Ezekiel 41:23 — Word Study
WLCוּשְׁתַּ֧יִם דְּלָת֛וֹת לַֽהֵיכָ֖ל וְלַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃
BSABoth the outer sanctuaryhêykâl [holy place, sacred area] and the inner sanctuaryqôdesh [very holy, set-apart] had doubleshᵉnayim [two, paired] doorsdeleth [swinging gates, entrances]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּשְׁתַּ֧יִם | and two | Conjunction |
| דְּלָת֛וֹת | doors | Noun common, feminine plural absolute |
| לַֽהֵיכָ֖ל | [belonged] to the temple | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וְלַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ | and to the holy place | Conjunction, preposition, noun |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary had double doors, |
| KJV | And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. |
| ASV | And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. |
| YLT | And two doors [are] to the temple and to the sanctuary; |
| WEB | The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. |
| BBE | The Temple had two doors. |
The translations agree on the description of the double doors leading to the sacred areas.
The sentence has a main clause with a straightforward subject and predicate structure.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Ezekiel 41:23
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Design of the Templegenerated
Ezekiel 41:23 describes the architectural details of the temple, focusing on the entrances to both the outer and inner sanctuaries. This verse highlights the significance of these entrances in relation to the sacred spaces within the temple, emphasizing their role in the worship practices of ancient Israel. The description continues with further details about the doors in the following verses, illustrating the care and design of the temple structure.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Kings 6:31–35 | For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts. |
| 2 | 2 Chronicles 4:22 | the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers of purest gold; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place as well as the doors of the main hall. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שְׁנַיִם, u.she.Ta.yimgenerated
The word שְׁנַיִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It denotes pairs or dualities, often used in contexts where things come in twos, such as witnesses or tablets. The parsing indicates it is a conjunction, linking it to the following noun, דְּלָת֛וֹת (delatot), which means 'doors.'
This word appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, underscoring its importance in counting and describing pairs. It derives from a dual form, connecting to the idea of things that are inherently linked.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree that the verse describes two doors, with the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE all rendering it similarly.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is centered around the subject וּשְׁתַּ֧יִם (and two), which introduces the noun phrase דְּלָת֛וֹת (doors). The structure is straightforward, with prepositional phrases indicating the relationship of the doors to the temple and the holy place.
The Hebrew syntax places emphasis on the number of doors, highlighting their significance in the context of the temple's layout.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, שְׁנַיִם is rendered as δύο, which also means 'two.' This choice maintains the numerical significance of the doors while aligning with the Greek language's structure.
The Greek term for 'doors' is θυρώματα, which captures the same meaning as the Hebrew, indicating entrances or gates, thus preserving the original intent of the description.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezekiel 41:23 describes the entrances to both the outer and inner sanctuaries of the temple, noting that both had double doors. This detail emphasizes the importance of these entrances in the sacred space of the temple.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The double doors represent access to the sacred areas of the temple, highlighting the importance of entering into God's presence.
The outer sanctuary is for general worship, while the inner sanctuary is more sacred, reserved for the most holy rituals.
Similar descriptions can be found in 1 Kings 6:31–35 and 2 Chronicles 4:22, which also detail the entrances and design of the temple.
The doors symbolize the transition from the secular to the sacred, marking the importance of entering into a holy space.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to enter into a sacred space for worship?
- How can we better understand the significance of physical structures in our spiritual lives?
- In what ways do we prepare ourselves to enter into God's presence?
- What parallels can we draw between the temple's design and our own lives as places of worship?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Jerome references this verse while discussing the temple's structure, noting the significance of the double doors in relation to the sacred spaces.
And he spoke to me: This is the table before the Lord, and there were two doors in the temple and in the sanctuary, and in the two doors on each side there were two little doors that folded into each other.Early Church Fathers on Ezekiel 41 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezekiel 41:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd 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
Read John Gill on Ezekiel 41 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezekiel 41 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleEach had one door, so there were two doors, and they were folding doors, or two-leaved doors.
Read Matthew Poole on Ezekiel 41 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsEzekiel 41:23 And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.Ver. 23. Had two doors.] Understand hereby the means of grace, and ministers dispensing the same, whereby souls are brought home to Christ.
Read John Trapp on Ezekiel 41 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges23–26. The doors of the holy place and the holiest. The temple or holy place and the holiest had each a two-leaved door; and each of the leaves was again divided into two leaves.
Read Cambridge on Ezekiel 41 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleSee the marginal reference. Ezekiel 41:25 Thick planks - Others render it: leaves in wood (and in Ezekiel 41:26).
