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Monday, August 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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THE MESSAGE

Ezekiel 48:10

"This is how it will be parceled out. The priest will get the area measuring seven miles on the north and south boundaries, with a width of a little more than three miles at the east and west boundaries. The Sanctuary of God will be at the center. This is for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites who stayed true in their service to me and didn't get off track as the Levites did when Israel wandered off the main road. This is their special gift, a gift from the land itself, most holy ground, bordering the section of the Levites.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Land;   Priest;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fasting;   Moses;   Nations;   Numbers, Book of;   Priests and Levites;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Israel ;   Tribes, the Twelve;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8⅓ miles long on the northern side, 3⅓ miles wide on the western side, 3⅓ miles wide on the eastern side, and 8⅓ miles long on the southern side. The Lord’s sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
Hebrew Names Version
For these, even for the Kohanim, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand [in length], and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst of it.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and 25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it.
New American Standard Bible
"The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, toward the west ten thousand in width, toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in its midst.
New Century Version
The holy area will be divided among these people. The priests will have land about seven miles long on the north and south sides, and three miles wide on the west and east sides. The Temple of the Lord will be in the middle of it.
Amplified Bible
"The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in length, and toward the west 10,000 in width, and toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst of it.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And for them, euen for the Priestes shalbe this holy oblation, towarde the North fiue and twentie thousande long, and towarde the West, ten thousande broade, and towarde the East ten thousand broad, and towarde the South fiue and twentie thousand long, and the Sanctuarie of the Lorde shalbe in the middes thereof.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in length, toward the west 10,000 in width, toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in its midst.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the holy contribution shall be for these, namely for the priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in length, toward the west 10,000 in width, toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in its midst.
Berean Standard Bible
This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD.
Contemporary English Version
I, the Lord , will give half of my sacred land to the priests. Their share will be eight miles long and three miles wide, and my temple will be right in the middle.
Complete Jewish Bible
This holy offering will be for the cohanim; it will be eight [miles] in length along its north and south sides and three in width along its west and east sides; Adonai 's sanctuary will be inside it.
Darby Translation
And for them, for the priests, shall be the holy heave-offering, toward the north five and twenty thousand, and toward the west the breadth ten thousand, and toward the east the breadth ten thousand, and toward the south the length five and twenty thousand: and the sanctuary of Jehovah shall be in the midst of it.
Easy-to-Read Version
This special area of land will be divided among the priests and Levites. "The priests will get one part of this area. The land will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. The Lord 's Temple will be in the middle of this area of land.
George Lamsa Translation
And for the priests shall be the holy portion; toward the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and toward the west ten thousand cubits in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand cubits in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand cubits in length; and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst of it.
Good News Translation
The priests are to have a portion of this holy area. From east to west their portion is to measure 10 miles, and from north to south, 4 miles. The Temple of the Lord is to be located in the middle of this area.
Lexham English Bible
And to these shall be the holy district: to the priests northwards twenty-five thousand cubits, and westwards its width ten thousand cubits, and eastwards its width ten thousand cubits, and southwards its length twenty-five thousand cubits, and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in the midst of it.
Literal Translation
And for these shall be the holy heave offering for the priests: northward, twenty five thousand; and westward, ten thousand cubits wide; and eastward, ten thousand wide; and southward, twentyfive thousand cubits long. And thesanctuary of Jehovah shall be in its midst,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Which separated holy porcion shal belonge vnto these: namely to the prestes, towarde the north xxv.M. & towarde the west x.M. brode, towarde the east x. M. brode also, & towarde the south xxv.M. longe, wherin the Sanctuary of the LORDE shal stonde.
American Standard Version
And for these, even for the priests, shall be the 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 Jehovah shall be in the midst thereof.
Bible in Basic English
And for these, that is the priests, the holy offering is to be twenty-five thousand long to the north, ten thousand wide to the west, ten thousand wide to the east and twenty-five thousand long to the south; and the holy place of the Lord will be in the middle of it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And for these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering; 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.
King James Version (1611)
And for them, euen for the priests shall be this holy oblation, toward the North, fiue and twentie thousand in length, and toward the West ten thousand in bredth, and toward the East ten thousand in bredth, and toward the South fiue and twentie thousand in length, & the sanctuarie of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And for these [euen] for the priestes shalbe this holy oblation: toward the north fiue & twentie thousand [long] & toward the west ten thousand brode, towarde the east ten thousand brode also, and toward the south fiue and twentie thousand long, & the sanctuarie of the Lorde shalbe in the midst thereof.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Out of this shall be the first-fruits of the holy things to the priests, northward, five and twenty-thousand, and towards the west, ten thousand, and southward, five and twenty thousand: and the mountain of the sanctuary, shall be in the midst of it,
English Revised Version
And for these, even for the priests, shall be the 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.
World English Bible
For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand [in length], and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in the midst of it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe these schulen be the firste fruytis of the seyntuarie of preestis; to the north fyue and twenti thousynde of lengthe, and to the see ten thousinde of breede; but to the eest ten thousynde of breede, and to the south fyue and twenti thousynde of lengthe; and the seyntuarie of the Lord schal be in the myddis therof.
Update Bible Version
And for these, even for the priests, shall be the holy oblation: toward the north five and twenty thousand [in length], and toward the west ten thousand in width, and toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in the midst thereof.
Webster's Bible Translation
And for them, [even] for the priests, shall be [this] holy oblation; towards the north five and twenty thousand [in length], and towards the west ten thousand in breadth, and towards the east ten thousand in breadth, and towards the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst of it.
New English Translation
These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north eight and a quarter miles in length, toward the west three and one-third miles in width, toward the east three and one-third miles in width, and toward the south eight and a quarter miles in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle.
New King James Version
To these--to the priests--the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the center.
New Living Translation
For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8 1⁄3 miles long by 3 1⁄3 miles wide, with the Lord 's Temple at the center.
New Life Bible
There will be a holy part for the religious leaders. It will be as long as 12,500 long steps on the north side, 5,000 long steps on the west side, 5,000 long steps on the east side, and 12,500 long steps on the south side. The holy house of the Lord will be in the center of it.
New Revised Standard
These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring twenty-five thousand cubits on the northern side, ten thousand cubits in width on the western side, ten thousand in width on the eastern side, and twenty-five thousand in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the middle of it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And pertaining to these, shall he the holy offering, even for the priests, northwards, five and twenty thousand, and westward, a breadth of ten thousand, and eastward, a breadth of ten thousand and south ward, length of five and twenty thousand, - so shall the sanctuary of Yahweh be in the midst thereof: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
And these shall be the firstfruits of the sanctuary for the priests: toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the sea ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east also 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.
Revised Standard Version
These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring twenty-five thousand cubits on the northern side, ten thousand cubits in breadth on the western side, ten thousand in breadth on the eastern side, and twenty-five thousand in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the LORD in the midst of it.
Young's Literal Translation
And of these is the holy heave-offering for the priests, northward five and twenty thousand, and westward [in] breadth ten thousand, and eastward [in] breadth ten thousand, and southward [in] length five and twenty thousand: and the sanctuary of Jehovah hath been in its midst.

