Ezekiel 48:7-17

7 And on the end of Reuben, from the east coast till to the coast of the sea, one of Judah. (And from the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, one portion shall be for Judah.)
8 And on the end of Judah, from the east coast till to the coast of the sea, shall be the (place of the) first fruits, which ye shall (set) (a)part by five and twenty thousand reeds of breadth and of length [in five and twenty thousand rods of breadth and of length], as all (the other) parts be, from the east coast till to the coast of the sea; and the saintuary shall be in the midst thereof. (And from the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the place of the first fruits, which ye shall set apart by twenty-five thousand cubits in breadth, and its length shall be like all the other parts, from the east side unto the west side; and the sanctuary, or the Temple, shall be in its midst.)
9 The (place of the) first fruits which ye shall (set) (a)part to the Lord, the length shall be in five and twenty thousand, and the breadth in ten thousand. (The place of the first fruits which ye shall set apart for the Lord, the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth shall be ten thousand/and the breadth shall be twenty thousand.)
10 Forsooth these shall be the first fruits of the saintuary of (the) priests; to the north five and twenty thousand of length, and to the sea ten thousand of breadth; but to the east ten thousand of breadth, and to the south five and twenty thousand of length; and the saintuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. (And this shall be the portion of the place of the first fruits for the priests; to the north twenty-five thousand in length, and to the west ten thousand in breadth; and to the east ten thousand in breadth, and to the south twenty-five thousand in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in its midst.)
11 The saintuary shall be to (the) priests of the sons of Zadok, that kept my ceremonies, and erred not, when the sons of Israel erred, as also [the] deacons erred. (This portion of the place of the first fruits shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok who kept, or who continued, my ceremonies, and went not astray, when the Israelites went astray, like also the Levites went astray.)
12 And (this portion of the place of) the first fruits shall be to them of the first fruits of the land, the holy of holy things, by the term of Levites, either deacons. (And this portion of the place of the first fruits shall be a most holy place for them, and it shall be unto the border of the Levites, or of the deacons.)
13 But also to deacons in like manner by the coasts of priests shall be five and twenty thousand of length, and ten thousand of breadth; all the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand. (And also the Levites in like manner shall have a portion of the place of the first fruits unto the border of the priests, and it shall be twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth; and so all the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth shall be ten thousand.)
14 And they shall not sell thereof, neither shall (ex)change (any part of their portion); and the (place of the) first fruits of the land shall not be translated, for those be hallowed to the Lord. (And they shall never sell, or exchange, any part of their portion; and the place of the first fruits of the land shall never be transferred to anyone, for they be holy to, and belong to, the Lord.)
15 Soothly the five thousand, that be left over in breadth, by five and twenty thousand, shall be the unholy things, either common things, of the city, into dwelling place, and into suburbs (for a dwelling place, and for common land); and the city shall be in the midst thereof.
16 And these shall be the measures thereof; at the north coast, five hundred and four thousand of reeds (five hundred and four thousand rods), and at the south coast, five hundred and four thousand, and at the east coast, five hundred and four thousand, and at the west coast, five hundred and four thousand. (And these shall be its measurements; on the north side, four thousand five hundred cubits, and on the south side, four thousand five hundred, and on the east side, four thousand five hundred, and on the west side, four thousand five hundred.)
17 Forsooth the suburbs of the city at the north shall be two hundred and fifty, and at the south two hundred and fifty, and at the east two hundred and fifty, and at the sea, that is, (at) the west, two hundred and fifty.

Ezekiel 48:7-17 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.