Read Albert Barnes on Ezekiel 41 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible23-26. The temple and inner sanctuary had folding doors (1 Kings 6:31) carved with cherubs and palms (see Ezekiel 41:18; Ezekiel 41:20), and “there was a wooden ab (an unknown construction) in front
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Ezekiel 41 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary had double doors,
The temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary had double doors,
The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double door.
Tyndale line
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
And the Temple and the Sanctuarie had two doores.
Strictly literal
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
And two doors [are] to the temple and to the sanctuary;
And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors;
And the temple and the holy of holies had two doors.
There were double doors for the holy place and the most holy place.
From the Latin
And there were two doors in the temple, and in the sanctuary.
Simplified
The Temple and the sanctuary both had hinged double doors.
The Temple had two doors.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all four words matched in the translation. This consistency suggests a shared understanding of the temple's structure in both traditions.
וּשְׁתַּ֧יִם דְּלָת֛וֹת לַֽהֵיכָ֖ל וְלַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Ezekiel 41:23
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
שְׁנַ֫יִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It can denote 'both,' 'double,' or 'twice,' and is used in various combinations with other numbers. The word is derived as a dual form of שָׁנָה (shanah), which relates to the concept of pairs.
שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two
base
H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two
8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim
dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also
(as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, +
twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.
see HEBREW for 08145
שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) — two.
1) two
1a) two (the cardinal number)
1a1) two, both, double, twice
1b) second (the ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
1d) both (a dual number)
Conj | Adj — ConjunctionHC/Acfda
too.
See NUMBER.
דָּל (dal), דָּלָה (da.lah), and דֶּ֫לֶת (de.let) all refer to a 'door' or 'gate' in Hebrew. The entries indicate various uses, including literal doors and figurative meanings, such as a door of a chamber or even metaphorical doors in poetry. Notably, dal is mentioned in Psalm 141:3.
[דָּל] n.[m.] door only fig.: ψ 141:3.
ref
[דָּלָה] n.f. door, Is 26:20 fig., door of chamber in which people (personified) hides
ref
דֶּ֫לֶת n.f. door
door of house
door of room
gates of city
in other senses
base
H1817a דָּל door H1817b דָּלָה door H1817c דֶּ֫לֶת door
1817 deleth deh'-leth
from 1802; something swinging, i.e. the valve of a
door:--door (two-leaved), gate, leaf, lid. (In Psa. 141:3,
dal, irreg.).
see HEBREW for 01802
דָּל (dal) — door.
door (fig.)
דָּלָה (da.lah) — door.
door (fig., door of chamber in which people (personified) hide)
דֶּ֫לֶת (de.let) — door.
1) door, gate
1a) a door
1b) a gate
1c) (fig.)
1c1) of chest lid
1c2) of crocodile jaws
1c3) of doors of the heavens
1c4) of an easily-accessible woman
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural absoluteHNcfpa
Doors
Moved on pivots of wood fastened in sockets above and below (Prov. 26:14). They were fastened by a lock (Judg. 3:23, 25; Cant. 5:5) or by a bar (Judg. 16:3; Job 38:10). In the interior of Oriental houses, curtains were frequently used instead of doors.
The entrances of the tabernacle had curtains (Ex. 26:31-33, 36). The “valley of Achor” is called a “door of hope,” because immediately after the execution of Achan the Lord said to Joshua, “Fear not,” and from that time Joshua went forward in a career of uninterrupted conquest. Paul speaks of a “door opened” for…
[GATE]
הֵיכָל (heykal) refers to a large public building, primarily a palace or temple. It encompasses various meanings, including the palace of God as king and specific structures like the nave of Ezekiel's temple. The entries suggest a focus on both earthly and heavenly temples, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
הֵיכָל n.m. palace, temple
rather seld. (royal) palace
of palace of God considered as king, = house of God or of י׳, temple
base
H1964 הֵיכָל palace, temple
1964 heykal hay-kawl'
probably from 3201 (in the sense of capacity); a large public
building, such as a palace or temple:--palace, temple.
see HEBREW for 03201
הֵיכָל (he.khal) — temple.
: temple
1) palace, temple, nave, sanctuary
1a) palace
1b) temple (palace of God as king)
1c) hall, nave (of Ezekiel's temple)
1d) temple (of heavenly temple)
הֵיכָל (he.khal) — temple: palace.
: palace
1) palace, temple, nave, sanctuary
1a) palace
1b) temple (palace of God as king)
1c) hall, nave (of Ezekiel's temple)
1d) temple (of heavenly temple)
הֵיכָל (he.khal) — temple: nave.
