Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 48: The LORD Is There
The book of Ezekiel ends where all of Scripture is heading. The land is divided among the twelve tribes in orderly, equal portions, with the holy oblation and 'the sanctuary of the LORD... in the midst.' The city is described with twelve gates, three on each side, named for the twelve tribes of Israel, the very picture John would later see in the New Jerusalem. And then the whole book, and the whole story of God's dealings with His people, arrives at its destination in the final verse: 'the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.' The prophet who watched the glory depart a defiled temple in judgment now hears the city named for the abiding presence of God. Jehovah-Shammah: The LORD is there. That is the goal of redemption, and the last word of Ezekiel.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Ezekiel chapter 48, the final chapter of the book, the division of the land among the tribes and the city named "The LORD is there." For each section you will find the KJV text, key word studies, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus, along with a closing reflection on the message of Ezekiel as a whole. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
A Place for Every Tribe
The land divided in orderly, equal portions among the twelve tribes.
The Sanctuary in the Midst
God's dwelling stands at the heart of the whole land.
Twelve Gates, Twelve Tribes
Three gates on every side, the picture of the New Jerusalem.
The LORD Is There
The book ends with the presence of God as the city's very name.
The Sanctuary of the LORD in the Midst (Ezekiel 48:1-29)
The land is apportioned among the twelve tribes in orderly bands from north to south, with the holy oblation, the sanctuary, the priests, Levites, city, and prince, set in the center, so that God's dwelling is at the heart of the whole inheritance.
A Portion for Every Tribe
"Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD. And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD."
Word Study
"the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof," b'tokh (בְּתוֹךְ). "In the midst." Three times in this chapter the sanctuary and the city are placed "in the midst" of the land (verses 8, 10, 21). God's dwelling is not off in a corner but at the very center of everything, and the tribes are arranged around it. This is the pattern of a rightly ordered life and people: God at the center, all else arranged around His presence, for "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved" (Psalm 46:5).
"for it is holy unto the LORD." The holy portion is not to be sold, exchanged, or "alienated", it belongs to God and stays His. What is given to God is not reclaimed for common use. So the believer, bought with a price, is "not your own" but the Lord's (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), holy unto Him, set apart and never to be taken back for the world.
Explanation
The land is divided among the twelve tribes in orderly horizontal bands running east to west, seven tribes to the north of the holy portion (Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah) and five to the south (Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad). This is an idealized, equal arrangement, every tribe given "a portion... from the east side unto the west side," each with its own place in the inheritance regardless of past history.
At the center lies "the offering which ye shall offer", the holy oblation, and "the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it." Around the sanctuary are the portions for "the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok," the Levites, the city, and the prince. The city's servants come "out of all the tribes of Israel." The whole land is a great square with God's dwelling at its heart, so that His presence is central to the life of the entire nation. "This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance."
Gospel Focus
The great lesson of this ordered land is that God belongs at the center. "The sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst" of the whole inheritance, and every tribe is arranged around His dwelling. So it must be in the life of every believer and every church: not God at the edge, consulted in emergencies, but God at the center, the point around which everything else is arranged, for "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved" (Psalm 46:5). And notice the grace of it: every tribe receives a full portion, "from the east side unto the west side," by God's gift, not by rank. In Christ every believer likewise receives a full inheritance, "heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29), each with a place around the presence of God. What is given to Him stays holy, "for it is holy unto the LORD", never to be alienated back to common use. If God is truly at the center of your life, everything else finds its right place around Him.
The Name of the City: The LORD Is There (Ezekiel 48:30-35)
The city is described with twelve gates, three on each side, named for the twelve tribes of Israel, and the whole book arrives at its destination in its final words: the city's name is "The LORD is there."
Jehovah-Shammah: The LORD Is There
"And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there."
Word Study
"the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel." The city has twelve gates, "three gates" on each of its four sides, each named for a tribe. This is exactly the New Jerusalem John saw: a city with "twelve gates... and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes," three on each side (Revelation 21:12-13). The gates open on every side, north, south, east, and west, a city accessible from all directions, and all God's people have their name upon a gate. Even Levi, who held no land, has a gate here: all belong.
"The LORD is there," Jehovah-Shammah (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה). The final words of the book, and its whole message in three: the city's name is the presence of God. Ezekiel had watched the glory depart this city in judgment (chapters 10-11); now the redeemed city bears the name of God's abiding presence. Not the temple, not the prince, not Israel's greatness, but "The LORD is there" is the city's identity. This is the goal of all redemption, God dwelling with His people, and it is the last word not only of Ezekiel but, in fuller form, of the whole Bible: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them... and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:3).
Explanation
The book closes with the city and its gates. On each of the four sides are "three gates," twelve in all, "after the names of the tribes of Israel", Reuben, Judah, and Levi on the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan on the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun on the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali on the west. The city is open on every side, and every tribe of God's people is honored with a named gate.
Then comes the final verse, the climax of the entire prophecy: "the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there." The Hebrew is Jehovah-Shammah. After all the judgment and all the promises, after the glory departed and returned, after the temple and the river and the tribes, the book lands on this one truth as the city's very name: God is present with His people. That, and nothing less, is the destination of the whole vision and the whole book.
