Ezekiel45

Ezekiel 45 details the division of the holy land, specifying portions for the sanctuary, priests, Levites, city, and prince. It then commands princes to act justly, establishing righteous weights and measures for the people. The chapter concludes by outlining the specific oblations to be offered, emphasizing the prince's role in providing offerings for feasts, new moons, and sabbaths, including rituals for cleansing the sanctuary and observing Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Division of the Holy Land Portion

1
"'When you divide the land by lot for inheritance, you are to set aside an offering for ADONAI, a holy portion of the land. Its length is to be 25,000 [cubits, that is, eight miles] and its width 10,000 [three miles]; this entire region is to be holy. ​
2
Of this there is to be reserved for the holy place an area 875 [feet] square, with eighty-seven-and-a-half feet for open land around it. ​
3
Alongside this region you are to measure a length of eight [miles] and a width of three [miles]; in it is to be the sanctuary, which will be especially holy.
4
It is a holy portion of the land; it is for the cohanim who serve in the sanctuary, who approach to minister to ADONAI; there will be a place for their houses and a place set aside for the sanctuary. ​
5
A portion eight by three [miles] will be owned by the L'vi'im who serve in the house; it will also have twenty [gatekeepers'] rooms. ​
6
You are to give the city possession of an area, alongside the offering of the holy portion, one-and-a-half by eight [miles]; it will be for the whole house of Isra'el. ​
7
"'The prince is to have the territory on both sides of the holy offering and the city's holding; it will extend westward to the western border of the land and eastward to its eastern border; and the length [from the far side of one] of its two parts [to the far side of the other] will be the same as the length of one of the [tribal] portions. ​
8
His possession in Isra'el will be limited to this, and henceforth my princes will not wrong my people but will give the land to the house of Isra'el according to their tribes.' ​

Moral Duties of the Prince

9
Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Princes of Isra'el, that should be enough for you! Get rid of violence and looting, do what is right and just, and stop evicting my people from their land!' says Adonai ELOHIM. ​
10
"'You are to have honest balance-scales, an honest eifah [a one-bushel dry-measure] and an honest bat [a five-gallon liquid-measure]. ​
11
The eifah and the bat are to contain the same volume - the bat is to contain one-tenth of a homer, and the eifah is to contain one-tenth of a homer; the homer is to set the standard for measurement.
12
Also the shekel is to be twenty gerahs; your maneh will be the sum of a twenty-shekel piece, a twenty-five-shekel piece and a fifteen-shekel piece. ​

Regulations for Offerings

13
"'This is the offering you are to make: one-sixth of a bushel from every ten bushels of wheat, and you are to give one-sixth of a bushel from every ten bushels of barley. ​
14
The law for olive oil is to be half a gallon from every fifty gallons, which is the same as ten bats or one homer, since ten bats equal a homer.
15
From the flock, take one sheep from every two hundred being pastured in Isra'el; [all these are to be used] for grain offerings, burnt offerings and peace offerings, to make atonement for them,' says Adonai ELOHIM. ​
16
'All the people in the land are to present this offering to the prince in Isra'el.
17
The prince's obligation will be to present the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the feasts, on Rosh-Hodesh, and on Shabbat - at all the designated times of the house of Isra'el. He is to prepare the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Isra'el.' ​

Annual Festival Calendar

18
"Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'On the first day of the first month you are to take a young bull without defect and purify the sanctuary. ​
19
The cohen will take some of the blood from the sin offering and put it on the door-frames of the house, on the four corners of the altar's ledge and on the supports of the gate of the inner courtyard. ​
20
You are also to do this on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned inadvertently or through ignorance. Thus you will make atonement for the house. ​
21
"'On the fourteenth day of the first month you are to have the Pesach, a feast seven days long; matzah will be eaten. ​
22
On that day the prince will provide, for himself and for all the people of the land, a young bull as a sin offering. ​
23
On the seven days of the feast he is to provide a burnt offering for ADONAI, seven young bulls and seven rams without defect daily for the seven days, and a male goat daily as a sin offering.
24
He is to provide as a grain offering a bushel [of grain] for a young bull and a bushel for a ram, and for each bushel [of grain] a gallon of olive oil.
25
"'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, during the feast [of Sukkot] he is to do the same thing for those seven days in regard to the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and olive oil.' ​

