THE LAND DIVIDED AMONG THE ‘NORTHERN' TRIBES (EZEKIEL 48:1). The land to be divided up is the land west of Jordan so that Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, who previously held land east of Jordan, have to be included. The whole scheme is artificial, very different from the previous div... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HOLY PORTION AND THE CITY (EZEKIEL 48:8). COMPARE EZEKIEL 45:1. “And by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, will be the Gift-offering that you will offer, twenty five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east... [ Continue Reading ]
“And for these, even for the priests, will be the holy Gift-offering. Towards the north twenty five thousand in length, and towards the west ten thousand in breadth, and towards the east ten thousand in breadth, and towards the south twenty five thousand in length, and the sanctuary of Yahweh will b... [ Continue Reading ]
“And answerable to the border of the priests, the Levites will have twenty five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth. All the length shall be twenty five thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they will not sell in it, nor barter in it, nor will the firstfruits of the land be alienat... [ Continue Reading ]
“And the five thousand that are left in the breadth, in front of the twenty five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs. And the city shall be in its midst. And these shall be its measurements. The north side four thousand five hundred, and the south side four... [ Continue Reading ]
“And the residue in length answerable to the holy Gift-offering shall be ten thousand eastward and ten thousand westward. And it shall be answerable to the holy Gift-offering. And its increase shall be for food for those who labour in the city. And those who labour in the city from all the tribes of... [ Continue Reading ]
“All the Gift-offering shall be twenty five thousand by twenty five thousand. You shall offer the holy Gift-offering foursquare, including what is possessed by the city.” The whole portion including the priests' most holy portion, the Levites' holy portion, and the city and its suburbs and lands, a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PORTION OF THE PRINCE (EZEKIEL 48:21). “And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy Gift-offering and of what is possessed by the city, in front of the twenty five thousand of the Gift-offering towards the east border, and westward in front of the twent... [ Continue Reading ]
“Moreover from what is possessed by the Levites and from what is possessed by the city, being in the midst of what is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.” We see here a slight ambivalence and recognition that while the Levite portion and th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ “And for the remainder of the tribes, from the east side to the west side, Benjamin one portion, and by the order of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon one portion, and by the border of Simeon from the east side to the west side, Issachar one portion, and by the border of Issach... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CITY (EZEKIEL 48:30). The city is finally described in more detail. It represents the whole of Israel, with a gate for each tribe. Interestingly Levi is included and Ephraim and Manasseh subsumed in Joseph. All Israel is there. These are the original patriarchs. It has in a sense returned to it... [ Continue Reading ]
. And the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘Yahweh is there.' ” This finalises the whole message of the book. It began with the arrival of the heavenly temple and finishes with the city, finally restored. It has become the place of the presence of Yahweh with His people. It is now the new e... [ Continue Reading ]