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Ezekiel 48

Ezekiel book home•Chapter 48 of 48•35 verses

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Ezekiel 48 Overview

The final chapter apportions the restored land among Israel’s tribes in ordered strips around the sacred district, city, and prince’s territory. The city has twelve gates named for Israel’s tribes, and Ezekiel closes with the city’s new defining name: “The LORD is there.”

EzekielBook

48Chapter

35Verses

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Before you read Ezekiel 48

Coming from

Water flows from beneath the temple threshold eastward, growing from ankle-deep to an uncrossable river that brings life wherever it goes, heals the sea, and nourishes fruit trees whose leaves are for medicine. The chapter then gives Israel’s land boundaries and commands inheritance allotments for resident strangers alongside native Israelites.

In this chapter

Leads into

Ezekiel closes with restored land, a holy city, and the defining promise that “The LORD is there.” Daniel follows in canonical order and brings the reader into life and prophetic revelation among Judean exiles serving under Babylonian and Persian kings.

Key understandingExplore deeper

The tribal arrangement differs from Israel’s earlier historical geography, underscoring that this is a visionary restored order rather than a simple map of pre-exilic boundaries. The sacred district and city occupy a central place within the allotment.

The book ends not with another measurement or battle but with presence. “The LORD is there” answers the crisis that began when glory departed the defiled city: judgment and exile are not the final word; the defining reality of the restored city is God dwelling there.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

God’s restoration includes every tribe within an ordered inheritance

The chapter names the tribes and assigns places rather than allowing the divided kingdom to remain the permanent structure.

The city’s identity is defined by God’s presence

Its final name makes the LORD’s dwelling, not military strength or commercial greatness, the decisive glory.

Ezekiel’s book moves from departing glory to abiding presence

The final line resolves one of the prophecy’s deepest tensions.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Ezekiel 11:22-23

The glory left Jerusalem and stood on the mountain east of the city; the final vision reverses abandonment with permanent presence.

Revelation 21:12-13

The New Jerusalem also has twelve gates associated with Israel’s tribes, showing deliberate reuse of Ezekiel’s city imagery.

Revelation 21:22-23

John’s city needs no temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple and God’s glory illuminates it, bringing Ezekiel’s presence theme to its New Testament climax.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not assume the tribal allotments reproduce Joshua’s ancient map.

They plainly form a new, highly ordered arrangement within Ezekiel’s vision.

Do not let disputes about temple geography obscure the book’s closing theological emphasis.

Whatever interpretive model one adopts, Ezekiel intentionally ends with the LORD’s presence as the restored city’s defining reality.

Read Ezekiel 48 watching for…

the north-to-south tribal strips

the central holy district

the prince’s territory

the twelve city gates named for tribes

the final name: “The LORD is there”

Chapter outline4 sections

1-7Northern tribal portions are assigned from Dan through Judah 8-22The holy portion, sanctuary, city possession, and prince’s land are laid out 23-29The remaining tribal portions are assigned from Benjamin through Gad 30-35The city’s twelve tribal gates are named, and the city is called THE LORD IS THERE

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, Hazarenan, 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.

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.

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.

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Ezekiel 48:17

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