a horn to sprout for the House of Israel, and I will grant you opening of the mouth.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Elsewhere called “On”; cf. Gen. 41.45, 50; 46.20.
c Elsewhere vocalized “Tahpanhes”; e.g., Jer. 2.16; 44.1.
d Some Heb. mss. and editions read “darkened.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b Septuagint reads “clouds.”
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “more than for all.”
d Heb. “you.”
e To which popular belief relegated those who died uncircumcised or by the sword; cf. v. 18.
f Cf. Aramaic ’abulla, “gate.”
g Heb. “arm.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Heb. “your.”
c-c Septuagint reads “captives.”
d Presumably the twelfth month; cf. v. 1.
e Construction of these verses uncertain.
f-f Cf. 31.18 ff. and note e on 31.14.
g Emendation yields “shields.”
h-h Emendation yields “because he struck terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh.”
a-a Heb. “it.”
b Cf. Lev. 18.5.
c-c Or “in spite of them,” i.e., his righteous deeds.
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Lit. “as a people come, and sit before you as My people.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f I.e., the punishment predicted.
a I.e., rulers.
b Septuagint and Vulgate, reading the Hebrew consonants with different vowels, translate “milk.”
c Several ancient versions read “guard.”
d-d Lit. “water that has settled.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f Cf. 36.30.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “and the LORD heard it.”
c-c Emendation yields “and spoke arrogantly.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b I.e., Israel and Judah; cf. 37.15–22.
c Many mss. read “be bereaved”; cf. vv. 13–14.
d-d Lit. “the nations they came to.”
e I.e., the exile of Israel was taken by the nations to be evidence of the LORD’s weakness.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Lit. “dwelling place.”
a I.e., with Gog.
b Septuagint reads “Me.”
c-c Septuagint reads “rouse yourself.”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Lit. “chariots”; Septuagint reads “riders.”
c Change of diacritical point yields “forget.”
a I.e., the exile of King Jehoiachin; see 1.2.
b Cf. Isa. 2.1; Mic. 4.1.
c-c Septuagint reads “in the distance.”
d In this description, the Hebrew word which ordinarily corresponds to English “width” sometimes designates a measurement from an opening or outer surface inward, and so corresponds to the English “depth”; and the word which ordinarily corresponds to English “length” designates the distance from side to side of a vestibule or a passage, and so corresponds to the English “width.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f This verse would read well before v. 7.
g In connection with recesses, the “supports” are partitions.
h The opening was perhaps narrowed by a stone on each side for receiving the hinge of a door-leaf.
i Since each of the recesses was 6 cubits deep (v. 7a) and the passage in the middle was 13 cubits wide (v. 11).
j Elim here is the same as elam in vv. 16, 21, 22, etc.
k The outer court and its gates were 8 steps lower than the inner ones: v. 34.
l-l In this rendering, the adjectives “lower” and “inner” are construed, not with the nouns they stand next to in the Hebrew, but with those with which they agree in gender.
m-m Septuagint reads “at its inner end.”
n-n Connection unclear; wanting in some Heb. mss. and versions.
o I.e., in the inner gates the vestibules were situated at their entrances, and so they were true vestibules, in contrast to the “inner vestibules” of the outer gates.
p Septuagint reads “vestibules”; cf. vv. 31, 34.
q Heb. “gates”; the reference is apparently to the north gate; cf. v. 40 and Lev. 1.11; 4.24; 7.2.
r-r Emendation yields “the vestibule at.”
s See v. 39.
t-t This clause would read well after v. 43.
u-u Septuagint reads “two chambers.”
v Septuagint reads “south.”
w I.e., the edges of the flanking walls.
x-x Preserved in the Septuagint.
y See note on v. 5.
z Septuagint reads “12”; see note j on 41.13.
aa-aa Septuagint reads “it was reached by ten steps.”
a See note on 40.5.
b This sense is demanded by the context; usually, ohel means “tent.”
c-c Preserved in the Septuagint.
d I.e., on the ground level; cf. v. 7.
e Lit. “times.” Emendation yields “in three sections of three tiers each,” i.e., one section next to each of the two side walls of the Temple and one next to its rear wall; cf. v. 7.
f-f So Targum; cf. Mishnab Tamid 1.1.
g-g Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain, but for the general sense cf. 1 Kings 6.6a, 8b.
h See 42.1 ff.
i Emendation yields “parapet.”
j Comprising the 5 cubits of 40.48, the 12 of 40.49 (see note there), the 6 of 41.1, the 40 of 41.2, the 2 of 41.3, the 20 of 41.4, the 6 of 41.5a, the 4 of 41.5b, and the 5 of 41.9.
k The structure was 70 cubits deep and its front and rear walls each 5 cubits thick (v. 12). The remaining 20 cubits are accounted for by the vacant space; cf. 42.1-2.
