Chapter 42 of Yechezkel deals entirely with what lies between the inner courtyard and the outer courtyard. Until now we have learned about the gates, the courtyards, and the Heichal, and now the prophet leads us to the buildings that stood in the outer courtyard: the chambers, the passageways between them, and the attikim - those galleries built between one building and another. At the end of the chapter, the angel measures the outer wall on its four sides, concluding with the verse from which the familiar phrase is taken: "to separate between the holy and the profane."
Let us preface by clarifying the terminology. One entering the Temple enters through the eastern gate into the outer courtyard, and from there enters the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard is divided into a square courtyard within which the Altar stands - this is the Courtyard of the Priests, preceded by the Courtyard of the Israelites - while the innermost section consists of the Ulam (vestibule), the Heichal (sanctuary), and the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies). The Malbim applies the collective term "the inner courtyard" to all of these together, and when referring to "the Heichal," the reference encompasses this entire innermost area: the Ulam, the Heichal, and the Kodesh HaKodashim.
The Malbim calculates: the open interior space of the outer courtyard from north to south is 326 amot (whoever wishes may consult his calculations inside). When calculating from east to west, one arrives at 313 amot, and with the addition of the final 13 amot - once again 326 amot. And the open space from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard wall is 113 amot. We will soon see how this exact figure is derived.
We have already seen above in Chapter 41, verse 10 that surrounding the Temple was an open width of twenty amot - that is, adjacent to the inner courtyard, and extending twenty amot outward there were chambers. These chambers were open on one side to the interior and on the other side to the exterior, so that one exiting the inner courtyard would enter the chamber, and from the chamber exit into the outer courtyard. These chambers are called "the Chambers of Twenty" on account of the thickness of their walls - twenty amot. Their length extended along the full hundred-amot length of the wall of the Ulam and Heichal, and their entrances opened on both sides.
Opposite the Chambers of Twenty, further to the west, closer to the Heichal, stood a long chamber one hundred amot in length and fifty amot in width, known as "the Chamber of One Hundred." Slightly further east stood "the Chamber of Fifty," adjacent to it - shorter in length but equal in width: fifty by fifty. While the two did not stand in a completely straight line one behind the other, as we will see below, their width was identical.
Between the Chamber of Twenty and the Chamber of One Hundred lay a pathway ten amot wide. That is, the Chamber of Twenty, which adjoined the Heichal, was not contiguous with the Chamber of One Hundred; rather, a pathway - a passage of sorts - ten amot wide separated them. And on the other side of the Chamber of One Hundred, toward the outer wall of the outer courtyard, there was an interval of 33 amot.
And now for the calculation: from the Chamber of One Hundred to the outer wall is 33 amot; the width of the Chamber of One Hundred itself is 50 - making 83; the passageway adds another 10 - making 93; and the Chamber of Twenty adds another 20 - yielding 113. This is precisely what the Malbim stated at the outset, that from the wall of the Heichal to the outer wall of the outer courtyard is 113 amot, and these are the chambers situated between them.
The Malbim further adds that in the four corners of the outer courtyard were "unroofed enclosures" (chatzarot keturot) - open-air courtyards without a ceiling - measuring 30 by 40 amot. We will examine their details in Chapter 46. Since the unroofed enclosures were 30 amot wide, whereas from the Chamber of One Hundred to the wall was 33 amot, there was a surplus of three amot, which formed the narrow passage between the unroofed enclosures and the Chamber of One Hundred.
Attikim are, as explained, structures built atop beams spanning two buildings - a type of gallery. The attikim stood on both sides of the Chamber of One Hundred and on both sides of the Chamber of Twenty. Both chambers were one hundred amot long with a width of ten amot between them, and beams were stretched between them only at the beginning and the end - not along the entire length - upon which the attikim were constructed.
Now, the galleries were not built on pillars descending to the floor, for pillars would have narrowed the walkway. After all, the entire walkway was only ten cubits wide, and had they set up pillars and built the gallery upon them, the walkway would have been obstructed. Therefore, the galleries were built solely upon beams stretched between the chambers, without pillars descending to the ground.
וַיּוֹצִאֵנִי אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה הַדֶּרֶךְ דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן וַיְבִאֵנִי אֶל־הַלִּשְׁכָּה אֲשֶׁר נֶגֶד הַגִּזְרָה וַאֲשֶׁר־נֶגֶד הַבִּנְיָן אֶל־הַצָּפוֹן׃ - And he brought me forth into the outer courtyard by way of the north, and he brought me to the chamber that was opposite the Gizrah and opposite the building toward the north.
