What is the meaning of Ezekiel 48:21? The remaining area on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city will belong to the prince • Ezekiel already introduced this “prince” (Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25; 45:7-8). He is not the priests or the civil rulers of Israel’s past but a future Davidic leader under Messiah. • By assigning him land “on both sides,” God secures a permanent, adequate inheritance for righteous leadership. The same concern appears in Ezekiel 46:16-18, where the prince must not seize the people’s land. • This arrangement safeguards worship and civic life: the priests oversee the temple (Ezekiel 44:15-16), the people hold their tribal allotments (Ezekiel 48:1-7, 23-29), and the prince supports both without encroaching. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, extending eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the holy district toward the eastern border • “25,000 cubits” (about 8⅓ miles) marks the width of the sacred band that runs north-to-south across the map (Ezekiel 45:1-5; 48:8-10). • Eastward ownership reaches the Jordan, echoing the original promise in Numbers 34:10-12 and Deuteronomy 30:3-5. • Placing the prince’s land right beside each tribe ensures quick access for justice, administration, and defense, much like the judges Moses appointed “over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens” (Exodus 18:21-22). and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the western border • The matching western tract forms a mirror image, showing God’s concern for balance and equity (Proverbs 16:11). • From Mediterranean Sea to Jordan River, the prince’s twin parcels gird the holy district like bookends. This symmetry underscores the unchanging fairness of God’s rule (Psalm 99:4). • Because the prince’s land does not encroach on tribal inheritances, it upholds the principle laid down when Naboth refused to sell his vineyard (1 Kings 21:3). Land given by God remains with its rightful owners. And in the center of them will be the holy portion and the sanctuary of the temple • Worship stands literally at the heart of the national layout: the temple precinct (Ezekiel 40–43) sits between the prince’s east-west holdings. • From this center, living water will flow (Ezekiel 47:1-12), anticipating the river “clear as crystal” in Revelation 22:1-2. • The arrangement ensures that neither tribe nor prince eclipses God’s presence. As Psalm 46:5 promises, “God is within her; she will not be moved.” • The temple’s centrality fulfills Ezekiel 43:7—“This is the place of My throne… forever.” summary Ezekiel 48:21 outlines a future, literal distribution of land in which the prince receives two equal tracts flanking the sacred district, stretching from the central band of 25,000 cubits all the way to Israel’s eastern and western borders. This allocation protects tribal inheritances, supports righteous governance, and frames the temple at the geographical and spiritual center of national life, highlighting God’s unchanging commitment to just leadership and wholehearted worship. |
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