Ezekiel 47:22

Translation
King James Version
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide H5307 it by lot for an inheritance H5159 unto you, and to the strangers H1616 that sojourn H1481 among H8432 you, which shall beget H3205 children H1121 among H8432 you: and they shall be unto you as born H249 in the country H249 among the children H1121 of Israel H3478; they shall have H5307 inheritance H5159 with you among H8432 the tribes H7626 of Israel H3478.
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Complete Jewish Bible
You are to divide it by lot as an inheritance both to you and to the foreigners living among you who give birth to children living among you; for you they are to be no different from the native-born among the people of Isra'el - they are to have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Isra'el.
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Berean Standard Bible
You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
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American Standard Version
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, who shall beget children among you; and they shall be unto you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
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World English Bible Messianic
It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And you shall deuide it by lot for an inheritance vnto you, and to the strangers that dwell among you, which shall beget children among you, and they shall be vnto you, as borne in the countrey among the children of Israel, they shall part inheritance with you in the middes of the tribes of Israel.
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Young's Literal Translation
and it hath come to pass, ye separate it for an inheritance to yourselves, and to the sojourners who are sojourning in your midst, who have begotten sons in your midst, and they have been to you as native, with the sons of Israel, with you they are separated for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel.
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See also
Colossians 3:11Ephesians 3:6Romans 10:12Isaiah 56:6Isaiah 56:7Acts 11:18Isaiah 14:1
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In the KJVVerse 21,702 of 31,102

