Eze 45:1-8 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Ezek 45:1-8: 45:1-8 The division of the restored Promised Land among the tribes is described in detail in chs 47–48 , but the central sacred section is described here because it included the area set aside for the priests to live in. Regaining a share in the land was a pressing concern for the exiles at a time when they had none. Ezekiel’s interest, however, was not simply in promising that the land would be divided among them in a fair way. He wanted to remind them of what the Promised Land was about in the first place. It was a land in which God would dwell among his people. At the outset, therefore, the central part of the land would be assigned to the Lord as his holy portion . The main purpose of this was to provide a zone of holiness and protection around the Temple.

a45:1-8►

b47–48►

c45:3-4►

d45:5-6►

e48:15►

f45:7►

g45:1-6►

h45:8-9►

‏ Ezekiel 45:1-8

Summary for Ezek 45:1-8: 45:1-8 ^a The division of the restored Promised Land among the tribes is described in detail in chs 47–48 ^b, but the central sacred section is described here because it included the area set aside for the priests to live in. Regaining a share in the land was a pressing concern for the exiles at a time when they had none. Ezekiel’s interest, however, was not simply in promising that the land would be divided among them in a fair way. He wanted to remind them of what the Promised Land was about in the first place. It was a land in which God would dwell among his people. At the outset, therefore, the central part of the land would be assigned to the Lord as his holy portion. The main purpose of this was to provide a zone of holiness and protection around the Temple.
Summary for Ezek 45:3-4: 45:3-4 ^c Within this holy portion, the Temple complex would form the Most Holy Place at the heart of a sacred square. Just as the Most Holy Place in the Temple was protected by an inner court that only the priests could enter, the Temple complex was surrounded by a section reserved only for priests.
Summary for Ezek 45:5-6: 45:5-6 ^d To the north of this priestly strip was an area reserved for the Levites; to the south (48:15 ^e), the city was located on a half-size strip. The result was a square that was 8¹/₃ miles on a side.
45:7 ^f On both sides of the larger sacred area (45:1-6 ^g), the remainder of the holy portion was assigned to the prince. The same principle of graded access that operated in the Temple was applied more broadly to the surrounding land. The Temple would be the geographical and spiritual heart of the new Israel. The land would be divided into strips running east to west, orienting the whole nation along the sacred east–west axis of the Temple. The city and the prince would still be important in the new economy, but they would no longer be at the center. The Lord was Israel’s King, and his dwelling place would be the hub of their existence.
Summary for Ezek 45:8-9: 45:8-9 ^h One tangible expression of the Lord’s kingly rule was that he distributed the land to the prince as well as to the people. The prince was assigned a large enough piece of his own land to meet his needs and to allow him to support the ministry of the Temple without having to oppress and rob the people.