l To the inside width of 20 cubits (40.49; 41.2–4) must be added on each side: one Temple wall of 6 cubits equals 12; one side-chamber wall of 5 cubits equals 10; one side chamber’s inner depth of 4 cubits equals 8; a walk’s width of 20 cubits (40.9–10) equals 40; and a parapet’s thickness of 5 cubits (v. 11) equals 10; totaling 100 cubits.
m Emendation yields “walls”; cf. v. 12.
n-n Septuagint reads “were paneled.”
o-o Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
p Here perhaps designating the door frames, since it is these that (as required by the continuation of the verse) are situated at the threshold and consist of three parts (a lintel and two doorposts).
q-q Meaning perhaps the great hall and the vestibule; cf. v. 5.
r Heb. “and.”
s Apparently meaning that it had a rim around the top, like the table of Exod. 25.25; see the final note on the present verse.
t Septuagint reads “base.”
u Serving to hold the bread of display; cf. Exod. 25.30; 40.22–23; 1 Kings 7.48.
a-a Heb. simply “chambers,” and so elsewhere.
b See note d at 40.6.
c-c Lit. “the north entrance”; but cf. v. 4.
d I.e., the vacant space; cf. 41.13 with note k.
e Cf. 40.17.
f Because this part of the inner court was considerably higher than the outer; 40.28–31 and 41.8, 9b–10.
g-g Septuagint and Syriac read “and 100 cubits long”; cf. vv. 2–3.
h See vv. 8–9 referring to chambers along the west wall.
i Apparently meaning the chamber complex of v. 1.
j So kethib; qere “thing giving access.”
k-k Brought up from v. 10 for clarity.
l Septuagint reads “south”; cf. v. 13.
m-m Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain; the phrase apparently refers to vv. 7–8.
n Cf. 44.19 and note d.
o-o Lit. “and 500 wide.”
a Six mss. and two ancient versions read “He.”
b I.e., the guide of 40.3 ff.
c-c So with a number of Heb. mss. The usual vocalization yields “their shrines.”
d The south wall of the First Temple enclosure was also the north wall of the royal enclosure; the two communicated by the Gate of the Guard (2 Kings 11.19). Thus Temple and palace could be regarded as a single dwelling (“tent”) in the sense of Num. 19.14, and the death of a king in the palace would defile the Temple. Hence the zoning provisions of 45.2 ff.
e In accordance with the three preceding chapters; cf. 40.4.
f Some of the terms and details in vv. 13–17 are obscure.
g Lit. “bosom.”
h Lit. “bulge.”
i-i Lit. “lesser ledge to the greater.”
j Heb. ‘azarah, which in v. 14 means “ledge.” The altar consists of 3 blocks, each smaller than the one below it.
k Half a cubit is identical with the one span of v. 13.
l Leading up to the altar; cf. Exod. 20.23.
m-m Heb. “its four horns.”
n-n Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “burning place”; cf. Lev. 6.2; Isa. 33.14; Ps. 102.4 (for the word), and Lev. 4.12; 6.4 (for the place).
o Heb. “they.”
p-p Lit. “they shall fill its hands”; cf. note at Exod. 28.41.
a-a This does not contradict v. 2 because the vestibule is at the inner end of the gate; cf. 40.9.
b Heb. “They.”
c-c By contrast with the Levite-priests whose demotion has just been announced.
d Cf. 42.13–14.
e Thereby rendering the people unfit for ordinary activity.
f I.e., of laymen.
g See Lev. 27.28.
h See Num. 15.20–21.
a Lit. “length.”
b Septuagint reads 20,000; cf. vv. 3–5.
c Cf. 42.15 ff.
d-d Septuagint reads “for towns to dwell in.”
e Cf. for all the foregoing 48.1 ff.
f The ephah is used for dry measure and the bath for liquid measure.
g-g The Mesopotamian mina of 60 shekels; but meaning of Heb. uncertain.
h-h Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
i The Vulgate reads “kor”; homer and kor are synonyms.
j-j Septuagint reads “in the seventh month.”
k Of choice flour.
a I.e., those other than the priests, the Levites, and the prince; lit. “the people of the land.”
b-b Lit. “straight before him.”
c Cf. Lev. 25.10.
d-d See note e at 44.19.
e So Mishnah Middoth 2.5; emendation yields “small.”
a See note at 9.3.
b-b Connection unclear. Emendation yields “southeast.”
c The end of the verse explains why he could not have made the detour by way of the south gate. For the reasons why he could not have proceeded to his present position directly by way of the east gate, see 43.1–2; 44.1–2.
d-d I.e., the Dead Sea.
e-e Brought up from v. 16 for clarity.
f-f Apparently identical with Hazer-hatticon in v. 16.
a Emendation yields “25,000”; cf. 45.3–6.
b-b Lit. “10,000 in breadth on the west; 10,000 in breadth on the east; and 25,000 in length on the south.”
c Septuagint reads “20,000”; cf. note a.
d I.e., the south side.
e-e Emendation yields “on the east.”
f The tribes not provided for in vv. 1–7, and lying south of the sacred gift.

The Twelve Minor Prophets

Hosea

1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and in the reign of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.
2When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go,