FRAMEWORKS:
Ezekiel 48: Division of the land, new city gates
[Preliminary
Comments: Continuing directly on from the previous chapter,
the detailing and naming of the tribes makes even clearer what
seems to be in the Lord's mind, His intention that the nation
He called into being still has a future.
v.1-7
The first seven tribes for allocation are named
v.1
‘These
are the tribes, listed by name: at the northern frontier, Dan
will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road
to Lebo Hamath; Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus
next to Hamath will be part of its border from the east side to
the west side.
v.2
‘Asher
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Dan from east to west.
v.3
‘Naphtali
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Asher from east to west.
v.4
‘Manasseh
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Naphtali from east to west.
v.5
‘Ephraim
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Manasseh from east to west.
v.6
‘Reuben
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Ephraim from east to west.
v.7
‘Judah
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Reuben from east to west.
v.8-22
The Sacred Land Area is again detailed [see chapter 45]
v.8
‘Bordering
the territory of Judah from east to west will be the portion you
are to present as a special gift. It will be 25,000 cubits wide,
and its length from east to west will equal one of the tribal
portions; the sanctuary will be in the centre of it.
v.9
‘The
special portion you are to offer to the Lord will be 25,000 cubits
long and 10,000 cubits wide.
v.10
This
will be the sacred portion for the priests. It will be 25,000
cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west
side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side and 25,000 cubits long
on the south side. In the centre of it will be the sanctuary of
the Lord .
v.11
This
will be for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who were faithful
in serving me and did not go astray as the Levites did when the
Israelites went astray.
v.12
It
will be a special gift to them from the sacred portion of the
land, a most holy portion, bordering the territory of the Levites.
v.13
‘Alongside
the territory of the priests, the Levites will be allotted a portion
of land 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. Its total length
will be 25,000 cubits and its width 10,000 cubits.
v.14
They
must not sell or exchange any of it. This is the best of the land
and must not pass into other hands, because it is holy to the
Lord .
v.15
‘The
remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will
be for the common use of the city, for houses and for pasture-land.
The city will be in the centre of it
v.16
and
will have these measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the
south side 4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west
side 4,500 cubits.
v.17
The
pasture-land for the city will be 250 cubits on the north, 250
cubits on the south, 250 cubits on the east, and 250 cubits on
the west.
v.18
What
remains of the area, bordering on the sacred portion and running
the length of it, will be 10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000
cubits on the west side. Its produce will supply food for the
workers of the city.
v.19
The
workers from the city who farm it will come from all the tribes
of Israel.
v.20
The
entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As
a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with
the property of the city.
v.21
‘What
remains on both sides of the area formed by the sacred portion
and the property of the city will belong to the prince. It will
extend eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the sacred portion to
the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the
western border. Both these areas running the length of the tribal
portions will belong to the prince, and the sacred portion with
the temple sanctuary will be in the centre of them.
v.22
So
the property of the Levites and the property of the city will
lie in the centre of the area that belongs to the prince. The
area belonging to the prince will lie between the border of Judah
and the border of Benjamin.
v.23-29
The remaining five tribes for allocation are named
v.23
‘As
for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have
one portion; it will extend from the east side to the west side.
v.24
‘Simeon
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Benjamin from east to west.
v.25
‘Issachar
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Simeon from east to west.
v.26
‘Zebulun
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Issachar from east to west.
v.27
‘Gad
will have one portion; it will border the territory
of Zebulun from east to west.
v.28
‘The
southern boundary of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters
of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the Mediterranean
Sea.
v.29
‘This
is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of
Israel, and these will be their portions,' declares the Sovereign
Lord.
v.30-35
The gates of the new city
v.30
‘These
will be the exits of the city: beginning on the north side, which
is 4,500 cubits long,
v.31
the
gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The
three gates on the north side will be the gate
of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.
v.32
‘On
the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will
be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the
gate of Dan.
v.33
‘On
the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits,
will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar
and the gate of Zebulun.
v.34
‘On
the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will
be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate
of Naphtali.
v.35
‘The
distance all around will be 18,000 cubits.
‘And
the name of the city from that time on will be:
the
Lord is there .'
[Notes:
The city had been referred to first in 45:6 but occurs
11 more times in this chapter. Apart from its overall size in
45:6, no other descriptions are given of it except in this chapter
where we are told each gate is named according to one of the tribes
of Israel. Oh yes, and the name of the city is “The LORD is there”.
Nothing could be clearer, this is God's place on earth with His
chosen people, reiterated in Rev 21:3 – “God's
dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with
them.”
For
the dispossessed people in exile in Babylon, a people at the fall
of Jerusalem who must have thought this was the end of their existence
as the people of God in a special land, these closing words must
have shone as a beacon of hope.]