Ezekiel 48:22

48:1-35 Here is a description of the several portions of the land belonging to each tribe. In gospel times, behold all things are become new. Much is wrapped up in emblems and numbers. This method God has used to state mysterious truths in his word, not to be more clearly revealed till the proper time and season. But into the church of Christ, both in its state of warfare and triumph, there is free access by faith, from every side. Christ has opened the kingdom of heaven for all believers. Whoever will, may come, and take of the water of life, of the tree of life, freely. The Lord is there, in his church, to be nigh unto them in all they call upon him for. This is true of every real Christian; whatever soul has in it a living principle of grace, it may truly be said, The Lord is there. May we be found citizens of this holy city, and act agreeably to that character; and have the benefit of the Lord's presence with us, in life, in death, and for evermore.

Moreover, from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city,.... Or, "beyond" these, as it may be rendered, on the other side of them; or, "except" (z) these: being in the midst of that which is the prince's; between his two portions; or, as it is next explained, between the border of Judah, and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince; that is, all beyond and excepting that which belonged to the priests and Levites, the sanctuary and the city, were the prince's, which lay between Judah and Benjamin: or thus it was; before the holy oblation one part of the prince's portion ran, parallel with the tribe of Judah, east and west; after the holy oblation on the other side, another part of his portion touched the tribe of Benjamin, and ran parallel with the east and west: and so were between them both, as well as on each side of the holy oblation: all this denotes the nearness of Christ to his church and people; his protection of them on all sides; and the largeness of his interest and kingdom; see Ezekiel 45:7. (z)

Ezekiel 48:22 . Moreover from, or rather, beyond, the possession of the Levites, and beyond the possession of the city — That is, the possessions belonging to the priests and Levites, and the city, were to be bounded on the east and west side with the prince’s portion; so those were to lie in the middle, and this beyond them. Between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince — The border of Judah was to extend from east to west, next to the holy portion, on the north side, (see Ezekiel 48:1-8 ,) and the border of Benjamin from east to west, next the allotment set apart for the city, on the south side: see Ezekiel 48:23-28 . The several portions allotted for the priests, the Levites, and the city, were to extend only to the length of twenty-five thousand cubits from east to west; so that wherever ground ran in a parallel line eastward and westward beyond that boundary, even to the land’s end, was to belong to the prince. And, supposing the whole country to be sixty miles in breadth, and the holy portion about seven miles square, there will remain above twenty-six miles, both on the east and west side, for the prince’s share.

22 . Moreover from the possession ] And from. The verse gives again the breadth of the prince’s possession, by stating the two limits N. (the Levites) and S. (the city) of the central oblation. All the land lying between these limits, in other words between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, shall belong to the prince. being in the midst ] i. e. lying between the two halves of the prince’s portion. Ezekiel 48:22

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 {e} of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. (e) So that Judah was on the north side of the princes and Levites portions and Benjamin on the south side.

Or, "And the residue shall be for the prince - on the one side and on the other side of the holy oblation and of the possession of the city over against the 25,000 of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the 25,000 toward the west border, over against the portions (of Judah and Benjamin, between which the oblation was included), shall be "for the prince; and it shall be that the holy oblation and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof." This exactly describes the position of the prince's allotments on the borders of the "oblations."

That we may clearly understand this, we must remember that the portion of Judah was laid from west to east next to the holy portion, and the portion of Benjamin is in Ezekiel 48:23 laid likewise from west to east next to the possession of the city. So that on each side the extent of Judah and Benjamin run out to twenty-three miles and three quarters farther than the holy portion and possession of the city did; and all the land contained between the borders of Judah and Benjamin were the prince’s right, both the twelve miles and half broad, twenty-three and three quarters long on the west, and the same proportion on the east; and this is the sum of the 22nd verse.

15-17. The five thousand rods, apportioned to the city out of the twenty-five thousand square, are to be laid off in a square of four thousand five hundred, with the two hundred fifty all around for suburbs. profane—that is, not strictly sacred as the sacerdotal portions, but applied to secular uses.

The division of the land, like the definition of the boundaries ( Ezekiel 47:15 ), commences in the north, and enumerates the tribes in the order in which they were to receive their inheritances from north to south: first, seven tribes from the northern boundary to the centre of the land ( Ezekiel 48:1-7 ), where the heave for the sanctuary, with the land of the priests and Levites and the city domain, together with the prince's land on the two sides, was to be set apart ( Ezekiel 48:8-22 ; and secondly, the other five tribes from this to the southern boundary ( Ezekiel 48:23-29 ). Compare the map on Plate IV. Ezekiel 48:1. And these are the names of the tribes: from the north end by the side of the way to Chetlon toward Hamath (and) Hazar-Enon the boundary of Damascus - toward the north by the side of Hamath there shall east side, west side belong to him: Dan one (tribe-lot). Ezekiel 48:2. And on the boundary of Dan from the east side to the west side: Asher one. Ezekiel 48:3. And on the boundary of Asher from the east side to the west side: Naphtali one. Ezekiel 48:4. And on the boundary of Naphtali from the east side to the west side: Manasseh one. Ezekiel 48:5. And on the boundary of Manasseh from the east side to the west side: Ephraim one. Ezekiel 48:6. And on the boundary of Ephraim from the east side to the west side: Reuben one. Ezekiel 48:7. And on the boundary of Reuben from the east side to the west side: Judah one. Ezekiel 48:8.

And on the boundary of Judah from the east side to the west side shall be the heave, which ye shall lift (heave) off, five and twenty thousand (rods) in breadth, and the length like every tribe portion from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. Ezekiel 48:9. The heave which ye shall lift (heave) for Jehovah shall be five and twenty thousand in length and ten thousand in breadth. Ezekiel 48:10. And to these shall the holy heave belong, to the priests, toward the north, five and twenty thousand; toward the west, breadth ten thousand; toward the east, breadth ten thousand; and toward the south, length five and twenty thousand; and the sanctuary of Jehovah shall be in the middle of it. Ezekiel 48:11. To the priests, whoever is sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my charge, who have not strayed with the straying of the sons of Israel, as the Levites have strayed, Ezekiel 48:12. To them shall a portion lifted off belong from the heave of the land; a most holy beside the territory of the Levites. Ezekiel 48:13. And the Levites (shall receive) parallel with the territory of the priests five and twenty thousand in length, and in breadth ten thousand; the whole length five and twenty thousand, and (the whole) breadth ten thousand. Ezekiel 48:14. And they shall not sell or exchange any of it, nor shall the first-fruit of the land pass to others; for it is holy to Jehovah. Ezekiel 48:15.