Ezekiel 48 Study Notes: The Tribes and the City Where God Dwells
God divides the land among all of Israel’s tribes, setting apart a holy district in the middle with His sanctuary at its center. The city has twelve gates bearing the tribes’ names, and Ezekiel’s book closes as the city is given a new name proclaiming that the LORD is present in it.
General
Whose names were given to the city’s twelve gates (48:31)?
Answer: Israel’s twelve tribes
The city had three gates on each of its four sides, and each gate was named for one of Israel’s tribes (48:30-34). The names show that the city belongs to the whole people of God, with every tribe having its own way in. The twelve stones of the high priest’s breastpiece were likewise engraved with the tribes’ names (Exodus 28:21). John’s vision of the new Jerusalem also shows twelve gates, three on each side, each bearing a tribe’s name (Revelation 21:12-13).
- Ezekiel 48:30-31 (BSB)““These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi.”The city’s exits begin on the north side, and its gates bear the names of Israel’s tribes.
- Exodus 28:21 (BSB)“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”The high priest’s breastpiece carried twelve stones engraved with the tribes’ names.
- Revelation 21:12-13 (BSB)“The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.”John’s new Jerusalem also has twelve gates, three on each side, inscribed with the tribes’ names.
Theological
According to 48:31, after whom are the city’s twelve gates named?
Answer: Israel’s twelve tribes
The city’s four sides each have three gates, and every gate carries a tribal name (48:30-34). The whole covenant people is represented in the city’s very entrances, each tribe with its own access. The same pattern appears in the high priest’s breastpiece, its twelve stones engraved with the tribal names (Exodus 28:21), and in the new Jerusalem, whose twelve gates, three to a side, are each marked with a tribe’s name (Revelation 21:12-13).
- Ezekiel 48:30-31 (BSB)““These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi.”The city’s exits begin on the north side, and its gates bear the names of Israel’s tribes.
- Exodus 28:21 (BSB)“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”The high priest’s breastpiece carried twelve stones engraved with the tribes’ names.
- Revelation 21:12-13 (BSB)“The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.”John’s new Jerusalem also has twelve gates, three on each side, inscribed with the tribes’ names.
General
What does the division of the land in chapter 48 show about the people of Israel?
Answer: All the tribes are gathered and each is given a place again
The LORD lists the tribes one by one, each receiving a strip of land running from the eastern border to the western one (48:1-7, 23-28), and sums up that the whole land is to be allotted to Israel’s tribes as their inheritance (48:29). The northern tribes had been carried off into exile by Assyria long before (2 Kings 17:6), and Ezekiel himself lived among the exiles taken with King Jehoiachin (1:1-3), yet in the vision every tribe has its place again. This pictures God keeping His promise to gather His scattered people and unite them as a single nation in their land (37:21-22). The land is theirs because God had sworn to their fathers that it would be (47:13-14). He does not forget a single part of His people.
- Ezekiel 48:29 (BSB)“This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.”The LORD closes the list by declaring these portions to be the tribes’ inheritance.
- Ezekiel 47:13-14 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: “These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions. You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance.”God commands the land to be divided equally among the tribes and gives it to them because of His oath to their fathers.
- Ezekiel 37:21-22 (BSB)“you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.”God had promised to gather the scattered Israelites and make them one nation in their own land.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”Long before, the northern Israelites had been carried off into exile in Assyria.
Theological
What does the tribal allotment of chapter 48 convey about the people of God?
Answer: All the tribes are gathered and each is given a place again
The LORD assigns each tribe its own east-to-west portion of the land (48:1-7, 23-28) and concludes that this is the inheritance allotted to Israel’s tribes (48:29). The northern tribes had long since been deported by Assyria (2 Kings 17:6), and Ezekiel himself was among the exiles of Jehoiachin’s captivity (1:1-3), yet the vision restores the whole people, not a remnant of one or two tribes. It pictures the promise of 37:21-22 that the scattered Israelites would be gathered and reunited as one nation in their land, and it rests on the oath God swore to the fathers (47:13-14). God’s covenant faithfulness extends to every part of the people He chose.
- Ezekiel 48:29 (BSB)“This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.”The LORD closes the list by declaring these portions to be the tribes’ inheritance.
- Ezekiel 47:13-14 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: “These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions. You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance.”God commands the land to be divided equally among the tribes and gives it to them because of His oath to their fathers.
- Ezekiel 37:21-22 (BSB)“you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.”God had promised to gather the scattered Israelites and make them one nation in their own land.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”Long before, the northern Israelites had been carried off into exile in Assyria.
General
What stands in the middle of the special district reserved for the LORD (48:8-10)?
Answer: The LORD’s sanctuary, where He dwells
Among the tribal portions, between Judah’s land and Benjamin’s, a special district was set apart for the LORD, with land for the priests, for the Levites and for the city (48:8-22). At its heart stood the LORD’s sanctuary (48:8, 10). The priests’ land around it went to Zadok’s descendants, who had stayed faithful when Israel went astray (48:11). The prince’s land lay on either side of that district, not at its center (48:21). Putting the sanctuary in the middle says that God’s presence is the center of His people’s life. Israel’s camp in the wilderness had been arranged on every side of the Tent of Meeting in the same way (Numbers 2:2), and God had promised to set His sanctuary among His people forever (37:26-28) and to dwell among them in the place of His throne (43:7).
