← All Chapters The Book of Ezekiel · Chapter 48

Ezekiel 48: The LORD Is There

The tribes receive their portions around the holy offering, and the city is given its everlasting name: “Yahweh is there.”

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Ezekiel 48 (WEB)

1 Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath, (and they shall have their sides east and west), Dan, one portion.

2 By the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one portion.

3 By the border of Asher, from the east side even to the west side, Naphtali, one portion.

4 By the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one portion.

5 By the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one portion.

6 By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one portion.

7 By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion.

8 By the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in its midst.

9 The offering that you shall offer to Yahweh shall be twenty-five thousand reeds in length, and ten thousand in breadth.

10 For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in its midst.

11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my instruction, who didn’t go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

12 It shall be to them an offering from the offering of the land, a thing most holy, by the border of the Levites.

13 Answerable to the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.

14 They shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy to Yahweh.

15 The five thousand that are left in the breadth, in front of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs; and the city shall be in its midst.

16 These shall be its measures: 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.

17 The city shall have suburbs: toward the north two hundred fifty, and toward the south two hundred fifty, and toward the east two hundred fifty, and toward the west two hundred fifty.

18 The remainder in the length, answerable to the holy offering, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be answerable to the holy offering; and its increase shall be for food to those who labor in the city.

19 Those who labor in the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.

20 All the offering shall be a square of twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand: you shall offer it as a holy offering, with the possession of the city.

21 The remainder shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the possession of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand of the offering toward the east border, and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, answerable to the portions, it shall be for the prince: and the holy offering and the sanctuary of the house shall be in its midst.

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 of Judah and the border of Benjamin, it shall be for the prince.

23 As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one portion.

24 By the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one portion.

25 By the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one portion.

26 By the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one portion.

27 By the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one portion.

28 By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the brook, to the great sea.

29 This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.

30 These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure;

31 and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

32 At the east side four thousand and five hundred reeds, and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one.

33 At the south side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one.

34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred reeds, with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.

35 It shall be eighteen thousand reeds around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there.

Summary

God assigns the tribal allotments across the land in parallel strips running from east to west. Seven tribes lie to the north of the holy district: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah. In the center is the holy offering, with portions for the priests, the Levites, the city, and the prince, the sanctuary of Yahweh set in its midst. South of the holy district lie the remaining five tribes: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. The arrangement places God's sanctuary at the very heart of the land, with the tribes gathered around it on every side. The city has measured sides and twelve gates, three on each side, named for the twelve tribes of Israel, so that every tribe has access. The whole circuit of the city walls is eighteen thousand reeds. Then comes the climactic word: from that day the name of the city shall be, “Yahweh is there.” The long vision that began with a valley of dry bones and a departed glory ends with God's presence settled permanently among his people, his name written over the city itself. The exiles who feared they were cut off are promised a home centered on the dwelling of God, a fitting close that points to the new Jerusalem where God dwells with his people forever.

Key Figures

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God whose sanctuary stands at the heart of the land and whose presence gives the city its everlasting name, “Yahweh is there.”
  • The twelve tribes — The whole house of Israel given their portions around the holy district, each with a gate of the city named for them.
  • The priests, Levites, and prince — Those who receive the central holy offering and the prince’s portion surrounding the sanctuary of the Lord.
  • The city named “Yahweh is there” — The city with twelve tribal gates whose final name proclaims the abiding presence of God among his people.

Key Verse

Ezekiel 48:35 (WEB)

It shall be eighteen thousand reeds around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there.

Lessons Learned

  • God places his sanctuary at the very center of his people's life, with the tribes gathered around it.
  • Every tribe has a gate into the city, showing that all of God's people share full access to him.
  • The whole vision climaxes in the abiding presence of God, the city named “Yahweh is there.”
  • God's final word to the exiles is not judgment but presence; he has come to dwell with his people forever.
  • God’s presence is central. The sanctuary lies at the heart of the land, with “the sanctuary of Yahweh…in its midst” (Ezekiel 48:10, WEB); everything is arranged around God’s dwelling.
  • All God’s people have access. The city has twelve gates “after the names of the tribes of Israel” (Ezekiel 48:31, WEB); every tribe is welcomed in, picturing the inclusion of all God’s people.
  • The goal of redemption is God with us. “the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there” (Ezekiel 48:35, WEB); the whole book ends with the presence of God among his people.
  • Ezekiel’s hope points to the new Jerusalem. The twelve-gated city where God dwells anticipates Revelation 21–22, where God’s dwelling is with humanity and the city needs no temple, for the Lord is its light.
  1. The sanctuary is placed in the very center of the land, with the tribes around it (48:8-22). Why is this arrangement significant?
  2. The city has twelve gates named for the twelve tribes (48:31-34). What does this picture about access to God for all his people?
  3. The whole book of Ezekiel, from dry bones to this city, ends with the name “Yahweh is there” (48:35). Why is this a fitting climax to the vision?
  4. How does this final city anticipate the new Jerusalem of Revelation 21–22, where God dwells with his people?
  5. What would change in your daily life if you truly lived in the assurance that “the LORD is there” with you?
  1. By placing the sanctuary at the center with the tribes around it, the vision shows that God's presence is the organizing reality of his people's life. Help the group consider how a God-centered life arranges everything else around him.
  2. Twelve gates named for the tribes mean every part of God's people has full access to the city and to him. This pictures the gospel reality that all believers may draw near, anticipating the new Jerusalem's open gates.
  3. From a valley of death and a departed glory, the book ends with God's abiding presence proclaimed in the city's very name. “Yahweh is there” gathers up the whole hope of Ezekiel: God dwelling with his people forever.
  4. The twelve-gated city where God dwells looks ahead to Revelation 21-22, where the new Jerusalem has twelve gates and God's dwelling is with humanity. Ezekiel's vision finds its fulfillment in the new creation.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to imagine living each day conscious that the Lord is present with them. As leader, close by resting in Immanuel, God with us, fulfilled in Christ and consummated in glory.

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.