← All Chapters The Book of Ezekiel · Chapter 45

Ezekiel 45: The Holy Portion and the Prince

God sets apart a holy portion of land for sanctuary, priests, and city, and calls the prince to justice, just weights, and faithful offerings.

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Ezekiel 45 (WEB)

1 Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to Yahweh, a holy portion of the land; the length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand: it shall be holy in all its border all around.

2 Of this there shall be a five hundred by five hundred square for the holy place; and fifty cubits for its suburbs all around.

3 Of this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary, which is most holy.

4 It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to Yahweh; and it shall be a place for their houses, and a holy place for the sanctuary.

5 Twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth, shall be to the Levites, the ministers of the house, for a possession to themselves, for twenty rooms.

6 You shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and twenty-five thousand long, side by side with the offering of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.

7 What is for the prince shall be on the one side and on the other side of the holy offering and of the possession of the city, in front of the holy offering and in front of the possession of the city, on the west side westward, and on the east side eastward; and in length answerable to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.

8 In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

9 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Let it suffice you, princes of Israel: remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness; dispossessing my people, says the Lord Yahweh.

10 You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.

11 The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of a homer, and the ephah the tenth part of a homer: its measure shall be after the homer.

12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

13 This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of wheat; and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of barley;

14 and the set portion of oil, of the bath of oil, the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer; (for ten baths are a homer;)

15 and one lamb of the flock, out of two hundred, from the well-watered pastures of Israel—for a meal offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them, says the Lord Yahweh.

16 All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.

17 It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, and the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meal offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.

18 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the first month, in the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect; and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.

19 The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.

20 So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple: so you shall make atonement for the house.

21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

22 On that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.

23 The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Yahweh, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.

24 He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for a bull, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil to an ephah.

25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, in the feast, shall he do the like the seven days; according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meal offering, and according to the oil.

Summary

When the land is divided by lot, God commands that a holy portion be set apart as an offering to Yahweh, with a sacred area for the sanctuary and the priests, a portion for the Levites, and a portion for the city belonging to the whole house of Israel. Land on either side of this holy offering is assigned to the prince, so that he has his own possession and will no longer oppress the people or seize their land. God then turns to the princes of Israel with a sharp summons: put away violence and oppression, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing the people. They are to keep just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath, with honest measures and weights. God specifies the offerings the people bring and the prince's duty to provide the burnt, sin, grain, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel. He appoints the cleansing of the sanctuary at the start of the year, the keeping of the Passover with its seven days of unleavened bread, and the feast in the seventh month, with detailed sacrifices for each. The chapter weaves together holy space, just leadership, honest dealings, and faithful worship, showing that life under God touches land, justice, commerce, and festival alike. The prince is given honor but also held accountable to lead in righteousness.

Key Figures

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who apportions a holy share of the land, demands justice from the prince, and ordains the offerings and feasts of his people.
  • The prince — The leader given his own portion so he will not oppress the people, charged to do justice, keep honest measures, and provide the offerings.
  • The priests and Levites — Ministers of the sanctuary who receive a holy portion of the land as their place to dwell and serve before the Lord.
  • The people of the land — The whole house of Israel who share in the city’s portion, bring their offerings, and keep the Passover and appointed feasts.

Key Verse

Ezekiel 45:9 (WEB)

Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Let it suffice you, princes of Israel: remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness; dispossessing my people, says the Lord Yahweh.

Lessons Learned

  • God sets apart a holy portion for his sanctuary, showing that worship has a central, honored place among his people.
  • Leaders are called to justice and righteousness, never to oppress or exploit the people in their care.
  • Honest weights and measures matter to God; integrity in everyday dealings is part of holy living.
  • Worship, leadership, commerce, and festival all belong to God; faith touches every part of life.
  • Worship deserves a central place. A “holy portion of the land” is set apart “for the sanctuary” (Ezekiel 45:1-4, WEB); God’s dwelling is given honored space at the heart of the land.
  • Leaders must do justice. God commands the princes to “remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness” (Ezekiel 45:9, WEB); authority is for serving, not exploiting.
  • God cares about honest dealings. “You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath” (Ezekiel 45:10, WEB); integrity in weights and measures is a matter of holiness.
  • Atonement is provided for the people. The prince is to provide offerings “to make atonement for the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 45:17, WEB), anticipating the once-for-all atonement made by Christ.
  1. Why is a holy portion of the land set apart first, before the rest is divided (45:1)?
  2. God gives the prince his own land so he will “no more oppress my people” (45:8). How does provision guard against the temptation to exploit others?
  3. God commands just balances and honest measures (45:10). Why does the Lord care about everyday commerce and integrity?
  4. The prince provides offerings to “make atonement for the house of Israel” (45:17). How does this point forward to the atonement Christ makes for his people?
  5. This chapter touches land, justice, business, and worship. Where is God calling you to greater integrity in an “everyday” area of life?
  1. Setting apart the holy portion first signals that worship and God's presence are the organizing center of the people's life, not an afterthought. Help the group consider how God's claim comes first in their own priorities.
  2. When the prince is provided for, he has no excuse to grab from the people; contentment and provision protect against greed and oppression. Encourage reflection on how God's provision frees us from grasping.
  3. Dishonest scales harm the vulnerable and dishonor God; the Lord's holiness reaches into marketplaces and ledgers. Holiness is not confined to the sanctuary but shapes how we treat people in ordinary transactions.
  4. The prince's provision of atoning offerings foreshadows the greater Prince who provides not animals but himself, making atonement once for all (Hebrews 9:12). Israel's repeated sacrifices point to his finished work.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name an everyday sphere—work, money, leadership—where God calls them to integrity, and one concrete step. Keep the tone encouraging rather than accusatory.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.