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 (verses 9-29).
Judah's portion on the north and Benjamin's portion on the south border
are an oblation, that which is offered unto the Lord. In this space of
large dimensions are the portions of the Levites and the priests. The
Temple stands in the middle of the portion of the priests, and adjoining
is the holy city and its territory.[58] The Prince has his portion on
both sides of the oblation, the heave offering. That Judah and Benjamin
are bordering on these holy sections is not without meaning. Judah is
the royal tribe. He who is now worshipped by His restored people is the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, Israel's King. Judah means "praise". He
receives the praises of His people. Benjamin's other name was Benoni,
"the son of suffering" and Benjamin is "the son of the right hand." Both
Judah and Benjamin are a reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[58] Consult sketch.
It is impossible to explain fully the measurements given and other
details of this chapter. We believe what God has written, and when the
time has come He will surely see to it that all is done according to His
word. We do not need to trouble ourselves with supposed difficulties or
try to solve them. As stated before in this exposition, Israel's land
will undergo a wonderful change when the Lord comes; these physical
changes are unknown to us in their extent. The division of the land, and
the setting apart of the oblation will then take place. The details in
all these visions are of little importance to us. The main fact is to
see that all these prophecies have remained unfulfilled up to now. Nor
will they be fulfilled during the present age. As every judgment
prediction of the prophecies of Ezekiel, uttered before the destruction
of Jerusalem, was fulfilled, so every prediction of glory and blessing
in the prophecies spoken after the destruction of the city will be
fulfilled. It all awaits His coming and glorious appearing. Let us hold
fast this and leave the accomplishment of every detail to the Lord.