Ezekiel Chapter 45 — The Holy Allotment and Just Leadership
This chapter details the division of land into holy portions for the sanctuary and priests, while establishing rules for just weights and religious feasts.
1“ ‘ “Moreover, when you divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to the LORD, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the width shall be ten thousand. It shall be holy in all its border all around.
2Of this there shall be a five hundred by five hundred square for the holy place, and fifty cubits*A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. for its pasture lands all around.
3Of this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a width of ten thousand. In it shall be the sanctuary, which is most holy.
4It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD. It shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.
5Twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, as a possession for themselves, for twenty rooms.
6“ ‘ “You shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, side by side with the offering of the holy portion. It shall be for the whole house of Israel.
7“ ‘ “What is for the prince shall be on the one side and on the other side of the holy allotment and of the possession of the city, in front of the holy allotment and in front of the possession of the city, on the west side westward, and on the east side eastward, and in length corresponding to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.
8In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel. My princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”
9“ ‘The Lord GOD says: “Enough, you princes of Israel! Remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness! Stop dispossessing my people!” says the Lord GOD.
10“You shall have just balances, a just ephah,†1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel and a just bath.
11The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain one tenth of a homer,‡1 homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels and the ephah one tenth of a homer. Its measure shall be the same as the homer.
12The shekel§A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. shall be twenty gerahs.*a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.†A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds.
13“ ‘ “This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of barley,
14and the set portion of oil, of the bath of oil, one tenth of a bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer (for ten baths are a homer),‡1 cor is the same as 1 homer in volume, and is about 211 liters, 55.9 gallons, or 6 bushels. 1 bath is about 21.1 liters, 5.59 gallons, or 2.4 pecks.
15and one lamb of the flock out of two hundred, from the well-watered pastures of Israel—for a meal offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” says the Lord GOD.
16“All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.
17It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”
18“ ‘The Lord GOD says: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect, and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.
19The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.
20So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple. So you shall make atonement for the house.
21“ ‘ “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
22On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.
23The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.
24He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah§1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel for a bull, an ephah for a ram, and a hin*A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons. of oil to an ephah.
25“ ‘ “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, during the feast, he shall do like that for seven days. He shall make the same provision for sin offering, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the oil.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Ezekiel 45:9
“The Lord GOD says: “Enough, you princes of Israel! Remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness! Stop dispossessing my people!” says the Lord GOD.”
This verse emphasizes God's requirement for leaders to govern with justice and end the exploitation of the people.
Ezekiel 45:10
“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.”
It highlights the biblical principle of honesty and fairness in economic dealings as a part of holy living.
Chapter Summary
Ezekiel 45 describes the division of land in the restored Israel, designating a 'holy portion' for the sanctuary, the priests, and the Levites. It also specifies land for the city and for the prince, ensuring that leadership does not oppress the people by encroaching on their territory. Beyond land allocation, the chapter addresses social and economic integrity by demanding the use of honest scales and standard measures for trade. The latter half of the chapter focuses on the religious duties of the prince, who is responsible for providing sacrifices during the appointed feasts, including Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. These instructions highlight the interconnectedness of land, justice, and worship in the vision of a renewed nation dedicated to God. The text makes it clear that the future community must prioritize both holiness in the temple and righteousness in the marketplace.
Frequently Asked Questions
The holy portion is a specific area of land set aside for the sanctuary, the priests who minister there, and the Levites. It represents a physical space dedicated entirely to God's service and presence within the community, distinct from common land.
The prince is responsible for providing the materials for various offerings, including burnt, meal, and drink offerings during the feasts. He acts as a representative for the people in maintaining the sacrificial system and ensuring the festivals are observed correctly and without corruption.
God mandates just balances and standardized units like the ephah and bath to ensure fairness in trade and religious offerings. This reflects the theme that holiness includes ethical behavior and social justice in everyday commercial interactions.
Study Note
The mention of the 'mina' in verse 12 shows a specific weight standard for this vision, defining it as sixty shekels through a sum of twenty, twenty-five, and fifteen.
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