Chapter xlviii.

I. The portion of Seven Tribes.

Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.

And 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 (verses 1-8).

The division of the land to the twelve tribes, then fully restored, is by lot (xlvii:22) but the disposing of it will be by the Lord (Prov. xvi:33). The order is entirely different from the one found in the Book of Joshua (Josh. xv-xix). Up to the time of the carrying away of the ten tribes and the captivity of Judah, the tribes possessed the territory assigned to them by lot when they entered the land under Joshua. The ten tribes never returned from the captivity, and therefore the division of the land as given here has never been in the history of Israel. It is future. The division is in twelve portions all alike in dimensions, running alongside of each other, from west to east. Seven tribes are in the north, and five in the south. Between the seven tribes in the north and the tribes in the south is the oblation, the heave offering, the portion of the prince, the Levites and the priests, the Temple and the city with its surrounding territory. The tribe of Dan has its portion in the extreme north. It is the furthest away from the sanctuary. Dan was a corrupt tribe, semi-heathen (Judges xviii). Dan is not mentioned among the sealed one in Revelation vii. All the other tribes are placed in a different order from the former position.

II. The Oblation; the Remaining Tribes.

The oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. And 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. It 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. And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. And 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. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord.

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

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, 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. 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, shall be for the prince. As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And 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. This 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 (verses 9-29).

Judah's portion on the north and Benjamin's portion on the south border are an oblation, that which is offered unto the Lord. In this space of large dimensions are the portions of the Levites and the priests. The Temple stands in the middle of the portion of the priests, and adjoining is the holy city and its territory.[58] The Prince has his portion on both sides of the oblation, the heave offering. That Judah and Benjamin are bordering on these holy sections is not without meaning. Judah is the royal tribe. He who is now worshipped by His restored people is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Israel's King. Judah means "praise". He receives the praises of His people. Benjamin's other name was Benoni, "the son of suffering" and Benjamin is "the son of the right hand." Both Judah and Benjamin are a reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[58] Consult sketch.

It is impossible to explain fully the measurements given and other details of this chapter. We believe what God has written, and when the time has come He will surely see to it that all is done according to His word. We do not need to trouble ourselves with supposed difficulties or try to solve them. As stated before in this exposition, Israel's land will undergo a wonderful change when the Lord comes; these physical changes are unknown to us in their extent. The division of the land, and the setting apart of the oblation will then take place. The details in all these visions are of little importance to us. The main fact is to see that all these prophecies have remained unfulfilled up to now. Nor will they be fulfilled during the present age. As every judgment prediction of the prophecies of Ezekiel, uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem, was fulfilled, so every prediction of glory and blessing in the prophecies spoken after the destruction of the city will be fulfilled. It all awaits His coming and glorious appearing. Let us hold fast this and leave the accomplishment of every detail to the Lord.

III. The Gates of the City and its new Name.

And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. And 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. And 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. And 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. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there (verses 30-35).

The city, the earthly Jerusalem, during the Kingdom age, will have twelve gates, after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates on the north side are the gates of Reuben, Judah and Levi. The gates on the east are those of Joseph, Benjamin and Dan. Then the gates on the south--gates of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun. The west side gates are the gates of Gad, Asher and Naphthali. Ephraim and Manasseh are no longer mentioned, but are represented in Joseph. Some expositors have made the statement that the city, Jerusalem with its gates, is an Old Testament description of the same Jerusalem which John beheld in the isle of Patmos (Rev. xxi). John saw the new Jerusalem, Ezekiel the earthly city as it will exist during the Millennium. There are correspondencies, and yet greater distinctions. Here in Ezekiel a Temple is the center of the land; in Revelation we read the seer's word, "I saw no temple therein" (Rev. xxi:22). The heavenly Jerusalem, like the earthly Jerusalem in Ezekiel's vision, has the twelve gates and written on them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wall of the heavenly Jerusalem has twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. No wall and no foundations are mentioned by Ezekiel in connection with the millennial Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is four square, "the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." Such is not the case with the earthly city. Nor is there mention made by Ezekiel of the precious stones, and the twelve gates, composed every gate of one pearl; nor do we read of golden streets. The earthly Jerusalem will pass away, and when at last the new heaven and the new earth have come into existence, after the millennial reign of Christ, the new Jerusalem will descend out of heaven and find its eternal resting place upon the new earth.

The circumference of the city of Jerusalem according to Ezekiel's vision will be 18,000 reeds, about six miles. Then comes the majestic ending, the last word the man of God pronounced. "And the name of that city from that day shall be 'Jehovah Shammah', the Lord is there." It is a fitting finale to this great Book. In its beginning we see the glory of the Lord departing. Throughout the pages of the Book we read of Israel's rebellion, Jerusalem's judgments, the nation's disobedience and rejection. Then follow the messages of Hope--Israel's conversion, the regathering of the twelve tribes, the final conflict, the returning glory of the Lord; and from that day the name of the city will be Jehovah Shammah. Because He has manifested His gracious presence in the midst of His people and established His throne, blessed His people with all the spiritual and national blessings promised by His holy prophets, destroyed all their enemies, and covers all with His visible glory once more, therefore the city will have the name "Jehovah is there." What a glory it will be for Him. The city through which He once walked with weary feet, the Son of God garbed in servant's form; the city through which He was dragged, when the cross was laid upon His shoulders, the city which cast Him out, the city outside of which He endured the cross and despised the shame--that same city will be made in that day the glory spot of the earth.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Some of the outline numbering is incorrect, but has been left as printed.

Obvious printing and punctuation errors have been corrected.

Many words are spelled two different ways, for example "viceregent" and "vice-regent", "today" and "to-day".