EZEKIEL, XL. 5.

"And in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and a hand-breadth."

On the next page is a copy of an Egyptian royal cubit, of a cubit and a hand-breadth.

The royal cubit may also be meant in 2 Chron. iii. 3, by "the cubit after the former (or principal) measure." Its Egyptian name "royal" may be explained as simply meaning the larger; as in Amos, vii. 1, the larger of the two crops of grass is called the "king's mowings."

Our own yard-measure-a double cubit-would seem to have been formed from the Egyptian measure. It will be observed that we did not learn our measures of length from the Romans, as they do not agree either with the Roman foot or Roman passus,-a double step. We probably gained them through the Italians, as their palma is the span of the Egyptians, about a quarter of a yard.

EZEKIEL, XLIII, 13-17.

[Corrected translation.]

"And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits (the cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth). And the hollow [or trench] shall be a cubit [deep], and a cubit broad, and the border thereof by its edge round about shall be a span. And this shall be the ditch [or drain] of the altar.

"And from the hollow on the ground to the lower platform shall be two cubits. And the breadth shall be one cubit. And from the lesser platform to the greater platform shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the Harel-platform [or mount of God] shall be four cubits. And from the Ariel-altar [or hearth of God] and upward shall be four horns.

"And the Ariel-altar shall be twelve cubits long and twelve broad, square in its four sides. And the [Harel-] platform shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in its four sides. And the border round about it shall be half a cubit. And its hollow shall be a cubit round about. And its steps shall look toward the east."

This

A B. Section from east to west of the raised plot of ground in the middle of the temple yard, 450 feet or 300 cubits, across.-From Catherwood's Survey. On this now stands the Mosque of Omar, is the Inner Court (1 Kings vii. 12, and Ezek. xliv. 17; xlvi. 1); the Court of the Priests,-in the Hebrew, the Great Terrace, or Platform (2 Chron. iv. 9); the Upper Court (Jerem xxxvi. 10), CD. The small plot now under the dome of the Mosque of Omar, 40 cubits in diameter, and 3 or 4 high, This is the threshing-floor of Araunah (2 Sam. xxiv.), David's Altar. On this small plot was raised the altar above described by Ezekiel, which which we have attempted to reconstruct in our woodcut.

The Chronicler gives to the Court of the Priests the same Hebrew name "the platform"-that Ezekiel gives to one of the raised portions of the altar; thus showing that that court was a raised plot, such as this now seen, in the temple-yard. The whole strongly confirms the opinion that the rock now under the dome of the Mosque of Omar was the altar of burnt offerings, which stood in front of the house of Jehovah. (See the Plan in Note on 2 Sam. xxiv. 24.)

The great height of the altar may possibly have been the reason why some of the offerings were called "heaveofferings."

In 2 Chron. iv. 1 the measurements of this altar are given to Solomon's copper altar, namely a base of twenty

cubits each way, and a height of ten cubits. But from 1 Kings, viii. 64 it would seem that Solomon's copper altar was of a much smaller size.

A Map of Palestine, showing the way in which the prophet proposed that the land should be divided after