Gospel Focus
"The LORD is there" is the sentence the whole Bible has been reaching toward. From the garden where God walked with man, through the tabernacle and temple where He dwelt among Israel, the entire story moves toward God present with His people, and here Ezekiel names the city for it. It is fulfilled, gloriously, in Jesus Christ, "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23), the one God come in flesh to tabernacle among us; and in His promise, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20); and in the indwelling He gives, "we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). And it will be consummated in the New Jerusalem, the very city Ezekiel foreshadowed, with its twelve tribal gates, where the voice from the throne cries, "the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them... and God himself shall be with them" (Revelation 21:3), and where "his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face" (Revelation 22:3-4). The whole hope of the gospel is summed up in this closing name. Not "the LORD was there," not "the LORD will be there," but "The LORD is there", His abiding, unending presence with His redeemed. If you are in Christ, this is your inheritance and your home: the city whose name is the presence of God.
Chapter 48, and the Book of Ezekiel, in Review
Ezekiel 48 completes the vision and the book. The land is divided among the twelve tribes in orderly, equal portions, with the holy oblation and "the sanctuary of the LORD... in the midst", God at the center of everything. The city is described with twelve gates named for the tribes, three on each side, the image of the New Jerusalem. And the final verse crowns it all: "the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there."
Look back now over the whole book. Ezekiel opened by the river Chebar in exile, when the heavens parted and he saw the glory of God, a God not confined to Jerusalem. He watched that glory depart a temple defiled by idols (chapters 8-11), and he preached long, hard judgment on a rebellious people and the nations around them. But woven through the judgment came promises that shine brighter than any in the Old Testament: a new heart and a new spirit, God's own Spirit put within (36:26-27); a valley of dry bones raised to life (37); the LORD Himself as the Good Shepherd seeking His sheep (34); the outpoured Spirit and God's face hidden no more (39:29). Then the glory returned to fill the house (43), the river of life flowed from the sanctuary to heal the world (47), and the book ended with a city named for the presence of God.
For the Apostolic reader, Ezekiel is the gospel in prophetic form. The God who must depart from sin is the God who longs to return in grace; He cleanses His people with water and His Spirit, raises the dead, gathers the scattered into one, defeats every enemy, and comes to dwell with His people forever. Every promise finds its yes in Jesus Christ, the one God come in flesh, Emmanuel, who by His blood opened the holiest, who pours out the river of the Spirit, and who will bring His people at last to the city whose name is His own presence. The book that began with a vision of God's glory in a far country ends with that glory at home among His people, never to leave. Jehovah-Shammah. The LORD is there.
- God belongs at the center: "the sanctuary of the LORD... in the midst" of the whole land (48:8, 10; Psalm 46:5).
- Every tribe receives a full portion by grace; in Christ all believers are heirs (48:1-29; Galatians 3:29).
- What is given to God stays holy and is never reclaimed for common use (48:14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
- The twelve tribal gates on every side foreshadow the New Jerusalem (48:31-34; Revelation 21:12-13).
- The book's crowning name is God's presence: "The LORD is there" (48:35; Revelation 21:3).
- The whole hope of the gospel is God with us, fulfilled in Christ, Emmanuel, and consummated in the city of God (48:35; Matthew 1:23; 28:20).
Questions for Reflection
- Is God truly "in the midst" of your life, the center around which all else is arranged, or only at the edge?
- The book moves from the glory departing to a city named for God's presence. Where do you need God's presence to return and remain?
- Every tribe had a gate, even landless Levi. How does it comfort you that in Christ you have a named place in the city of God?
- "The LORD is there." How would your daily life change if you truly lived in the conscious presence of God?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key terms: b'tokh ("in the midst," verses 8, 10, 21); Jehovah-Shammah ("The LORD is there," verse 35). The sanctuary "in the midst" and God central to His people: Psalm 46:5; Numbers 2 (the tribes camped around the tabernacle); Revelation 21:22. The holy portion not to be alienated, and the believer as God's own: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. The twelve tribal gates and the New Jerusalem: Revelation 21:10-14. "The LORD is there" fulfilled: the departed and returned glory (Ezekiel 10-11; 43:1-5); "where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever" (43:7); "My tabernacle also shall be with them" (37:27); "Emmanuel... God with us" (Matthew 1:23); "I am with you alway" (Matthew 28:20); "make our abode with him" (John 14:23); "the tabernacle of God is with men" (Revelation 21:3); "his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face" (Revelation 22:3-4); the overcomer given "the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem" (Revelation 3:12). This temple vision (chapters 40-48) is read by godly interpreters in more than one way; we hold the architectural details with humility while resting in its sure and glorious message, God dwelling with His people. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The land divided among the twelve tribes with the sanctuary in the midst: Ezekiel 48:1-29; Psalm 46:5; Galatians 3:29.
- The twelve-gated city and its crowning name, "The LORD is there": Ezekiel 48:30-35; Revelation 21:12-13; 21:3; Matthew 1:23; 28:20.