Ezekiel 48:8-22

2. The sanctified portion (48:8-22)

TRANSLATION

(8) And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the oblation which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. (9) The oblation that you shall offer unto the LORD shall be twenty-five thousand reeds in length, and ten thousand in breadth. (10) And for these, even for the priests, shall be the holy oblation; toward the north twenty-five thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. (11) It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, that have kept My charge, that went not astray when the children of Israel went astray. (12) And it shall be unto them an oblation from the oblation of the land, a thing most holy, by the border of the Levites. (13) And answerable unto the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. (14) And they shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first-fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy unto the LORD. (15) 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 the midst thereof. (16) And these shall be the measures thereof: the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. (17) And the city shall have suburbs: toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. (18) And the residue in the length, answerable unto the holy oblation, shall be ten thousand east ward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be answerable unto the holy oblation; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that labor in the city. (19) And they that labor in the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. (20) All the oblation shall be twenty-five thousand: you shall offer the holy oblation four-square, with the possession of the city. (21) And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation and of the possession of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, answerable unto the portions, it shall be for the prince: and the holy oblation and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. (22) Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince'S, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, it shall be for the prince.

COMMENTS

Just south of the tribal area of Judah was a tract 25,000 cubits square. Like the tribal areas this tract occupied the entire length of the land from east to west. This area was known as the offering or oblation (Ezekiel 48:8). Within the oblation was a smaller oblation or offering. This area measured 25,000 cubits east and west and 10,000 cubits from north to south. The sanctuary was situated in the midst of this inner oblation (Ezekiel 48:9-10). The smaller oblation was to be the possession of the faithful priests of the line of Zadok (Ezekiel 48:11). The larger oblation area was holy; but the smaller oblation within it was most holy (Ezekiel 48:12).

Another section of the larger oblation was set aside for the Levites. It was comparable in size to the area set aside for the priests, 25,000 by 10,000 cubits (Ezekiel 48:13). Scholars are not agreed as to whether this Levite area was north or south of the priestly area. The areas inhabited by the priests and Levites were holy, therefore could not be sold or exchanged by them. This area was called the first portion (reshith)[545] as well as the oblation.

[545] The priestly dues from the crops are called first fruit (reshith) in Deuteronomy 18:4. Hebrews migrash actually means common land perhaps for grazing cattle.

The city of Jerusalem was assigned the territory south of the priestly area within the oblation. This area measured 5,000 cubits north to south and, like the other sections of the oblation, 25,000 cubits east to west. This area contained the city proper, (a square of 4,500 cubits), open land about the city (250 cubits on all sides), and two tracts of arable land on either side of the city (10,000 by 5,000 cubits each; Ezekiel 48:15-17). These latter areas were to be cultivated by the inhabitants of the city. Regardless of tribal affiliation, every citizen of the city was expected to work that ground for the good of all (Ezekiel 48:19).

The entire oblation area with all of its subdivisions formed a square of 25,000 cubits (Ezekiel 48:20). This would be equivalent to about fifty square miles if the conventional cubit is intended, sixty-nine square miles if the longer cubit is intended.

On the east and west sides of the oblation was a large territory belonging to the prince. To state the matter differently, the territories of the priests, the Levites, the sanctuary and the city were situated between the two halves of the domain of the prince (Ezekiel 48:21-22).