New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezekiel 48
1
"Here are the tribes. They are listed by their names. Dan will receive one share of land. It will be at the northern border of Israel. The border will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath. Hazar Enan will be part of the border. So will the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath. Dan's northern border will run from east to west.
2
"Asher will receive one share. It will border the territory of Dan from east to west.
3
"Naphtali will receive one share. It will border the territory of Asher from east to west.
4
"Manasseh will receive one share. It will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.
5
"Ephraim will receive one share. It will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.
6
"Reuben will receive one share. It will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.
7
"Judah will receive one share. It will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 19:9
8
"You must give one share as a special gift to me. It will border the territory of Judah from east to west. It will be eight and a fourth miles wide. It will be as long as the border of each of the territories of the tribes. Its border will run from east to west. The temple will be in the center of that strip of land.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 12:6
9
"Give that special share of land to me. It will be eight and a fourth miles long and three and a third miles wide.
10
It will be the sacred share of land for the priests. It will be eight and a fourth miles long on the north side. It will be three and a third miles wide on the west side. It will be three and a third miles wide on the east side. And it will be eight and a fourth miles long on the south side. My temple will be in the center of it.
Reference
11
"This share of land will be for the priests who are set apart to me. They will come from the family line of Zadok. The members of that family served me faithfully. They did not go down the wrong path as the Levites and other Israelites did.
Reference
12
Their share of land will be a special gift to them. It will be part of the sacred share of the land. It will be very holy. Its border will run along the territory of the Levites.
13
"The Levites will receive a share. It will be next to the territory of the priests. The Levites' share will be eight and a fourth miles long and three and a third miles wide.
14
They must not sell or trade any of it. It is the best part of the land. It must not be handed over to anyone else. It is set apart to me.
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 27:28
15
"The area that remains is one and two thirds miles wide. It is eight and a fourth miles long. It will not be holy. The people in Jerusalem can build houses there. They can use some of it as grasslands. The city will be in the center of it.
Reference
16
Each of the four sides of the city will be one and a half miles long.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 21:16
17
Each of the four sides of the city's grasslands will be 437 and a half feet long.
18
"What remains of the area will be three and a third miles long on the east and west sides. Its border will run along the border of the sacred share. Its crops will supply food for the city workers.
19
They will farm the area. They will come from all of the tribes of Israel.
20
The entire area will be a square. Each of its four sides will be eight and a fourth miles long. Set the sacred share apart as a special gift to me. Do the same thing with the property of the city.
21
"The area that remains on both sides will belong to the prince. So his land does not include the sacred share and the city property. The eastern part of his land will reach from the sacred share all the way to the eastern border. The western part will reach from the sacred share to the western border. The sacred share itself is eight and a fourth miles long on its east and west sides. Both of those areas will be right next to the borders of the two tribes on the north and south sides. They will belong to the prince. The sacred share will be in the center of them. It will have the temple in it.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 48:22
22
"The property of the Levites will lie in the center of the prince's share. So will the property of the city. The prince's land will lie between the borders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
23
"Here is the land for the rest of the tribes. Benjamin will receive one share. It will reach from the eastern border to the western border.
24
"Simeon will receive one share. It will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 29:33
25
"Issachar will receive one share. It will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.
26
"Zebulun will receive one share. It will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.
27
"Gad will receive one share. It will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.
28
"The southern border of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh. It will continue along the Wadi of Egypt. It will end at the Mediterranean Sea.
Reference
29
"That is the land you must divide among the tribes of Israel. And those will be the shares they will receive," announces the Lord and King.
30
"Here is a list of the gates of the city. Start with its north side. It will be a mile and a half long.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 48:16
31
The city gates will be named after the tribes of Israel. The north side will have three gates. They will be the gates of Reuben, Judah and Levi.
32
"The east side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Joseph, Benjamin and Dan.
33
"The south side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun.
34
"The west side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Gad, Asher and Naphtali.
35
"The city will be six miles around. "From that time on, its name will be the Lord is there."
Reference
📍 The Lord Is There
Parallel theme
Revelation 21:3
Revelation 22:3
Isaiah 12:6
Psalm 132:14
References Lord
Zechariah 2:10
Jeremiah 33:16
Jeremiah 3:17
Isaiah 24:23
Isaiah 14:32
Joel 3:21
Summary of Ezekiel 48
Ezekiel 48 concludes the entire temple vision by arranging the restored land, sacred district, priestly inheritance, Levitical territory, city, prince's land, and tribal territories into one carefully ordered community, with all twelve tribes receiving designated portions and the restored city receiving twelve gates named after the tribes, while the final declaration that the city will be called “The Lord Is There” brings the vision to its central conclusion that the ultimate blessing of restoration is not simply recovered land or rebuilt institutions but the permanent presence of God among His people.
The chapter begins with the distribution of land among the tribes, moving systematically from north to south and giving each tribe a defined inheritance.
Dan receives the northernmost territory, followed by Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah, after which the special sacred district is placed near the center of the arrangement.
The location of this sacred district is significant because the restored community is organized around the sanctuary rather than treating the temple as a peripheral structure.
At the center of the land arrangement is a large holy portion dedicated to God, within which the sanctuary is located.
The priests receive land immediately associated with the sanctuary, while the Levites receive their own designated portion nearby.
The descendants of Zadok are specifically identified as the faithful priestly family who receive the priestly inheritance, continuing the distinction made in the previous chapters between those who remained faithful to God and those who had previously participated in Israel's unfaithfulness.
