Ezekiel 48 20

Ezekiel 48:20 kjv

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.

Ezekiel 48:20 nkjv

The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

Ezekiel 48:20 niv

The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cubits on each side. As a special gift you will set aside the sacred portion, along with the property of the city.

Ezekiel 48:20 esv

The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.

Ezekiel 48:20 nlt

This entire area ? including the sacred lands and the city ? is a square that measures 8 1?3 miles on each side.

Ezekiel 48 verses

Ezekiel 48 20 meaning

Ezekiel 48:20 specifies the exact dimensions of the sacred district, also called the "sacred reserve" or "heave offering" (terumah), as a perfect square, 25,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits. This area is consecrated for the temple, priests, and Levites, emphasizing a divinely ordained, separate, and orderly space dedicated entirely to the worship and service of God in the future vision of restoration. It highlights the principle of setting apart a significant portion exclusively for holy purposes, symbolizing God's meticulous plan for the ideal redeemed community.

Ezekiel 48 20 Context

Ezekiel chapter 48 concludes the prophet's detailed vision (chapters 40-48) of a restored temple and the re-allotment of the land to the twelve tribes of Israel following the return from Babylonian exile. This specific verse, Ezekiel 48:20, provides the overarching dimension for the "sacred reserve" (Hebrew: terumah), which is the central holy block of land encompassing the new temple, the priests' portion, the Levites' portion, and the city with its environs. This chapter meticulously describes the final distribution of land, emphasizing the central place of the sacred within the tribal territories. The context is highly prophetic and symbolic, envisioning an ideal future for Israel under God's perfect governance, a stark contrast to the historical failures of profanation and displacement that led to the exile. It represents God's renewed covenant and the establishment of a perfectly ordered society with holiness at its core.

Ezekiel 48 20 Word analysis

• All (כֹּל - kol): Emphasizes totality and comprehensiveness. The entire sacred reserve, without exception, conforms to these dimensions, highlighting a perfect, unbroken sanctity.

• the sacred reserve (הַתְּרוּמָה - ha'terumah): This term is crucial. Terumah traditionally refers to a "heave offering" or "contribution," specifically portions set aside from agricultural produce or offerings for the priests and Levites (e.g., Num 18:8-20). In Ezekiel 45:1 and 48:8-20, it takes on an expanded meaning, referring to a substantial sacred district of land set apart for the Lord, containing the sanctuary, priests' settlements, Levites' settlements, and the city. Its use here reinforces the concept of holy separation, ownership by God, and being distinct from common land.

• shall be 25,000 cubits (עֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אֶלֶף - 'esrim vachamishah 'eleph): This precise dimension, meaning "twenty-five thousand," signifies divine exactitude and order. The cubit (ammah) was an ancient unit of length, roughly 18-21 inches or 45-53 cm. Therefore, 25,000 cubits is an immense distance (approx. 7.5 miles or 12.5 kilometers on each side). Such vast and specific measurements underscore the grand scale and symbolic, rather than purely literal, nature of the vision, pointing to ultimate perfection and spiritual reality.

• by 25,000 cubits (בַּעֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אֶלֶף - ba'esrim vachamishah 'eleph): Reiteration of the dimension for both length and width, establishing the foundational aspect of the "square" shape.

• a square (רָבוּעַ - ravu'a): This geometric description is profoundly significant. In biblical contexts, a square often symbolizes completeness, perfection, stability, and divine order (e.g., the altar in Exod 27:1, the breastpiece in Exod 28:16). The Holy of Holies in Solomon's temple was also essentially a cube (1 Kgs 6:20), indicating God's most sacred dwelling place. The square shape of this sacred land area conveys the idea of a perfectly balanced, stable, and holy space where God's presence fully resides, unmarred by imperfection or imbalance. It contrasts sharply with the chaos and defilement that plagued the former temple and land.

• it shall be (תִּהְיֶה - tihyeh): A strong declarative future tense, expressing prophetic certainty and the divinely intended nature of this arrangement. It signifies not merely a suggestion, but an assured reality in God's future plan.

• "All the sacred reserve": This phrase unites the concept of totality (kol) with divine designation (terumah), indicating that every part of this allocated sacred space is uniformly holy and dedicated to God. This unity highlights a unified vision of worship and divine order.

• "25,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits": This dual measurement emphasizes precision and proportionality. The numerical value 25,000 (which is 50 x 500 or 5 squared x 1000) may carry symbolic weight related to divine grace and multiplication, though its primary impact is the sheer scale.

• "a square it shall be": The declaration of "squareness" along with "it shall be" solidifies the inviolable and perfect form of this sacred territory. The deliberate choice of this geometry reinforces the concepts of unwavering order, stability, and absolute completeness that characterize God's ideal future dwelling among His people.

Ezekiel 48 20 Bonus section

The vastness of 25,000 cubits (over 12 kilometers square) implies that this vision is likely not intended for a purely literal, historical reconstruction of a physical temple in Jerusalem as we know it today. Instead, its enormous, perfectly geometric scale points to a grander, more spiritual, or eschatological reality. Many scholars understand this vision as representing either the ideal nature of the Church (as God's temple made of believers) or the New Heaven and New Earth, where God fully dwells with humanity (echoing Rev 21's description of the New Jerusalem as a perfect square/cube). The detailed, even hyper-specific, measurements emphasize divine intentionality and meticulous design, assuring God's people that the future redemption will be flawless and absolute. The centrality of the terumah section in the overall land distribution shows God's commitment to placing Himself and His holiness at the very heart of His restored creation.

Ezekiel 48 20 Commentary

Ezekiel 48:20, by defining the immense, square sacred reserve of 25,000 by 25,000 cubits, underscores the eschatological vision's core principles of holiness, order, and separation. This grand "heave offering" (terumah) for God contrasts starkly with past failures of Israel, where sacred and profane boundaries blurred. The precise dimensions and perfect square shape symbolize God's absolute governance, unblemished purity, and unwavering stability in His restored kingdom. This area serves as the pure heart of the redeemed land, designed to prevent any encroachment of defilement. It represents the ultimate ideal of God dwelling among a perfectly consecrated people, where every aspect of life, especially worship and service, operates under divine command. The verse, therefore, is not merely a blueprint for a future temple but a powerful prophetic statement about the definitive establishment of God's holy presence and kingdom on earth, culminating in the complete transformation and sanctification of all creation.