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SUMMARY

Ezekiel 47:22 unveils a transformative vision for the restored community of Israel, decreeing that the land, allocated by divine lot, will be inherited not only by native-born Israelites but also by the "strangers that sojourn among you." These foreigners, who have settled and raised families within the community, are to be granted full and equal inheritance rights, treated "as born in the country." This revolutionary stipulation highlights God's expansive plan for an inclusive eschatological people, challenging traditional ethnic boundaries and foreshadowing a universal welcome within His kingdom.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is deeply embedded within Ezekiel's climactic vision of restoration, spanning chapters 40-48. Following the detailed architectural blueprints for the new temple (chapters 40-43) and the regulations for its worship and priesthood (chapters 44-46), chapter 47 shifts focus to the miraculous, life-giving river flowing from the temple, symbolizing spiritual healing and abundance for the land. After describing the river's transformative power, the chapter transitions to the re-division of the land among the twelve tribes, outlining the precise boundaries. Verse 22 then introduces a groundbreaking divine directive concerning the distribution of this land, immediately after the general principles of tribal inheritance. Its placement underscores its theological weight, presenting a radical departure from previous norms and emphasizing an unprecedented level of inclusion within the divinely re-established Israel.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ezekiel prophesied during the Babylonian exile, a period of profound national trauma where the people had lost their land, temple, and sense of identity. In pre-exilic Israel, land inheritance was meticulously tied to tribal lineage, forming the bedrock of Israelite identity and economic stability, as outlined in texts like Numbers 26:52-56. While Mosaic Law commanded compassionate and just treatment for resident aliens (Hebrew: gerim), often reminding Israelites of their own past as sojourners in Egypt (e.g., Deuteronomy 10:19), these gerim were generally excluded from land ownership, which remained the exclusive domain of the Israelite tribes. Ezekiel's vision, therefore, represents a monumental theological and social shift, projecting a future where the restored community would transcend the ethnocentric tendencies of the past, embodying a level of equality and integration previously unimaginable.
  • Key Themes: The central theme in Ezekiel 47:22 is Radical Inclusion and Equality. This verse dismantles the traditional ethnic and nationalistic barriers to land inheritance, elevating the status of resident aliens to that of native-born Israelites, granting them full and equal rights within the divinely apportioned land. This signifies that true belonging in God's restored community transcends mere physical lineage, emphasizing a covenantal or spiritual identity that embraces all who commit to His ways. Another crucial theme is Divine Restoration and Sovereign Provision, as the land's division "by lot" underscores God's direct and impartial hand in re-establishing His people and ensuring their sustenance and security in the promised land. This act of restoration is not merely physical but deeply theological, reflecting God's intention to create a truly just and expansive community. Furthermore, the verse subtly introduces New Covenant Principles, foreshadowing a future reality where distinctions based on ethnicity or nationality are transcended, a concept fully realized in the New Testament's vision of the Church, where all believers are united in Christ, as seen in passages like Ephesians 2:19.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • strangers (Hebrew, gêr', H1616): Meaning "properly, a guest; by implication, a foreigner; alien, sojourner." This term refers to non-Israelites who had settled within Israelite territory, distinct from temporary visitors. The inclusion of the gêr in land inheritance is a profound theological shift, indicating a breaking down of traditional ethnic boundaries in the eschatological community.
  • sojourn (Hebrew, gûwr', H1481): A primitive root meaning "to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather for hostility (as afraid)." In this context, it emphasizes the transient or non-native status of these individuals who have taken up residence among the Israelites, highlighting their previous outsider status now being transformed into full insider rights.
  • born (Hebrew, ʼezrâch', H249): Meaning "a spontaneous growth, i.e. native (tree or persons); bay tree, (home-) born (in the land), of the (one's own) country (nation)." This word directly contrasts with "strangers" and "sojourn," emphasizing the radical equality granted. To be "as born in the country" means they are granted the same rights and privileges as those whose families have been in the land for generations, effectively erasing any distinction in terms of inheritance.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you": This opening clause establishes the divine mandate for the land's distribution and confirms that the native Israelites will receive their allotted portions. The method of "dividing by lot" underscores God's sovereign hand in the process, ensuring impartial and divinely ordained allocation.
  • "and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you": This is the revolutionary stipulation. It explicitly includes resident aliens who have integrated into the community and established families, marking a profound expansion of God's people beyond ethnic lines. The condition of "begetting children" implies a settled, long-term commitment and rootedness within the community, signifying their full assimilation.
  • "and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel": This clause elevates the status of these formerly marginalized strangers to full equality with native-born Israelites. It signifies not merely tolerance or protection, but complete assimilation and equal standing in the eyes of God and the community, dismantling previous legal and social distinctions regarding land rights and identity.
  • "they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel": This final phrase powerfully reiterates and reinforces the core message: these individuals, once outsiders, will receive a full, equal, and permanent share of the land alongside the traditional tribes of Israel. This cements their place as legitimate heirs within the restored nation, highlighting the unprecedented inclusivity of God's future kingdom.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 47:22 employs several significant literary devices to convey its profound message. Symbolism is central, with the "land" representing not just physical territory but the covenant relationship, God's secure provision, and the very identity of His people. The "division by lot" symbolizes divine sovereignty, impartiality, and the unerring justice of God in allocating the inheritance. The inclusion of "strangers" serves as a powerful Foreshadowing of the New Covenant's expansive and inclusive nature, where ethnic distinctions are transcended in God's universal kingdom. The phrase "as born in the country" functions as a striking Simile, equating the legal and social status of the gerim with that of native Israelites, highlighting a radical shift from previous legal codes and cultural norms. This visionary statement also functions as Idealism, presenting a perfected future state of Israel that embodies divine justice and universal welcome, standing in stark contrast to the historical realities of exclusivism and xenophobia often present in ancient societies.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 47:22 stands as a theological landmark, profoundly revealing God's expansive and inclusive nature within His eschatological plan. It demonstrates that God's ultimate vision for His people transcends narrow ethnic or nationalistic boundaries, embracing all who genuinely belong to Him through faith and commitment. This radical inclusion of "strangers" into the inheritance of the land prefigures the universal scope of salvation and the breaking down of dividing walls between peoples, a theme profoundly developed in the New Testament. It underscores that true membership in God's people is not solely determined by physical lineage but by participation in the covenant community, reflecting a divine heart for all nations and a future where distinctions are erased in Christ.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 47:22 offers a profound challenge and encouragement for believers today, particularly regarding the nature and practice of the Church. It calls us to embody the radical inclusivity of God's future kingdom in our present communities. Just as the "strangers" were granted full inheritance and status, so too are all who come to Christ, regardless of their background, race, social standing, or past, made full co-heirs with Him. This truth should compel us to dismantle any barriers of exclusion within our churches, ensuring that our fellowship reflects the boundless grace and welcome of God. It reminds us that God's family is defined by faith and adoption, not by human distinctions. Our communities should be places where the marginalized find belonging, where differences are celebrated within the unity of the Spirit, and where every member is valued and given a share in the spiritual inheritance of Christ. This verse fosters a deep sense of hope for a future where perfect justice and inclusion prevail, motivating us to live out that reality now.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the radical inclusion of "strangers" in Ezekiel's vision challenge our contemporary notions of community and belonging, both within the church and society?
  • In what ways might we, as individuals or as a church, inadvertently create barriers to inclusion that contradict the spirit of Ezekiel 47:22?
  • What practical steps can we take to ensure that all people, regardless of their background, feel truly "as born in the country" within our spiritual communities?