Study Notes for Ezekiel 45

Verse 1

This verse introduces the concept of the 'holy portion' (terumah), a sacred area set apart for God, which is a key element of the visionary temple complex. The dimensions (25,000 reeds long, 10,000 wide) emphasize the massive, ideal nature of this future territory.

Verse 2

The sanctuary itself is centrally located within the holy portion. The measurements are given in reeds, indicating a massive scale, with a square area (500 x 500) set aside for the immediate temple structures.

Verse 4

The most sacred part of the land is reserved exclusively for the Zadokite priests, who alone are permitted to 'come near to minister unto the Lord,' reinforcing their unique status established in earlier chapters (Ezek. 44:15-16).

Verse 5

The Levites, who minister to the house but not directly at the altar, are assigned a separate, large portion of land adjacent to the priests', reflecting the graded hierarchy of service within the new temple order.

Verse 6

This dimension describes the area allocated for the capital city itself, situated adjacent to the holy portion. This area is designated for the 'whole house of Israel,' ensuring a common area distinct from the sacred priestly and Levitical territories.

Verse 7

The prince (or ruler) is given a large, clearly defined portion of land that flanks the holy oblation and the city area on both the east and west, positioning him as the guardian and steward of the sacred center.

Verse 8

The promise that princes 'shall no more oppress my people' emphasizes a key theological goal of the restoration: the establishment of just governance, contrasting sharply with the corrupt leadership that led to the exile.

Verse 9

This verse marks a sharp transition from geographical organization to ethical demand. God commands the leaders to prioritize justice and equity, demonstrating that physical holiness must be accompanied by moral righteousness.

Verse 10

The requirement for 'just balances' and standardized measures (ephah for dry goods, bath for liquids) ensures economic fairness and prevents exploitation, linking worship to honest commerce.

Verse 12

This verse standardizes the monetary system, defining the shekel (weight) and the maneh (a larger unit, likely equivalent to 60 shekels in standard practice). The varied shekel weights listed here may represent specific accounting standards for different types of payments.

Verse 13

This section outlines the specific tithes (oblations) the community must provide for the temple services, detailing the fractions of wheat and barley required, ensuring the necessary resources for worship are sustained.

Verse 15

The inclusion of 'to make reconciliation for them' highlights the enduring purpose of the sacrificial system: atonement and restoration of the covenant relationship between God and Israel, even in the ideal future state.

Verse 17

The prince is assigned the responsibility of providing the necessary sacrifices for all communal festivals. This shows the prince's role is liturgical and administrative, not priestly, ensuring the smooth operation of the cult.

Verse 18

This initiates the liturgical calendar, beginning with a purification ritual at the start of the year (Nisan 1). This 'cleansing of the sanctuary' ensures the holiness of the building before the major festivals begin.

Verse 19

The application of the sin offering blood to key physical structures (posts, altar corners, gates) symbolizes the removal of defilement that may have accumulated through human error or contact.

Verse 20

The repetition of the cleansing ritual on the seventh day addresses unintentional sins committed by the ignorant or those who 'err,' underscoring the necessity of continuous purification for the temple complex.

Verse 21

This verse confirms the observance of the traditional Passover (Pesach) and Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot) on the 14th day of the first month, linking the visionary temple to established Mosaic Law.

Verse 22

The prince is required to provide a sin offering for himself and the people on Passover, reinforcing his mediatory role between the community and God.

Verse 25

The final regulation concerns the Feast of Booths (Sukkot) in the seventh month, mirroring the required offerings for Passover. Ezekiel's calendar emphasizes these two major pilgrimage feasts, omitting the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).

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