- Ezekiel 48:8 (BSB)“Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.”The portion set apart lies between the tribal lands, with the sanctuary at its center.
- Ezekiel 48:10-11 (BSB)“This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD. It will be for the consecrated priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.”The priests’ holy portion, with the LORD’s sanctuary at its center, belongs to Zadok’s faithful descendants.
- Numbers 2:2 (BSB)““The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under his standard, with the banners of his family.”In the wilderness Israel camped around the Tent of Meeting, which stood in their midst.
- Ezekiel 37:26-28 (BSB)“And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever.’””God promised an everlasting covenant of peace, with His sanctuary standing among His people for all time.
- Ezekiel 43:7 (BSB)“and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings for their kings at their deaths.”God names the temple as the place of His throne, where He will dwell among Israel forever.
Theological
According to 48:8-10, what lies at the heart of the district reserved for the LORD?
Answer: The LORD’s sanctuary, where He dwells
The reserved district at the heart of the land contains the priestly, Levitical and city portions (48:8-22), and at its center stands the LORD’s sanctuary (48:8, 10). The priestly portion around it belongs to the sons of Zadok, who stayed loyal in God’s service when Israel strayed (48:11), while the prince’s holdings flank the district rather than occupy its center (48:21). The geography is theological: the dwelling of God orders the whole life of His people. It recalls the wilderness camp arranged on every side of the Tent of Meeting (Numbers 2:2) and realizes the covenant promise that God would place His sanctuary among His people forever (37:26-28), the place of His throne where He will live among Israel (43:7).
- Ezekiel 48:8 (BSB)“Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.”The portion set apart lies between the tribal lands, with the sanctuary at its center.
- Ezekiel 48:10-11 (BSB)“This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD. It will be for the consecrated priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.”The priests’ holy portion, with the LORD’s sanctuary at its center, belongs to Zadok’s faithful descendants.
- Numbers 2:2 (BSB)““The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under his standard, with the banners of his family.”In the wilderness Israel camped around the Tent of Meeting, which stood in their midst.
- Ezekiel 37:26-28 (BSB)“And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever.’””God promised an everlasting covenant of peace, with His sanctuary standing among His people for all time.
- Ezekiel 43:7 (BSB)“and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings for their kings at their deaths.”God names the temple as the place of His throne, where He will dwell among Israel forever.
General
What will the city be called from then on, according to the last verse of Ezekiel (48:35)?
Answer: A name declaring that the LORD is present in it
The book ends by giving the city a new name that announces that the LORD dwells in it (48:35). Ezekiel had watched the LORD’s glory leave the temple and then the city because of Israel’s sin (10:18; 11:23), and in the temple vision he had seen that glory return and fill the house (43:4-5). Now the city itself is known by God’s presence. This is what God had promised: His dwelling place would be with His people, and He would be God to them (37:27). The Bible closes with the same hope, when a voice from God’s throne loudly declares that God’s dwelling is with mankind and that He Himself will be God among them (Revelation 21:3).
- Ezekiel 48:35 (BSB)“The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.””The book closes by giving the city a new name that speaks of the LORD’s presence in it.
- Ezekiel 11:23 (BSB)“And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.”Earlier Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD rise from the city and halt above the hill on its eastern side.
- Ezekiel 43:4-5 (BSB)“and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”In the temple vision the glory of the LORD comes back through the east gate and fills the house.
- Ezekiel 37:27 (BSB)“My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.”God promised that His dwelling would be with His people, and He would be their God.
- Revelation 21:3 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”At the end of the Bible a voice from the throne announces that God Himself now dwells with His people.
Theological
What new name does 48:35 give the city?
Answer: A name declaring that the LORD is present in it
Ezekiel’s prophecy closes by renaming the city for the LORD’s abiding presence in it (48:35). The book has traced the departure of the glory from the temple and then the city in judgment (10:18; 11:23) and its return to fill the house (43:4-5); its final word is that the city is defined by God’s dwelling with His people. This is the heart of the covenant, that God would make His home with them and be their God (37:27), and Scripture’s final vision uses the same language: God’s dwelling is with mankind, and God Himself is with His people as their God (Revelation 21:3).
- Ezekiel 48:35 (BSB)“The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.””The book closes by giving the city a new name that speaks of the LORD’s presence in it.
- Ezekiel 11:23 (BSB)“And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.”Earlier Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD rise from the city and halt above the hill on its eastern side.
- Ezekiel 43:4-5 (BSB)“and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”In the temple vision the glory of the LORD comes back through the east gate and fills the house.
- Ezekiel 37:27 (BSB)“My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.”God promised that His dwelling would be with His people, and He would be their God.
- Revelation 21:3 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”At the end of the Bible a voice from the throne announces that God Himself now dwells with His people.