Contextual Overview

1 "These are the tribes: "Dan: one portion, along the northern boundary, following the Hethlon road that turns off to the entrance of Hamath as far as Hazor-enon so that the territory of Damascus lies to the north alongside Hamath, the northern border stretching from east to west. 2 "Asher: one portion, bordering Dan from east to west. 3 "Naphtali: one portion, bordering Asher from east to west. 4 "Manasseh: one portion, bordering Naphtali from east to west. 5 "Ephraim: one portion, bordering Manasseh from east to west. 6 "Reuben: one portion, bordering Ephraim from east to west. 7 "Judah: one portion, bordering Reuben from east to west. 8"Bordering Judah from east to west is the consecrated area that you will set aside as holy: a square approximately seven by seven miles, with the Sanctuary set at the center. The consecrated area reserved for God is to be seven miles long and a little less than three miles wide. 10"This is how it will be parceled out. The priest will get the area measuring seven miles on the north and south boundaries, with a width of a little more than three miles at the east and west boundaries. The Sanctuary of God will be at the center. This is for the consecrated priests, the Zadokites who stayed true in their service to me and didn't get off track as the Levites did when Israel wandered off the main road. This is their special gift, a gift from the land itself, most holy ground, bordering the section of the Levites. 13"The Levites get a section equal in size to that of the priests, roughly seven by three miles. They are not permitted to sell or trade any of it. It's the choice part of the land, to say nothing of being holy to God .