The sacred land assigned to the priests cannot be sold or transferred because it is dedicated to God.
The chapter then provides space for the city, including surrounding open land and agricultural areas.
This demonstrates that the restored community requires more than a temple and priesthood because people must also live, cultivate food, work, and maintain a functioning civic society.
The land around the city is cultivated by people from all the tribes, reinforcing the idea that the restored city serves the entire nation rather than becoming the possession of a single tribe.
The prince also receives land, but his territory remains clearly separated from the central sacred district.
This continues the principle established earlier that political authority must have defined limits and that the ruler must not control or seize sacred or ordinary tribal property for personal advantage.
The remaining tribes are then listed south of the central district, with Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad completing the territorial arrangement.
The chapter therefore creates a carefully structured picture in which every tribe has a place, the priests have their sacred inheritance, the Levites have their service territory, the city has its own land, and the prince has a defined area of authority.
The final section turns from the land surrounding the city to the city itself.
The city has twelve gates, with three gates on each side, and each gate is associated with one of the tribes.
The northern gates represent Reuben, Judah, and Levi; the eastern gates represent Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; the southern gates represent Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and the western gates represent Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.
The twelve gates therefore provide a powerful symbol of national unity because every tribe is represented within the restored city.
The detailed measurements, temple buildings, priestly regulations, land boundaries, tribal inheritances, gates, offerings, and administrative structures all lead toward one central reality: God is present among His people.
The restoration is therefore complete not merely because Israel possesses land again, not merely because a temple has been established, and not merely because worship has been reorganized, but because God's presence has returned and remains at the center of the restored community.
The central message is that Ezekiel 48 brings the entire restoration vision to its climax by arranging the twelve tribes, the holy district, the priestly and Levitical territories, the city, the prince's inheritance, and the surrounding agricultural land into a carefully ordered community centered on God's sanctuary, with every tribe receiving its designated inheritance and every tribe represented by a gate into the restored city, while the protected sacred district demonstrates that God's holiness remains at the heart of the nation and the carefully limited territory of the prince demonstrates that political authority must remain subordinate to God's order, until the entire vision reaches its final and most meaningful declaration in the city's new name, “The Lord Is There,” revealing that the ultimate goal of Israel's restoration is not simply the recovery of land, the rebuilding of worship, or the reestablishment of national identity, but the permanent return and presence of God among His people, transforming the restored land and city into a community whose deepest identity is defined by living under God's presence and blessing.
The chapter begins with the distribution of land among the tribes, moving systematically from north to south and giving each tribe a defined inheritance.
Dan receives the northernmost territory, followed by Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah, after which the special sacred district is placed near the center of the arrangement.
The location of this sacred district is significant because the restored community is organized around the sanctuary rather than treating the temple as a peripheral structure.
At the center of the land arrangement is a large holy portion dedicated to God, within which the sanctuary is located.
The priests receive land immediately associated with the sanctuary, while the Levites receive their own designated portion nearby.
The descendants of Zadok are specifically identified as the faithful priestly family who receive the priestly inheritance, continuing the distinction made in the previous chapters between those who remained faithful to God and those who had previously participated in Israel's unfaithfulness.
The sacred land assigned to the priests cannot be sold or transferred because it is dedicated to God.
The chapter then provides space for the city, including surrounding open land and agricultural areas.
This demonstrates that the restored community requires more than a temple and priesthood because people must also live, cultivate food, work, and maintain a functioning civic society.
The land around the city is cultivated by people from all the tribes, reinforcing the idea that the restored city serves the entire nation rather than becoming the possession of a single tribe.
The prince also receives land, but his territory remains clearly separated from the central sacred district.
This continues the principle established earlier that political authority must have defined limits and that the ruler must not control or seize sacred or ordinary tribal property for personal advantage.
The remaining tribes are then listed south of the central district, with Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad completing the territorial arrangement.
The chapter therefore creates a carefully structured picture in which every tribe has a place, the priests have their sacred inheritance, the Levites have their service territory, the city has its own land, and the prince has a defined area of authority.
The final section turns from the land surrounding the city to the city itself.
The city has twelve gates, with three gates on each side, and each gate is associated with one of the tribes.
The northern gates represent Reuben, Judah, and Levi; the eastern gates represent Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; the southern gates represent Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and the western gates represent Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.
The twelve gates therefore provide a powerful symbol of national unity because every tribe is represented within the restored city.
The detailed measurements, temple buildings, priestly regulations, land boundaries, tribal inheritances, gates, offerings, and administrative structures all lead toward one central reality: God is present among His people.
The restoration is therefore complete not merely because Israel possesses land again, not merely because a temple has been established, and not merely because worship has been reorganized, but because God's presence has returned and remains at the center of the restored community.
The central message is that Ezekiel 48 brings the entire restoration vision to its climax by arranging the twelve tribes, the holy district, the priestly and Levitical territories, the city, the prince's inheritance, and the surrounding agricultural land into a carefully ordered community centered on God's sanctuary, with every tribe receiving its designated inheritance and every tribe represented by a gate into the restored city, while the protected sacred district demonstrates that God's holiness remains at the heart of the nation and the carefully limited territory of the prince demonstrates that political authority must remain subordinate to God's order, until the entire vision reaches its final and most meaningful declaration in the city's new name, “The Lord Is There,” revealing that the ultimate goal of Israel's restoration is not simply the recovery of land, the rebuilding of worship, or the reestablishment of national identity, but the permanent return and presence of God among His people, transforming the restored land and city into a community whose deepest identity is defined by living under God's presence and blessing.