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Commentary on Ezekiel 48 verses 31–35
We have here a further account of the city that should be built for the metropolis of this glorious land, and to be the receptacle of those who would come from all parts to worship in the sanctuary adjoining. It is nowhere called Jerusalem, nor is the land which we have had such a particular account of the dividing of any where called the land of Canaan; for the old names are forgotten, to intimate that the old things are done away, behold all things have become new. Now, concerning this city, observe here, 1. The measures of its out-lets, and the grounds belonging to it, for its several conveniences; each way its appurtenances extended 4500 measures 18,000 in all, Eze 48:35. But what these measures were is uncertain. It is never said, in all this chapter, whether so many reeds (as our translation determines by inserting that word, Eze 48:8, each reed containing six cubits and span, Eze 40:5, and why should the measurer appear with the measuring reed in his hand of that length if he did not measure with that, except where it is expressly said he measured by cubits?) or whether, as others think, it is so many cubits, because those are mentioned Eze 45:2 and Eze 47:3. Yet that makes me incline rather to think that where cubits are not mentioned must be intended so many lengths of the measuring reed. But those who understand it of so many cubits are not agreed whether it be meant of the common cubit, which was half a yard, or the geometrical cubit, which, for better expedition, is supposed to be mostly used in surveying lands, which, some say, contained six cubits, others about three cubits and a half, so making 1000 cubits the same with 1000 paces, that is, an English mile. But our being left at this uncertainty is an intimation that these things are to be understood spiritually, and that what is principally meant is that there is an exact and just proportion observed by Infinite Wisdom in modelling the gospel church, which though now we cannot discern we shall when we come to heaven. 2. The number of its gates. It had twelve gates in all, three on each side, which was very agreeable when it lay four square; and these twelve gates were inscribed to the twelve tribes. Because the city was to be served out of all the tribes of Israel (Eze 48:19) it was fit that each tribe should have its gate; and, Levi being here taken in, to keep to the number twelve Ephraim and Manasseh are made one in Joseph, Eze 48:32. On the north side were the gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi (Eze 48:31), on the east the gates of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan (Eze 48:32), on the south the gates of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun (Eze 48:33), and on the west the gates of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Eze 48:34. Conformable to this, in St. John's vision, the new Jerusalem (for so the holy city is called there, though not here) has twelve gates, three on a side, and on them are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, Rev 21:12, Rev 21:13. Note, Into the church of Christ, both militant and triumphant, there is a free access by faith for all that come of every tribe, from every quarter. Christ has opened the kingdom of heaven for all believers. Whoever will may come and take of the water of life, of the tree of life, freely. 3. The name given to this city: From that day, when it shall be newly-erected according to this model, the name of it shall be, not, as before, Jerusalem - The vision of peace, but which is the original of that, and more than equivalent to it, Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is there, Eze 48:35. This intimated, (1.) That the captives, after their return, should have manifest tokens of God's presence with them and his residence among them, both in his ordinances and his providences. They shall have no occasion to ask, as their fathers did, Is the Lord among us, or is he not? for they shall see and say that he is with them of a truth. And then, though their troubles were many and threatening, they were like the bush which burned but was not consumed, because the Lord was there. But when God departed from their temple, when he said, Migremus hinc - Let us go hence, their house was soon left unto them desolate. Being no longer his, it was not much longer theirs. (2.) That the gospel-church should likewise have the presence of God in it, though not in the Shechinah, as of old, yet in a token of it no less sure, that of his Spirit. Where the gospel is faithfully preached, gospel ordinances are duly administered, and God is worshipped in the name of Jesus Christ only, it may truly be said, The Lord is there; for faithful is he that has said, and he will be as good as his word, Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. The Lord is there in his church, to rule and govern it, to protect and defend it, and graciously to accept and own his sincere worshippers, and to be nigh unto them in all that they call upon him for. This should engage us to keep close to the communion of saints, for the Lord is there; and then whither shall we go to better ourselves? Nay, it is true of every good Christian; he dwells in God, and God in him; whatever soul has in it a living principle of grace, it may be truly said, The Lord is There. (3.) That the glory and happiness of heaven should consist chiefly in this, that the Lord is there. St. John's representation of that blessed state does indeed far exceed this in many respects. That is all gold, and pearls, and precious stones; it is much larger than this, and much brighter, for it needs not the light of the sun. But, in making the presence of God the principal matter of its bliss, they both agree. There the happiness of the glorified saints is made to be that God himself shall be with them (Rev 21:3), that he who sits on the throne shall dwell among them, Rev 7:15. And here it is made to crown the bliss of this holy city that the Lord is there. Let us therefore give all diligence to make sure to ourselves a place in that city, that we may be for ever with the Lord.