: nave/hallway
1) palace, temple, nave, sanctuary
1a) palace
1b) temple (palace of God as king)
1c) hall, nave (of Ezekiel's temple)
1d) temple (of heavenly temple)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
tem'-p'l (hekhal, "palace"; sometimes, as in 1Ki 6:3,5, etc.; Eze 41:1,15 ff, used for "the holy place" only; bayith, "house," thus always in the Revised Version (British and American); hieron, naos):
A. STRUCTURE AND HISTORY
I. SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
I. INTRODUCTORY
1. David's Project
2. Plans and Preparations
3. Character of the Building
4. Site of the Temple
5. Phoenician Assistance
II. THE TEMPLE BUILDING
1. In General
2. Dimensions, Divisions and Adornments
3. The Side-Chambers
4. The Porch and Pillars
III. COURTS, GATES ANY ROYAL BUILDINGS
1. The Inner Court
(1) Walls
(2) Gates
2. The Great Court
3. The Royal Buildings
IV. FURNITURE OF THE TEMPLE
1. The Sanctuary
(1) The "Debhir"
(2) The "Hekhal"
2. The Court (Inner)
(1) The Altar
(2) The Molten (Bronze) Sea
(3) The Layers and Their Bases
Temple
First used of the tabernacle, which is called “the temple of the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:9). In the New Testament the word is used figuratively of Christ’s human body (John 2:19, 21). Believers are called “the temple of God” (1 Cor. 3:16, 17). The Church is designated “an holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21). Heaven is also called a temple (Rev. 7:5). We read also of the heathen “temple of the great goddess Diana” (Acts 19:27).
There is perhaps no building of the ancient world which has excited so much attention since the time of its destruction as the temple which Solomon built by Herod. Its spoils were considered worthy of forming the principal illustration of one of the most beautiful of Roman triumphal arches, and Justinian’s highest architectural ambition was that he might surpass it. Throughout the middle ages it influenced to a considerable degree the forms of Christian churches, and its peculiarities were the watchwords and rallying-points of all associations of builders. When the French expedition to Egypt, int he first years of this century, had made the world familiar with the wonderful architectural remains of that country, every one jumped to the conclusion that Solomon’s temple must have been designed after an Egyptian model. The discoveries in Assyria by Botta and Layard have within the last…
A building hallowed by the special presence of God, and consecrated to his worship. The distinctive idea of a temple, contrasted with all other buildings, is that it is the dwelling-place of a deity; and every heathen temple had its idol, but the true and living God dwelt "between the cherubim" in the Holy of Holies at Jerusalem. Hence, figuratively applied, a temple denotes the church of Christ, 2Th 2:4 Re 3:12; heaven, Ps 11:4 Re 7:15; and the soul of the believer, in which the Holy Spirit dwells, 1Co 3:16,17 6:19 2Co 6:16.
קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qodesh) refers to the concepts of apartness, sacredness, and holiness. It can denote a sacred place or thing, such as the Most Holy Place or a sanctuary. The term emphasizes the idea of being set apart, whether in relation to God, places, or objects.
קֹ֫דֶשׁ 469 n.m. apartness, sacredness
base
H6944 קֹ֫דֶשׁ apartness, sacredness
6944 qodesh ko'-desh
from 6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract,
sanctity:--consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed
(thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing),
saint, sanctuary.
see HEBREW for 06942
קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qo.desh) — holiness.
1) apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
1a) apartness, sacredness, holiness
1a1) of God
1a2) of places
1a3) of things
1b) set-apartness, separateness
קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qo.desh) — Most Holy Place.
This name means apartness, holiness, sacredness
Also named: hagion (ἅγιον "Most Holy Place" G0039H)
קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qo.desh) — (Way of) Holiness.
Combined with de.rekh (דֶּ֫רֶךְ "Way" H1870H)
This name means apartness, holiness, sacredness
קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qo.desh) — Holy Place.
This name means apartness, holiness, sacredness
Also named: hagion (ἅγιον "Holy Place" G0039)
Conj | Prep | N-ms — Conjunction · preposition · nounHC/Rd/Ntmsa
plas: Normally for maqom, Old Testament, and topos, New Testament, but in the King James Version "place" represents a great number of Hebrew and Greek words, often used with no difference in force (e.g. 2Ch 35:10,15). the Revised Version (British and American) has made few changes, but occasionally has attempted to specialize the meaning (Ge 40:13; Job 37:8; Ac 8:32; Jas 3:11, etc.).