Reflections on Ezekiel 48

Ezekiel 48 (Contemporary English Version)
1. Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border of Israel will run along the towns of Hethlon and Lebo-Hamath, and will end at Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.
   
2. (SEE 48:1)
   
3. (SEE 48:1)
   
4. (SEE 48:1)
   
5. (SEE 48:1)
   
6. (SEE 48:1)
   
7. (SEE 48:1)
   
8. South of Judah's territory will be a special section of land. Its length will be eight miles, and its width will run from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. My temple will be located in this section of land.
   
9. An area in the center of this land will belong to me. It will be eight miles long and six miles wide.
   
10. I, the LORD, will give half of my sacred land to the priests. Their share will be eight miles long and three miles wide, and my temple will be right in the middle.
    
11. Only priests who are descendants of Zadok will receive a share of this sacred land, because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning.
    
12. The land belonging to the priests will be the most sacred area and will lie south of the area that belongs to the Levites.
    
13. I will give the other half of my sacred land to the Levites. Their share will also be eight miles long and three miles wide,
    
14. and they must never sell or trade any of this land--it is the best land and belongs to me.
    
15. South of my sacred land will be a section eight miles long and two miles wide. It will not be sacred, but will belong to the people of Israel and will include the city of Jerusalem, together with its houses and pastureland.
    
16. The city will be a square: Each side will be a mile and a half long,
    
17. and an open area four hundred twenty feet wide will surround the city.
    
18. The land on the east and west sides of the city limits will be farmland for the people of Jerusalem; both sections will be three miles long and two miles wide.
    
19. People from the city will farm the land, no matter which tribe they belong to.
    
20. And so the center of this special section of land will be for my sacred land, as well as for the city and its property. The land will be a square, eight miles on each side.
    
21. The regions east and west of this square of land will belong to the ruler of Israel. His property will run east to the Jordan River and west to the Mediterranean Sea. In the very center of his property will be my sacred land, as well as the temple,
    
22. together with the share belonging to the Levites and the city of Jerusalem. The northern border of the ruler's property will be the land that belongs to Judah, and the southern border will be the land that belongs to Benjamin.
    
23. South of this special section will be the land that belongs to the rest of Israel's tribes. Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.
    
24. (SEE 48:23)
    
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27. (SEE 48:23)
    
28. Gad's southern border is also the southern border of Israel. It will begin at the town of Tamar, then run southwest to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and end at the Mediterranean Sea.
    
29. That's how the land of Israel will be divided among the twelve tribes. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
    
30. The city of Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each of the four sides of the city wall. These gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi will be in the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan will be in the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun will be in the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali will be in the west. Each side of the city wall will be a mile and a half long,
    
31. (SEE 48:30)
    
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35. and so the total length of the wall will be six miles. The new name of the city will be "The-LORD-Is-Here!"
    
    

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    This final chapter of Ezekiel addresses the re-apportionment of the land to the tribes of Israel. An earlier chapter described the Lord's portion which is to be allotted for the priests, levites, temple, and city of Jerusalem. Now we have those portions that go to the various tribes. These are different than the first allotments during the time of Joshua. They are in horizontal strips that stretch from the Mediterranean on the west to the eastern boundary, and are alloted from north to south. Starting from the north and moving downward are the tribes of Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.
    
    Between the tribes in the north and those in the south is the Lord's portion as mentioned above. This whole area will form a square and will be divided into three horizontal strips. The northern strip will belong to the priests and the temple, the middle strip will be for the levites, and the southern strip will be for the common people with Jerusalem in the center. This Lord's portion forms a square that is centered between the western and eastern boundaries, rather than stretching the total distance from the western boundary to the eastern boundary. Thus, the land remaining on both the west and east of the square will belong to the prince.  Moving below the Lord's allotment, the southern portion of the land will belong to the tribes of of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.
    
    After completing the allotment of land to the last 5 tribes in the south, Ezekiel returns to the city of Jerusalem to name the twelve gates entering the city. There will be three gates on each side of the city, each named after a tribe of Israel. Each side of the city will be 1 1/2 miles in length, making the perimeter of the city six miles around. The final words of the book of Ezekiel and its climax, give the new name of the city - "The Lord is There."
    
    A good conclusion to Ezekiel is this quote from the Hebrew Christian OT scholar, Charles L. Feinberg:  "This incomparable prophecy began with a vision of the glory of God and concludes with a description of the glory of the Lord in the glorified city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel concluded, as John in the Revelation, with God dwelling with man in holiness and glory. Beyond this there is no greater goal of history and God's dealings with man."