The East Gate

The man first measures the wall surrounding the temple area, then ascends the east gate and records its threshold, guard chambers, inner threshold, portico, entrance, and gateposts. The design is balanced on both sides, with repeating chambers and equal measurements. The whole east gate is fifty cubits long and richly furnished with windows and palm-tree decorations.

A⁵nd I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high. ⁶Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep. ⁷Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep. ⁸Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside; ⁹it was eight cubits deep, and its jambs were two cubits thick. And the portico of the gateway faced the temple. ¹⁰There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements. ¹¹And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits, and its length was thirteen cubits. ¹²In front of each gate chamber was a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits square. ¹³Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits from doorway to doorway. ¹⁴Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cubits high. The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard. ¹⁵And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty cubits. ¹⁶The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.