A large part of the biblical accounts that describe sanctuaries (Exod 25–40; 1 Kgs 6–8//2 Chr 3–7; Ezek 40–48) is devoted to the spatial organization and dimensions. In order to understand the issues at stake, the dedication texts, the excavation plans, and the Ancient Near East inscriptions containing architectural descriptions are compared here with the biblical texts. Particular attention is paid to the Egyptian dedication texts of the Late Period which form the closest corpus. Often related to the divine world, dimensions are symbolically associated with justice, permanence and continuity. Dimensions can also serve to legitimize an historical sanctuary by placing it in the continuity of an ancestral or mythological temple. As for the general shape of the sanctuaries, it reflects the common usage in the historical context of writing.