יחזקאל, פרק מ׳, פסוק י״ב

The layout of the Temple gates demands precise spatial planning, carefully defining the relationship between the guard chambers and their surrounding walls and open areas. A key feature of this design is a specific boundary space measuring one cubit wide. There are different ways to understand the physical nature of this boundary. It can be seen as an open, empty plaza situated directly in front of the guard chambers, extending up to the threshold of the entrance [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Alternatively, this boundary was not an empty area at all, but rather a protruding wall, one cubit thick, that physically separated the chambers from the main interior space of the gate or the courtyard wall [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. Architecturally, the chambers were set back from the central hall by an additional cubit in each direction, resulting in a total distance of two and a half cubits from the entrance width to the chambers themselves [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

The concept of the chamber in this context may extend beyond the physical room to include the broader entrance area of the gate, serving as the designated pathway through which people would approach the structure [מלבי״ם]. A detail noting the chamber's measurement as six cubits presents a challenge, as the sizes of these rooms were already established earlier in the vision. To resolve this apparent repetition, several explanations are offered. The six cubits might represent the total distance from the edge of the one-cubit boundary into the inner space of the room, combining the one-cubit border with a wall thickness of five cubits [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective suggests this measurement defines how far the chambers extended from the central hall toward the north and south [רד״ק], or that it refers strictly to the thickness of the outer wall belonging only to the outermost chamber [מלבי״ם].

A completely different approach resolves the conflicting measurements by suggesting that the rooms described here are entirely separate from the ones mentioned earlier. While the previously mentioned guard rooms were located next to the outer wall of the Temple Mount, these specific chambers were built outside the Women's Courtyard and faced outward. Because they are different structures in a different location, their boundary and separation measurements naturally differ, meaning there is no repetition in the architectural record [אברבנאל].