Ezekiel 48:8

8 "Bordering Judah from east to west is the consecrated area that you will set aside as holy: a square approximately seven by seven miles, with the Sanctuary set at the center.

Ezekiel 48:8 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 48:8

And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west
side, shall be the offering
Or the oblation of a holy portion of the land unto the Lord before made mention of, ( Ezekiel 45:1 ) this was close by the tribe of Judah, and in the same direction with that and the rest of the tribes, proceeding in length from east to west: this takes in the whole allotted to the sanctuary, the priests, the Levites, the city, and the prince; each of which are taken notice of in the following verses: which they shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth;
from north to south; which makes, as the Jews F21 say, seventy five miles; some make it seventy seven, and others more: and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the
west side;
that is, equal to one of the portions allotted to anyone of the tribes, which were alike: what this measure was is not said, but was the same with the breadth; since the whole oblation was five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand, ( Ezekiel 48:20 ) : and the sanctuary shall be in the midst thereof;
of the holy portion of land; see ( Ezekiel 45:3 ) , not in the tribe of Judah or Benjamin; nor in the city of Jerusalem, as before; but many miles from thence.


FOOTNOTES:

F21 Jarchi & Kimchi in loc. e Siphri; so Lipman. Tzurath Beth Hamikdash, fol. 1. 1.

Ezekiel 48:8 In-Context

6 "Reuben: one portion, bordering Ephraim from east to west.
7 "Judah: one portion, bordering Reuben from east to west.
8 "Bordering Judah from east to west is the consecrated area that you will set aside as holy: a square approximately seven by seven miles, with the Sanctuary set at the center.
9 The consecrated area reserved for God is to be seven miles long and a little less than three miles wide.
10 "This is how it will be parceled out. The priest will get the area measuring seven miles on the north and south boundaries, with a width of a little more than three miles at the east and west boundaries. The Sanctuary of God will be at the center.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.