But we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem, "let down from heaven," [Revelation 21:2] which the apostle also calls "our mother from above;" [Galatians 4:26] and, while declaring that our πολίτευμα, or citizenship, is in heaven, he predicates of it that it is really a city in heaven. This both Ezekiel had knowledge of [Ezekiel 48:30-35] and the Apostle John beheld. [Revelation 21:10-23] And the word of the new prophecy which is a part of our belief, attests how it foretold that there would be for a sign a picture of this very city exhibited to view previous to its manifestation. This prophecy, indeed, has been very lately fulfilled in an expedition to the East. For it is evident from the testimony of even heathen witnesses, that in Judæa there was suspended in the sky a city early every morning for forty days. As the day advanced, the entire figure of its walls would wane gradually, and sometimes it would vanish instantly. We say that this city has been provided by God for receiving the saints on their resurrection, and refreshing them with the abundance of all really spiritual blessings, as a recompense for those which in the world we have either despised or lost; since it is both just and God-worthy that His servants should have their joy in the place where they have also suffered affliction for His name's sake. Of the heavenly kingdom this is the process. After its thousand years are over, within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints, who rise sooner or later according to their deserts there will ensue the destruction of the world and the conflagration of all things at the judgment: we shall then be changed in a moment into the substance of angels, even by the investiture of an incorruptible nature, and so be removed to that kingdom in heaven of which we have now been treating, just as if it had not been predicted by the Creator, and as if it were proving Christ to belong to the other god and as if he were the first and sole revealer of it.
(Verse 30 and following) And you shall measure five thousand four hundred cubits outside the city on the northern side. And the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel: three gates on the north side. The gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. And on the eastern side, you shall measure five thousand four hundred cubits, and there shall be three gates. The gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. And on the southern side, you shall measure five thousand four hundred cubits, and there shall be three gates. The Gate of Simeon, one; the Gate of Issachar, one; the Gate of Zebulun, one. And on the west side, five hundred and four thousand, and their gates three. The Gate of Gad, one; the Gate of Asher, one; the Gate of Naphtali, one; in all eighteen thousand cubits round about the city. And the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. Now it is written that it was measured along each side, which is eleven thousand and eighty-five paces, that there were three gates, which Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion call διεξόδους (exit passages), and the LXX call διεκβολὰς (projections): we interpret them as the entrances and exits of the city. And first, it must be briefly noted that the same three tribes camped around the tabernacle in such a way that Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Leah, were to the east; and to the south, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, the two sons of Leah, and the third son of Leah's handmaid, Zilpah. But towards the west Ephraim and Manasseh, and Benjamin namely, the two sons of Rachel; for Joseph, who was from the tribe of Levi, which was appointed for sacrifices, was divided into two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. But towards the north, there are Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, of whom the first and third are the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, and the second is the son of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, who are of lowly birth and are positioned towards the north, being descendants of maidservants who were in conflict with each other. According to the book of Numbers and the description of the tabernacle, which was dictated by God to Moses (Num. XXXIV). But our city, which is the city of the great king of which God is the artificer and the founder, of which the psalmist sings: Shall it be said of Sion: This man and that man is born in her? and the Highest himself hath founded her (Ps. LXXXVI, 5), has a different description of the tribes in the holy land, and the measurement of the city and the order of possessions, and the boundaries of each tribe. First, three gates or exits of the city are opposed to the blows of the North Wind, of which the firstborn is Reuben, and Judah the founder of the royal line, and Levi, over whose name nothing is said in the description of the tabernacle and the sacred things, so that as possessors of the firstborn, we may despise the cold of the North. Second, towards the East are Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan: both sons of Rachel, and one of her maidservant Bilhah. But towards the South, Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun, who are three sons of Leah. Furthermore, towards the West, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali: the first two of whom are sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and the third son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid. Who is wise and understands these things? Understanding, will he know them? For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the just shall walk in them, but transgressors shall stumble upon them (Hosea, 14:10). I think that these twelve gates, or exits, were assigned to each tribe under the names of the Apostles and Patriarchs, according to the quality of their merits and virtues: of which it is written more explicitly in the Apocalypse of John, and many sacraments of the divine Scriptures testify (Apoc. 21). And it is necessary for such a city to hold eighteen thousand revolutions of calamities: under which number, and in the twenty-second Psalm, the natural law is written, and the grace of the Gospel is described: for which the Church, that is, the city of the Savior, is built. The name of this city will by no means be as before Jerusalem, which means vision of peace, but Adonai Sama ((Al. Adonaisan et Adonaisamia)) () which is translated into the Latin language, the Lord is there, who will never depart from it, as He said to the disciples before departing from the previous people: Arise, let us go from here (John XIV, 31). And to the Jews: Let your house be left desolate to you (Matt. 23:38): but let it have eternal possession, and let it be its own possession, promising the same to his disciples: Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:20).
