Day 1002 of 1461 · 2029-09-28

Ezekiel 48:1–35

My plan starts

¹“Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath (and they shall have their sides east and west), Dan, one portion.

²“By the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one portion.

³“By the border of Asher, from the east side even to the west side, Naphtali, one portion.

⁴“By the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one portion.

⁵“By the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one portion.

⁶“By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one portion.

⁷“By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion.

⁸“By the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand reeds in width, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the middle of it.

⁹“The offering that you shall offer to Yahweh shall be twenty-five thousand reeds in length, and ten thousand in width.

¹⁰For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in width, and toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in the middle of it.

¹¹It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my instruction, who didn’t go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

¹²It shall be to them an offering from the offering of the land, a most holy thing, by the border of the Levites.

¹³“Answerable to the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in width. All the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the width ten thousand.

¹⁴They shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy to Yahweh.

¹⁵“The five thousand that are left in the width, in front of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for pasture lands; and the city shall be in the middle of it.

¹⁶These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.

¹⁷The city shall have pasture lands: toward the north two hundred fifty, and toward the south two hundred fifty, and toward the east two hundred fifty, and toward the west two hundred fifty.

¹⁸The remainder in the length, alongside the holy offering, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be alongside the holy offering. Its increase shall be for food to those who labor in the city.

¹⁹Those who labor in the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.

²⁰All the offering shall be a square of twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand. You shall offer it as a holy offering, with the possession of the city.

²¹“The remainder shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the possession of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand of the offering toward the east border, and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, alongside the portions, it shall be for the prince. The holy offering and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the middle of it.

²²Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the middle of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.

²³“As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one portion.

²⁴“By the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one portion.

²⁵“By the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one portion.

²⁶“By the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one portion.

²⁷“By the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one portion.

²⁸“By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the brook, to the great sea.

²⁹“This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.

³⁰“These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure;

³¹and the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

³²“At the east side four thousand and five hundred reeds, and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one.

³³“At the south side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one.

³⁴“At the west side four thousand and five hundred reeds, with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.

³⁵“It shall be eighteen thousand reeds around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘Yahweh is there.’

About a five-minute read

Drawn from the public-domain commentaries and Spurgeon sermons that cover this exact passage · ~729 words.

Matthew Henry. The portions of the twelve tribes, seven to the north of the sanctuary (Eze 48:1-7) and five to the south (Eze 48:23-29). The allotment of land for the sanctuary, and the priests (Eze 48:8-11), for the Levites (Eze 48:12-14), for the city (Eze 48:15-20), and for the prince (Eze 48:21, Eze 48:22). A plan of the city, its gates, and the new name given to it (v. 30-35), which seals up, and concludes, the vision and prophecy of this book. On the north side were the gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi (Eze 48:31), on the east the gates of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan (Eze 48:32), on the south the gates of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun (Eze 48:33), and on the west the gates of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Eze 48:34. John's vision, the new Jerusalem (for so the holy city is called there, though not here) has twelve gates, three on a side, and on them are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, Rev 21:12, Rev 21:13. It had twelve gates in all, three on each side, which was very agreeable when it lay four square; and these twelve gates were inscribed to the twelve tribes. Because the city was to be served out of all the tribes of Israel (Eze 48:19) it was fit that each tribe should have its gate; and, Levi being here taken in, to keep to the number twelve Ephraim and Manasseh are made one in Joseph, Eze 48:32. It is never said, in all this chapter, whether so many reeds (as our translation determines by inserting that word, Eze 48:8, each reed containing six cubits and span, Eze 40:5, and why should the measurer appear with the measuring reed in his hand of that length if he did not measure with that, except where it is expressly said he measured by cubits?) or whether, as others think, it is so many cubits, because those are mentioned Eze 45:2 and Eze 47:3. Yet that makes me incline rather to think that where cubits are not mentioned must be intended so many lengths of the measuring reed. The name given to this city: From that day, when it shall be newly-erected according to this model, the name of it shall be, not, as before, Jerusalem - The vision of peace, but which is the original of that, and more than equivalent to it, Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is there, Eze 48:35. And here it is made to crown the bliss of this holy city that the Lord is there. We have here a further account of the city that should be built for the metropolis of this glorious land, and to be the receptacle of those who would come from all parts to worship in the sanctuary adjoining.

