Ezekiel 48:10-20

Portion for the Priests

10 "The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the ¹priests, toward the north 25,000 * * cubits in length, toward the west 10,000 * in width, toward the east 10,000 * in width, and toward the south 25,000 * * in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in its midst.

11 "It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the ²sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray as the ³Levites went astray.

12 "It shall be an allotment to them from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, by the border of the Levites.

13 "Alongside the border of the priests the Levites shall have 25,000 * * cubits in length and 10,000 * in width. The whole length shall be 25,000 * * cubits and the width 10,000 *.

14 "Moreover, they ⁴shall not sell or exchange any of it, or alienate this choice portion of land; for it is holy to the LORD.

15 "The remainder, 5,000 * cubits in width and 25,000 * * in length *, shall be for ⁵common use for the city, for dwellings and for open spaces; and the city shall be in its midst.

16 "These shall be its 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.

17 "The city shall have open spaces: on the north 250 * cubits, on the south 250 * cubits, on the east 250 * cubits, and on the west 250 * cubits.

18 "The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment shall be 10,000 * cubits toward the east and 10,000 * toward the west; and it shall be alongside the holy allotment. And its produce shall be food for the workers of the city.

19 "The workers of the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.

20 "The whole allotment shall be 25,000 * * by 25,000 * * cubits; you shall set apart the holy allotment, a square, with the property of the city.

Ezekiel 48:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 48

In this chapter an account is given of the portions of the twelve tribes in the land of Israel; seven to the north of the sanctuary, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah, Eze 48:1-7, between which and Benjamin lay the holy portion of the land, for the sanctuary and the priests of it, and for the Levites, and for the city and its suburbs, and for the prince, Eze 48:8-22 then the portions of the other five tribes to the south of the sanctuary, Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad, Eze 48:23-29, after which the city is described by its outlets, north, east, south, and west; by its twelve gates, three at each point; by its circumference and by its name, Eze 48:30-35.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 44:28; Ezekiel 45:4
• 2. Ezekiel 40:46; Ezekiel 44:15
• 3. Ezekiel 44:10, 12
• 4. Leviticus 25:32-34; Leviticus 27:10, 28, 33
• 5. Ezekiel 42:20; Ezekiel 45:6
• 6. Revelation 21:16

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "first" or "first fruits"
• [b] Lit "in front"
• [c] Or "pasture land"
• [d] Or "pasture land"
• [e] Or "exactly as"
• [f] Lit "offer"
• [g] Lit "fourth"
• [h] Or "possession"