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 48:33 meticulously details the southern boundary of the holy city in the prophet's climactic vision, specifying its precise length of four thousand five hundred measures and identifying the three gates located on this side. These gates are named after the tribes of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun, symbolizing the divinely ordered, perfectly proportioned, and inclusively accessible nature of God's future restoration for His people, where every tribe has its designated place and access within the sacred city.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 48:33 employs several significant literary devices that enrich its meaning. Symbolism is paramount, as the entire vision of the city and its gates is highly symbolic of God's future kingdom and the restored relationship with His people. The city itself symbolizes God's dwelling place, and the gates represent access to His holy presence. Numerical Significance is evident in the precise dimensions ("four thousand and five hundred measures") and the number of gates ("three gates"). The number three often symbolizes divine completeness or perfection, while the consistent dimensions across all sides emphasize divine order and symmetry. The overall twelve gates (three on each of four sides) further underscore the completeness and totality of God's people (the twelve tribes of Israel). Repetition of the phrase "one gate of [tribe]" across the different gate descriptions (Ezekiel 48:31-32) emphasizes the individual identity and inclusion of each tribe within the unified whole. Finally, the naming convention of the gates after the tribes serves as a powerful metonymy, where the name of the tribe stands for the people themselves, signifying their assured presence and belonging within the holy city.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 48:33, as an integral part of the grand vision of the restored city, speaks profoundly to God's unwavering commitment to His covenant people and His meticulous plan for their future. It highlights the divine order and perfect precision that will characterize God's ultimate kingdom, a realm of perfect peace, justice, and boundless accessibility. The inclusion of all twelve tribes, represented by the gates, underscores the theme of comprehensive restoration and unity, signifying that no part of God's people will be forgotten or excluded from His presence. This vision provides a powerful counterpoint to the fragmentation and despair of the exile, offering a glimpse into a future where God's glory dwells centrally among a gathered, purified, and perfectly ordered people, a testament to His faithfulness to His promises.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 48:33 offers a profound source of hope and assurance for believers today. In a world often characterized by disorder, uncertainty, and division, this vision reminds us that God is a God of perfect order, precision, and unwavering faithfulness. His plans for our ultimate restoration and dwelling with Him are not haphazard but meticulously designed, ensuring every detail is accounted for. The open gates named after the tribes signify God's welcoming nature and the universal access to His presence for all who are part of His covenant family, regardless of their past or perceived significance. This should inspire profound confidence that God has a place for each of us within His eternal purposes, inviting us to live in anticipation of that glorious future. Furthermore, the inclusion of all tribes, even those less prominent in historical narratives, serves as a powerful reminder of God's radical inclusivity and His desire to gather all His people into one unified, harmonious body, challenging us to embrace and foster similar unity in our present communities.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "measures" mentioned in Ezekiel 48:33?
Answer: The "measures" (Hebrew: middâh) refer to a precise unit of length, most likely the "reed" (approximately 10.5 feet or 3.2 meters), which was a standard measuring tool explicitly introduced earlier in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 40:5). The mention of "four thousand and five hundred measures" for the south side, consistent with all other sides of the city, signifies the divine precision and perfect symmetry of the holy city. This exactitude underscores that God's future restoration is not chaotic or arbitrary, but perfectly ordered and meticulously planned, reflecting His divine perfection, wisdom, and sovereign control over every detail of His kingdom.
Why are these specific tribes (Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun) named for the southern gates?
Answer: The naming of the gates after specific tribes (Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun on the south; Reuben, Judah, Levi on the east; Joseph, Benjamin, Dan on the north; Gad, Asher, Naphtali on the west, as detailed across Ezekiel 48:31-32) symbolizes the complete restoration and unity of all twelve tribes of Israel. While the specific placement of each tribe's gate might carry symbolic nuances related to their historical or geographical positions, the overarching message is one of divine inclusion. Even tribes that might have been less prominent or geographically distant are given a designated place and access within God's holy city, emphasizing that in God's future plan, all His people are gathered and have their inheritance. This echoes the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12, where the gates are similarly named after the twelve tribes, signifying the continuity of God's covenant with His people.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Ezekiel 48:33 describes a literal architectural vision of a future city, its ultimate fulfillment and profound spiritual significance are realized in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The meticulously measured city and its open gates, symbolizing God's dwelling among His people and their access to Him, find their truest expression in Christ. He is the ultimate "gate" through whom humanity gains access to God's presence, as He Himself declared, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9). The twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel, signifying universal access for God's covenant people, foreshadow the New Covenant reality where all who believe in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are brought into the spiritual Israel, the church, and have direct access to God through His atoning sacrifice (Ephesians 2:18). The divine order and precision of the city speak to the perfect, unblemished plan of salvation accomplished through Christ's sacrifice, establishing a new heavens and new earth where God's presence fully dwells with His redeemed people (Revelation 21:3). Thus, Ezekiel's vision, with its precise dimensions and welcoming gates, points forward to the ultimate reality of God's kingdom, fully inaugurated in Christ and consummated in the eternal city, the New Jerusalem, where the Lamb is its lamp and its gates are never shut, for there is no night there (Revelation 21:23-25).