Jamieson–Fausset–Brown. Manasseh--The intercourse and unity between the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan, and the nine and a half west of it, had been much kept up by the splitting of Manasseh, causing the visits of kinsmen one to the other from both sides of the Jordan. Ephraim--This tribe, within its two dependent tribes, Manasseh and Benjamin, for upwards of four hundred years under the judges held the pre-eminence. The five thousand rods, apportioned to the city out of the twenty-five thousand square, are to be laid off in a square of four thousand five hundred, with the two hundred fifty all around for suburbs. profane--that is, not strictly sacred as the sacerdotal portions, but applied to secular uses. It alone with Judah had been throughout loyal to the house of David, so its prowess at the "night" of the national history was celebrated as well as in the "morning." Simeon--omitted in the blessing of Moses in Deu. 33:1-29 perhaps because of the Simeonite "prince," who at Baal-peor led the Israelites in their idolatrous whoredoms with Midian (Num 25:14). Compared (Gen 49:14) to "a strong ass crouching between two burdens," that is, tribute and tillage; never meddling with wars except in self-defense. The twelve gates bear the names of the twelve tribes to imply that all are regarded as having an interest in it. Not that the city will be called so in mere name, but that the reality will be best expressed by this descriptive title (Jer 3:17; Jer 33:16; Zac 2:10; Rev 21:3; Rev 22:3).

Full commentary on this passage

Matthew Henry

chapter

In this chapter we have particular directions given for the distribution of the land, of which we had the metes and bounds assigned in the foregoing chapter. I. The portions of the twelve tribes, seven to the north of the sanctuary (Eze 48:1-7) and five to the south (Eze 48:23-29). II. The allotment of land for the sanctuary, and the priests (Eze 48:8-11), for the Levites (Eze 48:12-14), for the city (Eze 48:15-20), and for the prince (Eze 48:21, Eze 48:22). Much of this we had before, ch. 45. III. A plan of the city, its gates, and the new name given to it (v. 30-35), which seals up, and concludes, the vision and prophecy of this book.

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31–35

We have here a further account of the city that should be built for the metropolis of this glorious land, and to be the receptacle of those who would come from all parts to worship in the sanctuary adjoining. It is nowhere called Jerusalem, nor is the land which we have had such a particular account of the dividing of any where called the land of Canaan; for the old names are forgotten, to intimate that the old things are done away, behold all things have become new. Now, concerning this city, observe here, 1. The measures of its out-lets, and the grounds belonging to it, for its several conveniences; each way its appurtenances extended 4500 measures 18,000 in all, Eze 48:35. But what these measures were is uncertain. It is never said, in all this chapter, whether so many reeds (as our translation determines by inserting that word, Eze 48:8, each reed containing six cubits and span, Eze 40:5, and why should the measurer appear with the measuring reed in his hand of that length if he did not measure with that, except where it is expressly said he measured by cubits?) or whether, as others think, it is so many cubits, because those are mentioned Eze 45:2 and Eze 47:3. Yet that makes me incline rather to think that where cubits are not mentioned must be intended so many lengths of the measuring reed. But those who understand it of so many cubits are not agreed whether it be meant of the common cubit, which was half a yard, or the geometrical cubit, which, for better expedition, is supposed to be mostly used in surveying lands, which, some say, contained six cubits, others about three cubits and a half, so making 1000 cubits the same with 1000 paces, that is, an English mile. But our being left at this uncertainty is an intimation that these things are to be understood spiritually, and that what is principally meant is that there is an exact and just proportion observed by Infinite Wisdom in modelling the gospel church, which though now we cannot discern we shall when we come to heaven. 2. The number of its gates. It had twelve gates in all, three on each side, which was very agreeable when it lay four square; and these twelve gates were inscribed to the twelve tribes. Because the city was to be served out of all the tribes of Israel (Eze 48:19) it was fit that each tribe should have its gate; and, Levi being here taken in, to keep to the number twelve Ephraim and Manasseh are made one in Joseph, Eze 48:32. On the north side were the gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi (Eze 48:31), on the east the gates of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan (Eze 48:32), on the south the gates of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun (Eze 48:33), and on the west the gates of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Eze 48:34. Conformable to this, in St. John's vision, the new Jerusalem (for so the holy city is called there, though not here) has twelve gates, three on a side, and on them are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, Rev 21:12, Rev 21:13. Note, Into the church of Christ, both militant and triumphant, there is a free access by faith for all that come of every tribe, from every quarter. Christ has opened the kingdom of heaven for all believers. Whoever will may come and take of the water of life, of the tree of life, freely. 3. The name given to this city: From that day, when it shall be newly-erected according to this model, the name of it shall be, not, as before, Jerusalem - The vision of peace, but which is the original of that, and more than equivalent to it, Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is there, Eze 48:35. This intimated, (1.) That the captives, after their return, should have manifest tokens of God's presence with them and his residence among them, both in his ordinances and his providences. They shall have no occasion to ask, as their fathers did, Is the Lord among us, or is he not? for they shall see and say that he is with them of a truth. And then, though their troubles were many and threatening, they were like the bush which burned but…

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Jamieson–Fausset–Brown

Asher--a tribe of which no one of note is mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament one is singled out of it, the prophetess Anna.