FAQ

What is the significance of "dividing by lot" in this context?

Answer: Dividing the land "by lot" (Hebrew: nâphal, H5307, meaning to fall, cast lots) signifies that the distribution is not based on human preference, power, or negotiation, but on divine providence and sovereignty. In ancient Israel, casting lots was a common method to ascertain God's will or to make impartial decisions (e.g., Joshua 18:10). Here, it underscores that the inclusion of the strangers and the specific allocation of land are God's design, ensuring fairness and preventing disputes, and highlighting the divine origin of this radical new order.

How does Ezekiel 47:22 compare to earlier Old Testament laws regarding strangers?

Answer: Earlier Old Testament laws, particularly in the Pentateuch, mandated kindness, justice, and protection for the "stranger" or ger (e.g., Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 24:17). They were to be included in certain religious festivals and social provisions. However, these laws did not typically grant them the right to tribal land inheritance, which was reserved for the descendants of Jacob. Ezekiel 47:22 represents a significant theological progression, elevating the ger's status from protected resident to full co-heir in the land, "as born in the country," thereby dismantling the last major legal distinction between native-born Israelites and integrated foreigners concerning the most fundamental aspect of Israelite identity and sustenance—the land.

Is this prophecy literal or symbolic, and how does it apply to believers today?

Answer: While the vision of the temple and land division in Ezekiel 40-48 has elements that are difficult to interpret purely literally (e.g., the miraculous river, the precise dimensions), its primary application is often understood symbolically and spiritually. The inclusion of strangers in the land inheritance is a powerful symbol of God's expansive grace and the breaking down of barriers in the eschatological kingdom. For believers today, this prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant, where the Church is the new Israel of God, and all believers, whether Jew or Gentile, are united in Christ and share in a spiritual inheritance (e.g., Romans 10:12). It calls the Church to be a radically inclusive community, reflecting God's heart for all peoples.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 47:22 finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Covenant, where the ultimate inheritance is not a physical plot of land but eternal life and co-heirship with Christ in God's spiritual kingdom. The radical inclusion of "strangers" in Ezekiel's vision powerfully foreshadows the breaking down of the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. As Ephesians 2:14 declares, Christ "is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility." Through faith in Him, those who were once "strangers and aliens" are now "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). This means that all believers, regardless of their ethnic or national origin, are equally adopted as sons and daughters of God, receiving the full inheritance of the Spirit and the promise of eternal life (Romans 8:17). The vision of a unified, inclusive people sharing a common inheritance in Ezekiel 47:22 is thus realized in the Church, the body of Christ, where there is "neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

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Commentary on Ezekiel 47 verses 13–23