The prophet was in the inner courtyard, and now he goes out to the outer courtyard on the north side. "And he brought me to the chamber that was opposite the Gizrah and opposite the building" - he leads him westward, toward the chambers of twenty and the chambers of one hundred that extended opposite the Heichal. And from there - toward the north, through the opening behind the chamber, a narrow opening one cubit wide.
אֶל־פְּנֵי־אֹרֶךְ אַמּוֹת הַמֵּאָה פֶּתַח הַצָּפוֹן וְהָרֹחַב חֲמִשִּׁים אַמּוֹת׃ - Before the length of one hundred cubits was the northern entrance, and the width was fifty cubits.
From there he enters the chamber of one hundred. Just as the chamber of twenty had an entrance facing north, so the chamber of one hundred opposite it had an entrance facing south, so that whoever exited the chamber of twenty saw the entrance facing him and walked directly into the chamber of one hundred. Its length was one hundred cubits, and its width fifty cubits.
נֶגֶד הָעֶשְׂרִים אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִי וְנֶגֶד רִצְפָה אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה אַתִּיק אֶל־פְּנֵי־אַתִּיק בַּשְּׁלִשִׁים׃ - Facing the twenty cubits belonging to the inner courtyard and facing the pavement belonging to the outer courtyard, gallery facing gallery in three stories.
The prophet relates that he found four galleries (attikim) there: two facing the twenty that belonged to the inner courtyard - these are the galleries between the chamber of twenty and the chamber of one hundred; and two "facing the pavement belonging to the outer courtyard" - galleries extending from the chamber of one hundred outward toward the outer wall of the outer courtyard. It should be noted that from the Malbim's phrasing this is not entirely clear, since opposite the edge of the chamber of one hundred were the enclosed courtyards (chatzerot keturot), and it is not clear whether the galleries were above them or in front of them; but in any case, this is what emerges from his words: that there were four galleries.
And note that everything explained here regarding the northern side was identical on the southern side, as the prophet will state explicitly later on. It is the manner of Scripture to focus on one side and detail it, and afterward to state that it was the same on the other side.
"In three stories" (bashlishim) - each gallery was three stories high, for the chambers were three-tiered, built in three stories. Between one chamber and another there was a gallery, in the story above it a gallery, and in the story above that a gallery, so that the connecting galleries were constructed in three stories.
וְלִפְנֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת מַהֲלַךְ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת רֹחַב אֶל־הַפְּנִימִית דֶּרֶךְ אַמָּה אֶחָת וּפִתְחֵיהֶם לַצָּפוֹן׃ - "And before the chambers was a walkway ten cubits wide toward the inner [court], a way of one cubit, and their entrances were to the north."
Here what was previously explained orally is explicitly stated: between the chamber of twenty [cubits] and the chamber of one hundred [cubits] there was an interval of ten cubits through which one could walk. From there, one would pass from the chamber of twenty to the chamber of one hundred through an opening one cubit wide - "a way of one cubit." "And their entrances were to the north" - the entrance to the chamber of twenty faced north. The Malbim notes that the opening on the south side is not termed an "entrance" because it was only one cubit wide, which is why the verse does not mention it; whereas the entrance leading outward from the chamber of twenty was wider.
וְהַלְּשָׁכוֹת הָעֶלְיוֹנֹת קְצֻרוֹת כִּי־יוֹכְלוּ אַתִּיקִים מֵהֵנָּה מֵהַתַּחְתֹּנוֹת וּמֵהַתִּכוֹנוֹת בִּנְיָן׃ - "And the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took away from them, from the lower and from the middle ones, in the building."
Here the Malbim explains how the atikim (galleries) were constructed. In order to build them, they had to rest upon the walls of the building. How was this done? The lower wall was built two cubits thick, as was the wall facing it; the wall above it was only one and a half cubits thick, creating a ledge of half a cubit; and the wall above that was one cubit thick, again leaving a half-cubit ledge. From the outside, one saw a thick bottom wall, a thinner one above it, and an even thinner one above that - yet on the inside, the width was uniform across all stories.
