Ezekiel 43:13
“These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one cubit high and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar:
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The "bottom" of the altar isn't just a base, but a distinct, solid platform a cubit high and a cubit broad, with a special rim. This structure, described as the "higher place," suggests the altar was built in distinct, elevated layers, emphasizing its foundational importance.
Ezekiel has just been shown a vision of God's glory returning to a magnificent temple. Now, the focus shifts to the central place of worship within that temple: the great altar of burnt offering. The text meticulously details its dimensions, laying the groundwork for understanding its proper construction and use in God's renewed presence.
Why does Ezekiel take such care to define the 'cubit' right at the start of describing the altar?
Ezekiel isn't just giving us measurements; he's establishing a standard. The text notes the 'cubit' is 'a cubit and a handbreadth.' This suggests a specific, perhaps larger or more sacred, cubit than common usage.
A Sacred Standard
This isn't just any measuring stick. This precise measurement ties directly back to the temple's dimensions and the divine order established by God. It emphasizes that everything about this altar, from its very foundation, is set apart for God's purposes.
Beyond the Tabernacle and Temple
It's interesting to note that the dimensions here differ from those of the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple. This new measurement and design point towards a future, perhaps more glorious, fulfillment of worship.
What's the significance of the altar having a specific base, a 'bottom' and a 'border'?
The altar isn't just a single block; it has distinct foundational layers. The 'bottom' or base is described as a cubit high and a cubit broad, with a surrounding 'border' or rim.
A Platform for Service
This base wasn't just decorative. It provided a stable, elevated platform for the altar itself. It signifies that worship, built on God's sacrifice, must have a solid, divinely ordained foundation.
Safety and Stability
The 'border' or rim likely served a practical purpose, perhaps preventing priests from slipping while ministering. This speaks to the need for care, reverence, and secure footing in our approach to God.
Understand the original words
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
A structure used for sacrificial offerings; it serves as the focal point for atonement and reconciliation between God and humanity.
Ezekiel's detailed measurements for a future altar, given during the exile, contrast sharply with the destruction of the First Temple and highlight the people's longing for restored worship and divine presence, offering a blueprint for hope amidst despair.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports King Jehoiachin and many of Judah's leaders and craftsmen to Babylon, marking a significant weakening of the kingdom.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its First Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and initiating the Babylonian exile for the remaining population.
c. 571 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Final Vision
Ezekiel receives his final vision of the restored Temple and its proper worship, offering hope and a blueprint for future return and rebuilding.
c. 538 BC
Cyrus Cylinder Issued
Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
This passage describes the dimensions of the bronze altar in the Tabernacle, providing a point of comparison for the significantly larger and more complex altar detailed in Ezekiel's vision.
2 Chronicles 4:1This scripture details Solomon's great bronze altar, which was also much larger than the Tabernacle altar and serves as another important comparison to the altar described in Ezekiel.
Leviticus 8:11This verse mentions the anointing of the altar of burnt offering with blood and oil during the consecration of Aaron and his sons, paralleling Ezekiel's vision which also includes the consecration of the new altar.
Ezekiel 40:47This earlier verse in Ezekiel establishes the location of the altar in the inner court, directly before the main sanctuary, which sets the context for the detailed measurements provided later in chapter 43.
Hebrews 13:10This New Testament passage refers to an altar from which Christians have the right to eat, symbolically connecting the Old Testament sacrificial system and its altars to Christ Himself as the ultimate sacrifice and sustenance.
clarkeEzekiel 43:13: "And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar."
The cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth - It is the same cubit by which all the previous admeasurements were made, and was a hand breadth or four inches longer than the Babylonian cubit.
pulpitEzekiel 43:13: "And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar."
Verses 13-27. - The temple-altar described (vers. 13-17), and the ritual for its consecration explained (vers. 18-27). Verse 13. - The measures of the altar. The altar is הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, that formerly men…
The "bottom" of the altar isn't just a base, but a distinct, solid platform a cubit high and a cubit broad, with a special rim. This structure, described as the "higher place," suggests the altar was built in distinct, elevated layers, emphasizing its foundational importance.
Ezekiel has just been shown a vision of God's glory returning to a magnificent temple. Now, the focus shifts to the central place of worship within that temple: the great altar of burnt offering. The text meticulously details its dimensions, laying the groundwork for understanding its proper construction and use in God's renewed presence.
Ezekiel has just been shown a vision of God's glory returning to a magnificent temple. Now, the focus shifts to the central place of worship within that temple: the great altar of burnt offering. The text meticulously details its dimensions, laying the groundwork for understanding its proper construction and use in God's renewed presence.
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c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
The Second Temple in Jerusalem is completed and dedicated by the returning exiles, though it is a more modest structure than Solomon's original Temple.
"“These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one cubit high and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar:" — The "bottom" of the altar isn't just a base, but a distinct, solid platform a cubit high and a cubit broad, with a special rim. This structure, described as the "higher place," suggests the altar was…
