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Good News Translation

Ezekiel 42:5

The rooms at the upper level of the building were narrower than those at the middle and lower levels because they were set further back.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Galleries;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gallery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fasting;   Moses;   Nations;   Priests and Levites;   Temple;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gallery;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Temple;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Shorten;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
Hebrew Names Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middle, in the building.
King James Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
English Standard Version
Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.
New American Standard Bible
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.
New Century Version
The top rooms were narrower, because the balconies took more space from them. The rooms on the first and second stories of the building were wider.
Amplified Bible
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took away more space from them than from the chambers on the lower and middle stories of the building;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe the chambers aboue were narower: for those chambers seemed to eate vp these, to wit, the lower, and those that were in the middes of the building.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space away from them than from the lower and middle ones in the building.
Berean Standard Bible
Now the upper chambers were smaller because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the lower and middle floors of the building.
Contemporary English Version
The rooms on the top level were narrower than those on the middle level, and the rooms on the middle level were narrower than those on the bottom level.
Complete Jewish Bible
The upper rooms were shorter, because the galleries took up some of their space, more than from the [rooms on the] lower and middle [floors] of the building.
Darby Translation
And the upper cells, because the galleries encroached on them, were shorter than the lower, and than the middle-most of the building.
Easy-to-Read Version
Since this building was three stories tall and did not have columns like those columns of the outer courtyards, the top rooms were farther back than the rooms on the middle and bottom floors. The top floor was narrower than the middle floor, which was narrower than the bottom floor because the balconies used this space.
George Lamsa Translation
Now the upper rooms were smaller because the stairway went through them.
Lexham English Bible
And the upper chambers narrowed, for the galleries took away space from them more than they took from the lower levels and more than they took from the middle level in the building.
Literal Translation
And the upper rooms were shorter, for the galleries used up more space than the lower and middle ones in the building.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus the hyest chambres were allwaye narower then the lowest and myddelmost of ye buildinge:
American Standard Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building.
Bible in Basic English
And the higher rooms were shorter: for the covered ways took up more space from these than from the lower and middle rooms.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building.
King James Version (1611)
Now the vpper-chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher then these, then the lower, and then the middlemost of the building.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus the vpper chambers were alway narower: for those chambers [seemed] to eate vp these, [to wit] the lower and the middlemer of the buylding.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the upper walks were in like manner: for the peristyle projected from it, even from the range of columns below, and there was a space between; so were there a peristyle and a space between, and so were there two porticos.
English Revised Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building.
World English Bible
Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middle, in the building.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
where tresories weren lowere in the hiyere thingis; for tho baren vp the porchis that apperiden an hiy of tho fro the lowere thingis, and fro the myddil thingis of the bildyng.
Update Bible Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now the upper chambers [were] shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
New English Translation
Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.
New King James Version
Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
New Living Translation
Each of the two upper levels of rooms was narrower than the one beneath it because the upper levels had to allow space for walkways in front of them.
New Life Bible
The upper rooms were smaller because the walkways took more away from them than from the rooms on the first and second floors of the building.
New Revised Standard
Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers in the building.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, the highest chambers were shortened, because the galleries took away therefrom more than from the lower or from the middle in structure.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Where were the store chambers lower above: because they bore up the galleries, which appeared above out of them from he lower parts, and from the midst of the building.
Revised Standard Version
Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers in the building.
Young's Literal Translation
And the upper chambers [are] short, for the galleries contain more than these, than the lower, and than the middle one, of the building;

Contextual Overview

1 Then the man took me into the outer courtyard and led me to a building on the north side of the Temple, not far from the building at the west end of the Temple. 2 This building was 168 feet long and 84 feet wide. 3 On one side it faced the space 34 feet wide which was alongside the Temple, and on the other side it faced the pavement of the outer courtyard. It was built on three levels, each one set further back than the one below it. 4 Along the north side of this building was a passageway 16 feet wide and 168 feet long, with entrances on that side. 5 The rooms at the upper level of the building were narrower than those at the middle and lower levels because they were set further back. 6 The rooms at all three levels were on terraces and were not supported by columns like the other buildings in the courtyard. 7At the lower level the outer wall of the building was solid for 84 feet, half its length; and there were rooms in the remaining 84 feet. At the top level there were rooms in the entire length of the building. 9Below these rooms at the east end of the building, where the wall of the courtyard began, there was an entrance into the outer courtyard. At the south side of the Temple there was an identical building not far from the building at the west end of the Temple. 11 In front of the rooms there was a passageway just like the one on the north side. It had the same measurements, the same design, and the same kind of entrances. 12 There was a door under the rooms on the south side of the building, at the east end where the wall began.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

were higher than these: or, did eat of these, Ezekiel 41:7

than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building: or, and the building consisted of the lower and the middlemost. Ezekiel 42:6

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 40:7 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:10
But there was a famine in Canaan, and it was so bad that Abram went farther south to Egypt, to live there for a while.
Genesis 26:1
There was another famine in the land besides the earlier one during the time of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
Genesis 41:57
People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Acts 7:11
Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food,
Acts 11:28
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and by the power of the Spirit predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.)

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now the upper chambers were shorter,.... The chambers were in three stories, as in the following verse, one above another; the middlemost were shorter than the lowermost, and the upper shorter than either; just the reverse of the chambers in Ezekiel 41:7, they were not so high from the floor to the ceiling, nor so broad from side to side. The reason follows:

for the galleries were higher than these; or, "ate out of these" w, "than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building"; the meaning is, that the galleries or balconies in the middlemost and upper chambers were taken, out of them, and so made them lesser than the lower ones, and the upper ones lesser than either; or the posts or pillars, as the word may be rendered, see Ezekiel 42:3, which supported the chambers, took more out of the uppermost than the others, and so made them shorter. This may signify the diversity of gifts and grace, of light and knowledge, and of liberty and comfort, in the churches; and that, as those that are uppermost have most light, they are usually the least, and fewest members in them; who are the few names in Sardis, Revelation 3:4, and are generally more straitened, afflicted, reproached, and persecuted.

w יוכלו מהנה Keri, יאכלו "comedebant ex ipsis", Mariana; "demordebant ab illis", Cocceius, Starckius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Render: “And the upper chambers were” shortened, for galleries took off from them, from “the lower” and from “the middle-most, chambers, of the building.” The building rose in terraces, as was usual in Babylonian architecture, and so each of the two upper stories receded from the one below it.


 
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