What did this achieve? Upon those ledges, the beams of the atikim could be laid without having to pierce the walls to insert the beams. And since this was done on all three stories, the galleries also ended up three stories high. This is the meaning of "for the galleries took away (yochlu) from them" - yochlu is from the language of eating (achilah), meaning the gallery "ate," or took away, a portion of the chamber above it and the chamber above that, since laying the beams on the wall required slightly reducing the thickness of the upper wall. Therefore, "and the upper chambers were narrower... than the lower and the middle ones in the building" - through this manner of construction, having built them slightly narrower, the building's thickness was slightly reduced on account of the galleries.
כִּי מְשֻׁלָּשׁוֹת הֵנָּה וְאֵין לָהֶן עַמּוּדִים כְּעַמּוּדֵי הַחֲצֵרוֹת עַל־כֵּן נֶאֱצַל מֵהַתַּחְתּוֹנוֹת וּמֵהַתִּיכֹנוֹת מֵהָאָרֶץ׃ - "For they were three-tiered and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards; therefore [space] was withheld from the lower and the middle ones from the ground."
Why were they forced to build this way, rather than in the standard manner of setting up pillars from the ground and building the gallery atop them? To this the verse responds: "For they were three-tiered" - there were three stories, "and had no pillars like the pillars of the courtyards" - they lacked pillars as was customary in courtyards. Why? As explained: pillars would have restricted the width. The atikim stood in a space only ten cubits wide, and even outward from the chamber of one hundred, though there were thirty-three cubits there, it was undesirable to narrow the space. Therefore, pillars were not used at all; instead, the galleries were built directly onto the walls. Ne'etzal means diminished or set aside - as in "and I will set aside (ve-atzalti) of the spirit," giving and imparting to another - meaning that a portion was subtracted from the walls of the chambers so that the galleries would have a place to rest, upon those ledges in the walls.
וְגָדֵר אֲשֶׁר־לַחוּץ לְעֻמַּת הַלְּשָׁכוֹת דֶּרֶךְ הֶחָצֵר הַחִצוֹנָה אֶל־פְּנֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אׇרְכּוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה׃ - "And a wall that was on the outside alongside the chambers, toward the outer court facing the chambers, was fifty cubits long."
To understand this, an introduction is needed: in addition to the chambers measuring 50 by 100 [cubits], there were also chambers measuring 50 by 50. The chambers of one hundred stood opposite the Heichal, and the chambers of fifty stood opposite the Priestly Courtyard (Azarat Kohanim). Now, even though by basic law most-holy offerings (kodshei kodashim) may only be eaten inside the courtyard, here an area outside the courtyard twenty cubits wide was also consecrated, and in this consecrated area the kohanim were permitted to eat.
For this purpose, they constructed a wall fifty cubits long, which separated the area consecrated for eating kodshei kodashim from the non-consecrated area. The wall conferred the status of sanctity onto the area adjacent to the inner court, designating it as a place where kodshei kodashim could be eaten, since they cannot be eaten in the outer court. This wall is later referred to as gederat hagina, and this does not refer to a flower garden (gina), but rather derives from the root of protection (haganah): a wall whose purpose was to protect and ensure that the kohanim would not stray out into the outer court, but would remain within the twenty cubits, inside of which it was permitted to eat kodshei kodashim just as in the inner court.
כִּי־אֹרֶךְ הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֶחָצֵר הַחִצוֹנָה חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה וְהִנֵּה עַל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל מֵאָה אַמָּה׃ - For the length of the chambers that were toward the outer court was fifty cubits, and behold, before the Sanctuary it was one hundred cubits.
Here Scripture teaches us the difference between the two chambers: in width both were equal - fifty cubits, but they differed in length. The chamber of fifty was as long as it was wide, fifty by fifty cubits, whereas the chamber of one hundred - which faced the Sanctuary - was one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
וּמִתַּחַת הַלְּשָׁכוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הַמֵּבִיא מֵהַקָּדִים בְּבֹאוֹ לָהֵנָּה מֵהֶחָצֵר הַחִצֹנָה׃ - And below these chambers was the entry from the east, as one enters them from the outer court.
We have already seen that one who went out from the Courtyard of the Israelites through the Ulam (vestibule) - and the Malbim refers to the entire inner court as "the Courtyard of the Israelites," not exclusively to the area immediately adjacent to it - and walked from south to north toward the chamber of fifty, entered through an opening one cubit wide. At the head of the chamber of fifty there was likewise an opening, and corresponding to it in the chamber itself was another opening through which he exited to the outer doorway on the northern side.