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

for the priests: Ezekiel 44:28, Ezekiel 45:4, Numbers 35:1-9, Joshua 21:1-45, Matthew 10:10, 1 Corinthians 9:13, 1 Corinthians 9:14

and the sanctuary: Ezekiel 48:8

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 45:3 - and in it Ezekiel 45:5 - the five Ezekiel 48:15 - for the city

Cross-References

Genesis 27:1
When Isaac had become an old man and was nearly blind, he called his eldest son, Esau, and said, "My son." "Yes, Father?"
Genesis 27:27
He came close and kissed him and Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes. Finally, he blessed him, Ahhh. The smell of my son is like the smell of the open country blessed by God . May God give you of Heaven's dew and Earth's bounty of grain and wine. May peoples serve you and nations honor you. You will master your brothers, and your mother's sons will honor you. Those who curse you will be cursed, those who bless you will be blessed.
Genesis 31:55
Jacob learned that Laban's sons were talking behind his back: "Jacob has used our father's wealth to make himself rich at our father's expense." At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn't treating him the same. That's when God said to Jacob, "Go back home where you were born. I'll go with you." So Jacob sent word for Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the field where his flocks were. He said, "I notice that your father has changed toward me; he doesn't treat me the same as before. But the God of my father hasn't changed; he's still with me. You know how hard I've worked for your father. Still, your father has cheated me over and over, changing my wages time and again. But God never let him really hurt me. If he said, ‘Your wages will consist of speckled animals' the whole flock would start having speckled lambs and kids. And if he said, ‘From now on your wages will be streaked animals' the whole flock would have streaked ones. Over and over God used your father's livestock to reward me. "Once, while the flocks were mating, I had a dream and saw the billy goats, all of them streaked, speckled, and mottled, mounting their mates. In the dream an angel of God called out to me, ‘Jacob!' "I said, ‘Yes?' "He said, ‘Watch closely. Notice that all the goats in the flock that are mating are streaked, speckled, and mottled. I know what Laban's been doing to you. I'm the God of Bethel where you consecrated a pillar and made a vow to me. Now be on your way, get out of this place, go home to your birthplace.'" Rachel and Leah said, "Has he treated us any better? Aren't we treated worse than outsiders? All he wanted was the money he got from selling us, and he's spent all that. Any wealth that God has seen fit to return to us from our father is justly ours and our children's. Go ahead. Do what God told you." Jacob did it. He put his children and his wives on camels and gathered all his livestock and everything he had gotten, everything acquired in Paddan Aram, to go back home to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. Laban was off shearing sheep. Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob had concealed his plans so well that Laban the Aramean had no idea what was going on—he was totally in the dark. Jacob got away with everything he had and was soon across the Euphrates headed for the hill country of Gilead. Three days later, Laban got the news: "Jacob's run off." Laban rounded up his relatives and chased after him. Seven days later they caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, "Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad." When Laban reached him, Jacob's tents were pitched in the Gilead mountains; Laban pitched his tents there, too. "What do you mean," said Laban, "by keeping me in the dark and sneaking off, hauling my daughters off like prisoners of war? Why did you run off like a thief in the night? Why didn't you tell me? Why, I would have sent you off with a great celebration—music, timbrels, flutes! But you wouldn't permit me so much as a kiss for my daughters and grandchildren. It was a stupid thing for you to do. If I had a mind to, I could destroy you right now, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, ‘Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad.' I understand. You left because you were homesick. But why did you steal my household gods?" Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by brute force. But as far as your gods are concerned, if you find that anybody here has them, that person dies. With all of us watching, look around. If you find anything here that belongs to you, take it." Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the gods. Laban went through Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maids but didn't find them. He went from Leah's tent to Rachel's. But Rachel had taken the household gods, put them inside a camel cushion, and was sitting on them. When Laban had gone through the tent, searching high and low without finding a thing, Rachel said to her father, "Don't think I'm being disrespectful, my master, that I can't stand before you, but I'm having my period." So even though he turned the place upside down in his search, he didn't find the household gods. Now it was Jacob's turn to get angry. He lit into Laban: "So what's my crime, what wrong have I done you that you badger me like this? You've ransacked the place. Have you turned up a single thing that's yours? Let's see it—display the evidence. Our two families can be the jury and decide between us. "In the twenty years I've worked for you, ewes and she-goats never miscarried. I never feasted on the rams from your flock. I never brought you a torn carcass killed by wild animals but that I paid for it out of my own pocket—actually, you made me pay whether it was my fault or not. I was out in all kinds of weather, from torrid heat to freezing cold, putting in many a sleepless night. For twenty years I've done this: I slaved away fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flock and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not stuck with me, you would have sent me off penniless. But God saw the fix I was in and how hard I had worked and last night rendered his verdict." Laban defended himself: "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flock is my flock—everything you see is mine. But what can I do about my daughters or for the children they've had? So let's settle things between us, make a covenant—God will be the witness between us." Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar. Jacob called his family around, "Get stones!" They gathered stones and heaped them up and then ate there beside the pile of stones. Laban named it in Aramaic, Yegar-sahadutha (Witness Monument); Jacob echoed the naming in Hebrew, Galeed (Witness Monument). Laban said, "This monument of stones will be a witness, beginning now, between you and me." (That's why it is called Galeed—Witness Monument.) It is also called Mizpah (Watchtower) because Laban said, " God keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other's sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives when there's no one around to see you, God will see you and stand witness between us." Laban continued to Jacob, "This monument of stones and this stone pillar that I have set up is a witness, a witness that I won't cross this line to hurt you and you won't cross this line to hurt me. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (the God of their ancestor) will keep things straight between us." Jacob promised, swearing by the Fear, the God of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and worshiped, calling in all his family members to the meal. They ate and slept that night on the mountain. Laban got up early the next morning, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, blessed them, and then set off for home.
1 Kings 19:20
Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye—then I'll follow you." "Go ahead," said Elijah, "but, mind you, don't forget what I've just done to you."
Isaiah 59:1
Look! Listen! God 's arm is not amputated—he can still save. God 's ears are not stopped up—he can still hear. There's nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn't hear. Your hands are drenched in blood, your fingers dripping with guilt, Your lips smeared with lies, your tongue swollen from muttering obscenities. No one speaks up for the right, no one deals fairly. They trust in illusion, they tell lies, they get pregnant with mischief and have sin-babies. They hatch snake eggs and weave spider webs. Eat an egg and die; break an egg and get a snake! The spider webs are no good for shirts or shawls. No one can wear these weavings! They weave wickedness, they hatch violence. They compete in the race to do evil and run to be the first to murder. They plan and plot evil, think and breathe evil, and leave a trail of wrecked lives behind them. They know nothing about peace and less than nothing about justice. They make tortuously twisted roads. No peace for the wretch who walks down those roads!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And for them, even the priests, shall be this holy oblation,.... This holy portion of land, excepting that which is for the sanctuary, is to be for the use of the priests to build houses on to dwell in; signifying, that the ministers of the Gospel are to be taken care of, and sufficient provision made for their maintenance; see

Ezekiel 45:4:

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; to the north and south five and twenty thousand reeds each; and to the east and west ten thousand each; all this belongs to the priests, excepting the place for the sanctuary, that stood in the middle of it, as repeated in the following clause: and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof; as in Ezekiel 48:8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Toward the north ... toward the east ... - i. e., the measurements are “along the north and east sides,” etc.


 
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