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Ezekiel 45:1

in Ezekiel 45

“When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto Jehovah, a holy portion of the land; the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand: it shall be holy in all the border thereof round about.

KJV

Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.

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This verse in Ezekiel 45

Commentary

9 notes on this verse
By lot - Not by casting lots, but by “allotment,” the several portions being assigned by rule Jos 13:6. Oblation - The oblation (properly “heaveoffering”) was regarded as the Lord’s portion Lev 27:30. This “oblation” is given here as part of the provision made for the priests, and was probably in lieu of tithes Lev 27:30; Num 18:21, just as the prince had his definite portion of land instead of being supported by the contributions of the people. The priests and Levites had, in addition, the sacrifices (Eze 44:28, note).

This site's exposition

When you divide the land by lot

on Ezekiel 45:1-3

The prophet turns from the temple to the ground around it. When the tribes divide the land, a holy portion is set aside “for the LORD,” and the whole tract is holy. The sanctuary and the Most Holy Place stand inside this strip, measured before any tribe receives its share.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Ezekiel · Written before 420.

proposed

(Chapter 45, vers. 1 and following) When you begin to divide the land as an inheritance, set apart for the Lord a portion of the land, twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width, which shall be consecrated in all its boundaries. This portion shall be holy and shall be laid out in a square, five hundred by five hundred cubits in size, with fifty cubits of additional land as its outskirts.

The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

No; it is but an oblation; we only offer it to him; the benefit of it returns back to ourselves, to his poor, who, as our neighbours, are ourselves, or to his ministers who serve continually for our good. The proportion of this oblation is here determined, which was not done by the law of Moses.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Here is the portion of land assigned to the sanctuary, in the midst of which the temple was to be built, with all its courts and purlieus; the rest round about it was for the priests.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

) an oblation to the Lord; for what is given in works of piety, for the maintenance and support of the worship of God and the advancement of religion, God accepts as given to him, if it be done with a single eye. It is a holy portion of the land, which is to be set out first, as the first-fruits that sanctify the lump.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land, for inheritance,....
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

offer an oblation--from a Hebrew root to "heave" or "raise"; when anything was offered to God, the offerer raised the hand. The special territorial division for the tribes is given in the forty-seventh and forty-eighth chapters. Only Jehovah's portion is here subdivided into its three parts: (1) that for the sanctuary (Eze 45:2, 3);

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

When ye shall divide by lot - That is, when on your repossessing your land, every family settles according to the allotment which they formerly had; for it is certain that the land was not divided afresh by lot after the Babylonish captivity. The allotment mentioned and described here was merely for the service of the temple, the use of the priests, and the prince or governor of the people. A division of the whole land is not intended.

The words behind it

23 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וּבְהַפִּֽילְכֶ֨םand when make fall you

    uvhapilekhemH5307 →435 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָאָ֜רֶץthe land

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

  • בְּנַחֲלָ֗ה<in> an inheritance

    benachalahH5159 →222 times

  • תָּרִימוּ֩you will offer up

    tarimuH7311 →190 times

  • תְרוּמָ֨הa contribution

    terumahH8641 →76 times

  • לַיהוָ֥ה׀to Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • קֹדֶשׁ֮a holy portion

    kodeshH6944 →469 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הָאָרֶץ֒the land

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

  • אֹ֗רֶךְ[the] length

    ʾorekhH753 →95 times

  • חֲמִשָּׁ֨ה[will be] five

    chamishahH2568 →343 times

  • וְעֶשְׂרִ֥יםand twenty

    veesrimH6242 →315 times

  • אֶ֙לֶף֙thousand [cubits]

    ʾelefH505 →505 times

  • אֹ֔רֶךְ[the] length

    ʾorekhH753 →95 times

  • וְרֹ֖חַבand [the] breadth

    verochavH7341 →101 times

  • עֲשָׂ֣רָה[will be] ten

    ʾasarahH6235 →176 times

  • אָ֑לֶףthousand [cubits]

    ʾalefH505 →505 times

  • קֹדֶשׁ־[will be] a holy place

    kodesh-H6944 →469 times

  • ה֥וּאit

    hu'H1931 →1879 times

  • בְכָל־in all

    vekhol-H3605 →5413 times

  • גְּבוּלָ֖הּterritory its

    gevulahH1366 →240 times

  • סָבִֽיב׃all around

    savivH5439 →336 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

12 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Ezekiel 48:29This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.5 worksZechariah 14:20–21On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling bowls before the altar.3 worksNumbers 34:13So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.3 worksEzekiel 47:21–22You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.2 worksEzekiel 45:2–7Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around it for open land.2 worksEzekiel 48:8–23Bordering the territory of Judah, from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.2 works
The other 6 cross-references, with their words ▾
Psalms 16:5–6The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.2 worksProverbs 3:9Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;2 worksLeviticus 25:23The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me.2 worksJoshua 14:2Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.2 worksJoshua 13:6All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you.2 worksEzekiel 45:4It will be a holy portion of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.2 works

The walk

6 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 48:29

    This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 47:13–22

      This is what the Lord GOD says: “These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions.

    • Numbers 34:13

      So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.

    • Joshua 13:1–21

      Now Joshua was old and well along in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed.

    • Numbers 34:2

      “Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance with these boundaries:

  • Through

    Numbers 34:13

    So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.

    it leads to

    • Numbers 34:1

      Then the LORD said to Moses,

    • Joshua 14:1–5

      Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of…

Where this verse is studied

About Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezekiel: the study guide →Read Ezekiel 45 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.

Read on in Ezekiel 45 →