And here Scripture explains the case of one who arrives from east to west: one who entered through the eastern gate of the outer court and proceeded westward approached the chambers "from below" - from the eastern side, down the mountain's slope. For the Temple Mount is a mountain, and as one ascends westward, the mountain rises higher and higher. One who stands facing from the direction of the Mount of Olives and ascends the Temple Mount is climbing westward, toward the "seaward direction." "The entry from the east" means the one arriving from the east, and "as one enters them from the outer court" means approaching from the side of the outer court.
בְּרֹחַב גֶּדֶר הֶחָצֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה וְאֶל־פְּנֵי הַבִּנְיָן לְשָׁכוֹת׃ - In the width of the wall of the court toward the east, facing the Gizrah and facing the building, were chambers.
Even so, he could only proceed from east to west through the width of the court wall. For between the chamber of fifty and the garden wall there was a narrow passage ten cubits wide, and likewise ten cubits between the chamber of one hundred and the chamber of twenty. However, the chamber of fifty did not align in a straight continuous line with the chamber of one hundred; rather, it protruded slightly further outward. Consequently, someone walking between the chamber of fifty and the inner court could not simply continue straight ahead into the ten-cubit space between the chamber of one hundred and the Sanctuary, but would run into the wall of the chamber of one hundred, because the chamber of one hundred was set closer to the Sanctuary than was the chamber of fifty. Therefore, an opening was necessary through which he could enter diagonally across the garden wall into the ten cubits separating the chamber of one hundred from the Sanctuary, as there was no straight path leading him there.
And why was it built in this manner, rather than the chambers standing one after the other in a straight line? The Malbim explains that, as he clarified earlier, the outer court projected thirteen cubits further outward along the inner court than it did along the Sanctuary. Consequently, along the inner court - that is, the Courtyard of the Israelites and the Courtyard of the Kohanim - they had to set the chamber of fifty back an additional thirteen cubits outward, toward the wall of the outer enclosure; whereas on the side of the Sanctuary they did not need to set it back, and it remained closer to the Sanctuary. This is what created the condition in which anyone traversing the ten cubits between the chamber of fifty and the Courtyard of the Kohanim would run directly into the wall of the chamber of one hundred.
וְדֶרֶךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם כְּמַרְאֵה הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן כְּאׇרְכָּן כֵּן רׇחְבָּן וְכֹל מוֹצָאֵיהֶן וּכְמִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶן וּכְפִתְחֵיהֶן׃ - And there was a way before them like the appearance of the chambers that were toward the north, as long as they and as wide as they, and all their exits, and according to their fashions, and according to their doorways.
Until now, Scripture had not informed us that there were also ten cubits between the chamber of fifty and the wall. Therefore it states, "And there was a way before them like the appearance of the chambers": just as between the chamber of one hundred and the chamber of twenty there was a pathway ten cubits wide, so too between the chamber of fifty and the inner court there was a pathway ten cubits wide. The only difference was in length: the pathway alongside the chamber of one hundred was one hundred cubits long, whereas here it was only fifty cubits long, matching the length of the chamber. In all other respects - "as long as they and as wide as they, and all their exits, and according to their fashions, and according to their doorways" - everything was identical, as we saw regarding the doorways and the movement from one to the other, both in the chamber of fifty and in the chamber of one hundred.
וּכְפִתְחֵי הַלְּשָׁכוֹת אֲשֶׁר דֶּרֶךְ הַדָּרוֹם פֶּתַח בְּרֹאשׁ דָּרֶךְ דֶּרֶךְ בִּפְנֵי הַגְּדֶרֶת הֲגִינָה דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים בְּבוֹאָן׃ - And corresponding to the doorways of the chambers that were toward the south was a doorway at the head of the way, the way before the garden wall, toward the east as one enters them.
