Ezekiel 48

These are the names of the tribes and the land each one receives. At the northern end of the country, one portion belongs to Dan. Its northern border follows the road to Hethlon as far as the entrance to Hamath, then to Hazarenan on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. Dan's portion runs the whole width of the land, from the east side to the west side.

1Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.

NoteThe twelve tribes were the family groups descended from the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel); land in Israel was held tribe by tribe. The boundary markers here (Hethlon, the approach to Hamath, Hazarenan, Damascus) are places along the far northern frontier, in what is now Lebanon and Syria. The layout described in this chapter is a plan, not a description of how the tribes had actually been settled: each tribe gets an equal horizontal strip running the full width of the land from the Jordan region to the Mediterranean, in an order that does not match the historic map.

2Next to Dan's territory, one portion belongs to Asher, running from the east side to the west side.

2And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.

3Next to Asher's territory, one portion belongs to Naphtali, running from the east side to the west side.

3And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.

4Next to Naphtali's territory, one portion belongs to Manasseh, running from the east side to the west side.

4And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.

5Next to Manasseh's territory, one portion belongs to Ephraim, running from the east side to the west side.

5And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.

NoteEphraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph, and each is counted here as a tribe in its own right. That keeps the total at twelve even though the tribe of Levi receives no strip of land, the Levites are given a separate reserved area instead (verse 13).

6Next to Ephraim's territory, one portion belongs to Reuben, running from the east side to the west side.

6And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.

7Next to Reuben's territory, one portion belongs to Judah, running from the east side to the west side.

7And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.

8Next to Judah's territory, running from the east side to the west side, will be the land you set aside as a gift to the LORD. It will be 25,000 measures wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions, reaching from the east side to the west side. The holy place will stand in the middle of it.

8And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.

Note"Measures" translates a Hebrew text that mostly gives bare numbers with no unit named; the King James supplies "reeds" here, while most translators supply "cubits." A cubit was about eighteen inches, the length of a forearm, which would make 25,000 about seven miles or eleven kilometres. A reed was roughly six cubits, which would make the same figure about forty miles. The ambiguity is in the text itself. The land "set aside" is a portion lifted off the whole and given over to God before the rest is divided, the same idea as an offering taken from a harvest. "The LORD" in capitals stands for the personal name of Israel's God, four Hebrew letters (YHWH) that Jewish readers did not pronounce aloud.

9The special piece of land you set aside for the LORD will be 25,000 measures long and 10,000 measures wide.

9The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.

10This holy piece of land will belong to the priests. It will measure 25,000 on the north side, 10,000 wide on the west side, 10,000 wide on the east side, and 25,000 on the south side. The holy place of the LORD will stand in the middle of it.

10And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof.

NotePriests were the men authorised to carry out the sacrifices and rituals at the sanctuary. "The holy place" is the temple complex described in chapters 40–47.

11It will belong to the priests who have been set apart for this work, the descendants of Zadok. They kept doing what I told them to do. They did not wander away from me when the people of Israel wandered away, as the Levites did.

11It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

NoteZadok was the chief priest in Jerusalem under David and Solomon, and his descendants held the senior priesthood afterwards. The Levites were the wider tribe from which priests came; those who were not descended from Zadok did the supporting work of the sanctuary rather than serving at the altar. "Set apart" translates a word meaning dedicated to a particular use and kept away from ordinary use.

12This piece of land, set apart from the rest, will belong to them as a most holy portion, lying right beside the land of the Levites.

12And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.

13Alongside the priests' land, the Levites will have an area 25,000 measures long and 10,000 measures wide. The full length will be 25,000 and the width 10,000.

13And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.

14They must not sell any of it or trade it away, and they must not hand over this best part of the land to anyone else, because it belongs to the LORD.

14And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.

NoteThe King James "firstfruits" refers to the first and best part of a harvest, which was owed to God; here it is used of the choicest part of the land itself. "Alienate" in older English simply meant to transfer ownership to someone else, not to make hostile.

15The strip that is left over, 5,000 measures wide alongside the 25,000, is for ordinary use. It is for the city, for homes, and for open land around it. The city will stand in the middle of this strip.

15And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.