We are now to pass from the affairs of the sanctuary to those of the state, from the city to the country. 1. The Land of Canaan is here secured to them for an inheritance (Eze 47:14): I lifted up my hand to give it unto your fathers, that is, promised it upon oath to them and their posterity. Though the possession had been a great while discontinued, yet God had not forgotten his oath which he swore to their fathers. Though God's providences may for a time seem to contradict his promises, yet the promise will certainly take place at last, for God will be ever mindful of his covenant. I lifted up my hand to give it, and therefore it shall without fail fall to you for an inheritance. Thus the heavenly Canaan is sure to all the seed, because it is what God, who cannot lie, has promised. 2. It is here circumscribed, and the bounds and limits of it are fixed, which they must not pass over to encroach upon their neighbours and which their neighbours shall not break through to encroach upon them. We had such a draught of the borders of Canaan when Joshua was to put the people in possession of it, Num 34:1, etc. That begins with the salt sea in the south, goes round and ends there. This begins with Hamath about Damascus in the north, and so goes round and ends there, Eze 47:20. Note, It is God that appoints the bounds of our habitation; and his Israel shall always have cause to say that the lines have fallen to them in pleasant places. The lake of Sodom is here called the east sea, for it, being healed by the waters of the sanctuary, it is no more to be called a salt sea, as it was in Numbers. 3. It is here ordered to be divided among the tribes of Israel, reckoning Joseph for two tribes, to make up the number of twelve, when Levi was taken out to attend the sanctuary, and had his lot adjoining to that (Eze 47:13, Eze 47:21): You shall inherit it, one as well as another, Eze 47:14. The tribes shall have an equal share, one as much as another. As the tribes returned out of Babylon, this seems unequal, because some tribes were much more numerous than the other, and indeed the most were of Judah and Benjamin and very few of the other ten tribes; but as the twelve tribes stand, in type and vision, for the gospel-church, the Israel of God, it was very equal, because we find in another vision an equal number of each of the twelve tribes sealed for the living God, just 12,000 of each, Rev 7:5, etc. And to those sealed ones these allotments did belong. It intimates likewise that all the subjects of Christ's kingdom have obtained like precious faith. Male and female, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, are all alike welcome to Christ and made partakers of him. 4. The strangers who sojourn among them, who shall beget children and be built up into families, and so help to people their country, shall have inheritance among the tribes, as if they had been native Israelites (Eze 47:22, Eze 47:23), which was by no means allowed in Joshua's division of the land. This is an act for a general naturalization, which would teach the Jews who was their neighbour, not those only of their own nation and religion, but those, whoever they were, that they had an opportunity of showing kindness to, because from them they would be willing to receive kindness. It would likewise invite strangers to come and settle among them, and put themselves under the wings of the divine Majesty. But it certainly looks at gospel-times, when the partition-wall between Jew and Gentile was taken down, and both one in Christ, in whom there is no difference, Rom 10:12. This land was a type of the heavenly Canaan, that better country (Heb 11:16), in which believing Gentiles shall have a blessed lot, as well as believing Jews, Isa 56:3.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–23. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 21 onwards) And you shall divide this land among yourselves into the tribes of Israel, and you shall allocate it as an inheritance to yourselves and to the foreigners who have joined you and have children born among you. They shall be considered as natives among the children of Israel and shall share in the possession with you among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, you shall give them an inheritance there, says the Lord God. By this chapter, we learn (and it is a refutation of the Jewish objections) that there is no distinction between the people of Israel and the Gentiles. For if the foreigners and strangers come with those who are from the people of Israel, that is to say, with the indigenous people, the land is divided; there is no doubt that it is the same inheritance of the people of the Gentiles and the people of the Jews: however, if they have converted to the worship of the God of Israel, which is properly called Christian, having the Jews as possessors of the letter of the Law, and us of the spirit: they hold on to the membranes, and we to him who is written in the membranes. And with Moses the land is divided by lot; but here, as we have said, it is delegated by the judgment of the Lord: and there is one possession for the stranger and the Israelite, and an inheritance is given in each tribe, at the command of the Lord God.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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