Here Scripture comes to teach that everything we have explained until now regarding the north side of the outer courtyard was configured in the exact same way on the south side: the chamber of one hundred cubits and the chamber of fifty cubits, the unroofed courtyards (chatzerot keturot), and the ten-cubit walkway separating the chambers. Likewise, the matter of "the entrance at the head of the way... before the wall of the garden," where one had to pass through the garden wall in order to enter the continuation of the walkway between the chamber of one hundred cubits and the chamber of twenty cubits - everything was identical, on the south just as on the north.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לִשְׁכוֹת הַצָּפוֹן לִשְׁכוֹת הַדָּרוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה הֵנָּה לִשְׁכוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר יֹאכְלוּ־שָׁם הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר־קְרוֹבִים לַה' קׇדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים שָׁם יַנִּיחוּ קׇדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים וְהַמִּנְחָה וְהַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם כִּי הַמָּקוֹם קָדֹשׁ׃ - And he said to me: The north chambers and the south chambers that face the separate area, they are holy chambers where the priests who draw near to Hashem shall eat the most holy offerings; there they shall lay the most holy offerings, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, for the place is holy.
Now Scripture explains the function of these chambers - specifically the twenty-cubit chambers, which were sanctified with the sanctity of the Azarah (the inner courtyard). "The north chambers and the south chambers that face the separate area" refers exclusively to the twenty-cubit chambers, to the exclusion of the chambers of one hundred and fifty cubits, which were non-sacred. The twenty-cubit chambers, which extend outward from the inner courtyard, possess sacred status, and within them the most holy sacrifices (kodshei kodashim) may be eaten: the meal offering (minchah), sin offering (chattat), and guilt offering (asham), as well as burnt offerings (olah) and communal peace offerings (shalmei tzibbur) - all of which fall into the category of kodshei kodashim, offerings of higher sanctity. Although the standard place for eating them is in the courtyard, this specific area was endowed with the sanctity of the inner courtyard, which is why the priests could eat them there.
"The priests who draw near to Hashem" - the Malbim explains that, as we will see later in chapter 44, only the priests descended from Tzadok, who never engaged in idolatry, will be qualified for Temple service. A priest who ever served idols is permanently disqualified from the service, just as a priest who has killed a person - even unintentionally - is no longer fit to serve. The descendants of Tzadok are those "who draw near to Hashem," having remained faithful throughout history, and they alone may eat of the most holy offerings. For anyone who is unfit to perform the sacrificial service is likewise unfit to eat from the offerings, with the exception of those with physical blemishes (ba'alei mumim), who are an anomaly: they may not perform the service, yet they are permitted to partake of kodshei kodashim. "For the place is holy" - because these twenty cubits were sanctified with the sanctity of the inner courtyard.
בְּבֹאָם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְלֹא־יֵצְאוּ מֵהַקֹּדֶשׁ אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה וְשָׁם יַנִּיחוּ בִגְדֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר־יְשָׁרְתוּ בָהֶן כִּי־קֹדֶשׁ הֵנָּה וְלָבְשׁוּ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְקָרְבוּ אֶל־אֲשֶׁר לָעָם׃ - When the priests enter, they shall not go out from the holy place to the outer courtyard, but there they shall lay their garments in which they minister, for they are holy; and they shall put on other garments, and approach the area belonging to the people.
This is an additional function of the twenty-cubit chambers. To prevent the priests from exiting directly from the sacred realm - the inner courtyard - into the mundane realm - the outer courtyard - these chambers were positioned in between. There they would remove their priestly vestments and change into non-sacred clothing. A priest is forbidden to venture out wearing sacred vestments, as the holy garments were designated solely for ministering in the Sanctuary, and using them for mundane purposes constitutes me'ilah (misappropriation of sacred property). Therefore, they would deposit the holy vestments in these chambers, put on ordinary garments, and exit; upon returning, they would put on the holy vestments there, leave behind their ordinary clothing, and enter the inner courtyard to serve. A priest who performs the service in non-sacred garments profanes the service, and the service must be performed exclusively in the sacred vestments.
Incidentally, this presents one of the fundamental obstacles for those who dream of restoring the Temple service today: where would we obtain authentic priestly vestments? The priestly garments must contain shatnez (a prohibited mixture of wool and linen), and wearing shatnez is permitted exclusively to a priest actively ministering in the Beit HaMikdash. Who can establish beyond doubt that a given person is a legitimate priest, and who can authorize him to serve? One risks simply violating the Torah prohibition of wearing shatnez. For this reason, leading Torah authorities emphasize that from a practical halachic standpoint, such initiatives cannot be implemented.
וְכִלָּה אֶת־מִדּוֹת הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי וְהוֹצִיאַנִי דֶּרֶךְ הַשַּׁעַר אֲשֶׁר פָּנָיו דֶּרֶךְ הַקָּדִים וּמְדָדוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב׃ - When he had finished the measurements of the inner house, he led me out by way of the gate facing east, and measured it all around.