NoteThe King James "profane" does not mean blasphemous. It is the older sense of the word: ordinary, common, for everyday use rather than reserved for worship. "Suburbs" likewise means something different from the modern word: it is the open ground immediately outside a town's walls, used as pasture and kept clear of building.

16These will be the city's measurements: 4,500 measures on the north side, 4,500 on the south side, 4,500 on the east side, and 4,500 on the west side.

16And 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.

Note4,500 cubits is roughly a mile and a quarter, or two kilometres, on each side.

17The open land around the city will reach out 250 measures to the north, 250 to the south, 250 to the east, and 250 to the west.

17And the suburbs of the city shall be 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.

Note250 cubits is roughly 125 yards, or a little over 100 meters.

18What is left of the length alongside the holy portion will be 10,000 measures to the east and 10,000 measures to the west, running right along the holy portion. What is grown there will be food for the workers of the city.

18And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city.

19The workers who farm this land for the city will come from all the tribes of Israel.

19And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.

20The whole set-aside area will be a square, 25,000 measures by 25,000 measures. You are to set apart this holy portion together with the property belonging to the city.

20All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city.

Note"Foursquare" is the King James word for square, equal on all four sides.

21The land left over on both sides of the holy portion and the city's property will belong to the prince. It runs east from the 25,000 measures of the set-aside land to the eastern border, and west from the 25,000 measures to the western border, alongside the tribal portions. In the middle of it all will be the holy portion, with the sanctuary of the temple.

21And 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, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.

Note"The prince" translates a Hebrew word meaning leader or chief. Ezekiel consistently avoids calling this figure a king, and the prince in these chapters has defined landholdings and duties rather than unlimited authority.

22So the property of the Levites and the property of the city will sit in the middle of the land that belongs to the prince. The prince's land lies between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.

22Moreover 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, shall be for the prince.

23As for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin will have one portion, running from the east side to the west side.

23As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion.

24Next to Benjamin's territory, Simeon will have one portion, running from the east side to the west side.

24And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.

25Next to Simeon's territory, Issachar will have one portion, running from the east side to the west side.

25And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.

26Next to Issachar's territory, Zebulun will have one portion, running from the east side to the west side.

26And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion.

27Next to Zebulun's territory, Gad will have one portion, running from the east side to the west side.

27And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.

28Along the southern edge of Gad's land, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of strife at Kadesh, and then along the brook out to the Great Sea.

28And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.

NoteTamar lay south of the Dead Sea. "The waters of strife at Kadesh" is Meribath-kadesh; "Meribah" means quarreling, and the name recalls a dispute over water during Israel's years in the wilderness. "The brook" is the Brook of Egypt, a seasonal watercourse (now Wadi el-Arish) that marked the traditional southern edge of the land. "The Great Sea" is the Mediterranean.

29This is the land you are to divide by lot among the tribes of Israel to be theirs, and these are their portions, says the Lord GOD.

29This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD.

NoteDividing land "by lot" meant assigning it by drawing marked stones or sticks, a method used precisely so that no human preference decided the outcome. The word rendered "theirs" or "inheritance" means a permanent family holding, passed down and not meant to be sold off. "Lord GOD" with GOD in capitals renders a double title in Hebrew: the word for master followed by the personal divine name.

30These are the exits of the city. On the north side, which measures 4,500,

30And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

NoteThe King James "goings out" simply means the exits, that is, the gateways.

31the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. There will be three gates on the north: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi.

31And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.

NoteLevi has a gate here even though the Levites receive no tribal strip of land, and Joseph has a single gate rather than separate gates for his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Counting that way keeps the total at exactly twelve gates for twelve tribes.

32On the east side, which measures 4,500, there will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan.

32And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.

33On the south side, which measures 4,500, there will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun.

33And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.

34On the west side, which measures 4,500, there will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.

34At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.

35The distance all the way around the city will be 18,000 measures. From that day on, the name of the city will be: The LORD is there.

35It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

Note18,000 cubits is roughly five miles, or eight kilometres, the four sides of 4,500 added together. The name is two words in Hebrew, YHWH shammah, "the LORD is there." The city is never called Jerusalem anywhere in these closing chapters; this new name is the only one given to it.