יחזקאל, פרק מ׳, פסוק מ״ח

The prophet arrives at the entrance of the main Temple building, where the foundations surrounding the doorway are carefully measured. This area is the large hall positioned directly in front of the inner Sanctuary. As the dimensions are taken, the focus shifts to the massive pillars or doorposts flanking the entrance. These structures, measuring five cubits thick on either side, form the primary walls of the hall from east to west.

The width of the gateway is then recorded as three cubits on each side. The primary approach among commentators is that this measurement does not refer to the open space of the entrance itself, but rather to sections of the wall projecting into the doorway from both the north and the south. Because the total width of the hall is twenty cubits, these three-cubit projections on either side leave a central, open doorway that is fourteen cubits wide.

This specific architectural detail highlights a major structural difference between the future Temple and the Second Temple [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. In the Second Temple, the front hall was completely open across its entire width, with no side walls narrowing the pathway. In this prophetic vision, however, the projecting walls block three cubits on each side. Because these inward-reaching walls create a defined entryway, the structure is referred to as a gate, even though the hall itself contains no actual doors.