Having completed the measurements of the inner house, the angel leads him out through the fence - the garden wall - to the outside, via the eastern gate, which was where he had originally entered. Now the angel intends to measure the outer wall surrounding the Temple Mount; this is the meaning of "and measured it all around," as the prophet watches the angel measure the perimeter wall from the outside.
מָדַד רוּחַ הַקָּדִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה סָבִיב׃ - He measured the east side with the measuring rod: five hundred rods by the measuring rod, all around.
He begins with the eastern side - the east - since he had exited from there, and measures it from south to north.
מָדַד רוּחַ הַצָּפוֹן חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה סָבִיב׃ - He measured the north side: five hundred rods by the measuring rod, all around.
Then he turns to the right and measures the northern side, from east to west, the outer section of the outer courtyard.
אֵת רוּחַ הַדָּרוֹם מָדָד חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה׃ - He measured the south side: five hundred rods by the measuring rod.
This seems difficult to understand: if he is circling around in order, the next section he should measure is the western one, yet he skips over it and jumps immediately to the south side! The Malbim explains: from here we learn that just as in the wall of the Ezras Nashim (the Women's Courtyard), the northern, southern, and eastern sides were identical in their gates, chambers, and vestibules, whereas the western side differed from them - having neither chambers nor vestibules like those seen on the other sides. So too on the Temple Mount, the western side differed in its structures and gates. Therefore, the prophet does not mention measuring the western wall in this sequence, but skips over it and measures the southern side, as he wanted to verify whether the south was equal to the north in all respects.
סָבַב אֶל־רוּחַ הַיָּם מָדַד חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת קָנִים בִּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה׃ - He turned toward the west side and measured: five hundred rods by the measuring rod.
And now he does not turn back from south to west, but rather circles around via the east and north until he reaches the west again. Simple logic would suggest: you finished the south, now turn back and measure the remaining west! But as we explained, the west was fundamentally different from the others, and he wanted first to verify that the north was identical to the south. Therefore, he went and circled around - just as one circles with a Sefer Torah - returning to the east, then to the north, and from there back to the west, and only then measured it. We must understand why the Malbim adopted this specific explanation, for one could have explained that "savav" simply meant the angel turned in place and went back to the western side. Evidently, the Malbim understands that "savav" always implies encircling or circling around, rather than simply turning around in place as we use the word today.
לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת מְדָדוֹ חוֹמָה לוֹ סָבִיב סָבִיב אֹרֶךְ חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וְרֹחַב חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְחֹל׃ - He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred long and five hundred wide, to separate between the sacred and the profane.
Incidentally, the familiar expression "to separate between the sacred and the profane" originates here. The Malbim explains: "He measured it on the four sides" - he measured the wall that surrounds all four sides, and the length was five hundred rods, which equals three thousand amos (cubits).
If we divide this area into strips, we obtain thirty-six strips of 500 by 500 - which is the size of the First Temple Mount. The Malbim calculates: one strip is for the Jewish people, leaving thirty-five strips. Thirty-five corresponds to the seventy nations, meaning that every two nations receive one strip. Thus Israel, of whom it is said, "My firstborn son is Israel," receives an entire strip of 500 by 500, whereas every two nations together receive a single strip - meaning each nation receives half of what Israel receives. From this we see the preeminence of Israel over the nations.
Chapter 42 leads us through the space between the Inner Courtyard and the Outer Courtyard: the chambers of twenty adjacent to the Heichal, the chamber of one hundred (100 by 50) and the chamber of fifty (50 by 50), the ten-amah pathways between them, the unroofed courtyards in the corners, and the attikim - three-story galleries built upon beams resting on wall ledges, without pillars, so as not to narrow the walkway. In total, 113 amot from the Inner Courtyard to the outer wall. The chambers of twenty were sanctified with the sanctity of the Azarah, and there the eligible Kohanim - the sons of Tzadok - eat the most holy offerings (kodshei kodashim), and there they deposit the priestly vestments when they leave and put them on when they enter. Finally, the angel measures the outer wall on its four sides, five hundred by five hundred, skipping the western side - which differs from the other directions - until he circles around and returns to it; and all this "to separate between the holy and the profane" - which is the entire essence of the wall of the Beit HaMikdash.