EZEKIEL, XL. PRELIMINARY NOTE ON Chapter S 40-48. These closing Chapter s of Ezekiel form one continuous prophecy of a distinctly marked character. They present a vision of the Temple in minute detail, with careful measurements of its parts; various ordinances for the Temple, for the Levites, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
XLVIII. The closing chapter of Ezekiel is mainly occupied with the distribution of the land in detail. Beginning at the north, a portion is assigned to each of seven tribes (Ezekiel 48:1); then the “oblation” is described, with its parts for the Levites, the priests and Temple, the city and those t... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL NOT SELL OF IT. — The Levites’ portion (Ezekiel 48:13) was of the same size as that of the priests, instead of their having (as under the law) nearly three times as many cities, and the restriction of Leviticus 25:34 that they might not even temporarily alienate the fields attached to their ci... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIVE THOUSAND THAT ARE LEFT. — The two strips of territory for the Levites and the priests, each 10,000 reeds wide, being deducted from the whole width of the oblation, leaves a strip of 5,000 wide and 25,000 long which is here apportioned to the city and its suburbs. It is called “profane” in c... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEASURES. — The city itself is to be an exact square of 4,500 reeds, and according to Ezekiel 48:17, was to have “suburbs,” or rather _an open space_ on all sides of 250 reeds. The whole was, therefore, 5,000 reeds — a little less than ten miles — square, the exact width of the space that was le... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL BE FOR FOOD. — This piece of land, only four times the size of the city itself, would seem a very insufficient provision for raising all the food required for the labourers of the city. But here, as everywhere, it is to be remembered that the description is ideal... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF ALL THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. — The city itself is no longer, as of old, to belong to any particular tribe, but is to be situated on the common oblation, and its labourers are to be taken alike from all the tribes. Thus the old jealousies are to be extinguished, and in this, as in all other respe... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RESIDUE SHALL BE FOR THE PRINCE. — The length of the oblation from east to west is supposed to leave a strip at either end which is assigned to the prince. This strip is to extend from north to south, the whole width of the oblation. The expression “over against the portions for the prince” is s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE REST OF THE TRIBES. — In Ezekiel 48:23 the remaining five tribes have their portions assigned on the south of the oblation in precisely the same way as the seven on the north.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOINGS OUT OF THE CITY. — In Ezekiel 48:30 the dimensions of the city are again given for the purpose of introducing the mention of the gates, three on each side, one for each of the tribes of Israel. In this enumeration Levi takes his place as a tribe, and Joseph is therefore reckoned as only o... [ Continue Reading ]
ROUND ABOUT EIGHTEEN THOUSAND. — The circuit of the city, not including its “suburbs,” or open space, was 4 x 4,500 = 18,000 reeds, or something over thirty-four miles. Josephus reckoned the circuit of Jerusalem in his day at four miles. MEASURES. — This word is rightly supplied from Ezekiel 48:30;... [ Continue Reading ]