the north - because, according to the Law (Leviticus 1:11; Leviticus 6:18; Leviticus 7:2), on the north side of the altar burnt, sin, and trespass offerings were to be killed (Havernick, Hengstenberg) - or the east, which is alluded to in vet, s. 39, 40 (Hitzig, Ewald, Smend), is controverted, though the former view seems the preferable, seeing that, according to Ezekiel 46:1, 2, the priests were to prepare burnt offerings and peace offerings for the prince at the posts of the east gate. The situation of the cells is stated to have been by (or, beside) the posts of (i.e. at) the gates (see on ver. 14), but on which side of the gates, whether near the right or left pillar, no information is furnished. Keil and Kliefoth place those at the south and north gates on the west side; that at the east gate Keil locates on its north side, Kliefoth placing one in the side wall at each side of the gate.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
There was a chamber
וְלִשְׁכָּ֣ה (wə·liš·kāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3957: Room, chamber, hall, cell

with a doorway
וּפִתְחָ֔הּ (ū·p̄iṯ·ḥāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6607: An opening, door, entrance way

by the portico
בְּאֵילִ֖ים (bə·’ê·lîm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 352: Strength, strong, a chief, a ram, a pilaster, an oak, strong tree

in each of the inner gateways.
הַשְּׁעָרִ֑ים (haš·šə·‘ā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

There
שָׁ֖ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

the burnt offering
הָעֹלָֽה׃ (hā·‘ō·lāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

was to be washed.
יָדִ֥יחוּ (yā·ḏî·ḥū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1740: To rinse, cleanse away by rinsing or washing


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 40:38 A chamber with its door was (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 40:37
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