Ezekiel 45:1-8

The Lands for the Priests, Levites, Prince, and City

The division of the whole country is described in ch. 48, which includes the substance of the present passage, and shows the position of these lands in relation to those of the tribes. The holy portion (Fig. 7, a b g h) was to be 25,000 cubits long (a b, g h) and 20,000 cubits broad (a g, b h). The sanctuary (s) was to occupy a square of 500 cubits each way, with a border on every side of 50 cubits more. The holy portion was to be subdivided into a portion (e f g h) 25,000 by 10,000 cubits, containing the sanctuary, and allotted to the priests; and a portion (a b e f) of the same size, allotted to the Levites. Alongside the priests, portion was to be a strip (g h c d) 25,000 by 5,000 cubits, for the city and the people. These three portions would form a square of 25,000 cubits each way, and E. and W. of this the possessions of the prince (P, P) were to extend to the boundaries of the land.

1. Ten thousand] RM ’twenty thousand.’ Reeds] should be ’cubits’.

3. And the most holy place] RV ’which is most holy.’

5. The five and twenty.. the ten] omit the with RV. For twenty chambers] read with LXX, ’for cities to dwell in,

6. For details of this portion see Ezekiel 48:16-19.

7. The length.. portions] RV ’in length answerable unto one of the portions, i.e. the tribal portions on the N. and S. See Fig. 8 and Ezekiel 48:22.