{"id":21703,"date":"2022-09-24T09:08:41","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-ezekiel-4713\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T09:08:41","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:08:41","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-ezekiel-4713","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-ezekiel-4713\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 47:13"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 align='center'><b><i> Thus saith the Lord GOD; This [shall be] the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph [shall have two] portions. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p> <strong> 13<\/strong>. The tribe of Joseph, being composed of two great families, shall have &ldquo;portions,&rdquo; i.e. two lots (perhaps <em> dual<\/em> should be read). There still remained twelve tribes, therefore, even when Levi was provided for by the sacred Terumah or oblation.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 13 21<\/strong>. The boundaries of the new holy land<\/p>\n<p> On the east the boundary shall be the Jordan from Hazar Enon on the north to the salt sea on the south, for in the time of restitution the promised land shall be confined to Palestine west of the Jordan, according to the oath sworn by God unto the fathers (<span class='bible'>Gen 12:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 13:15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 17:8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 28:13<\/span>). On the west the boundary shall be the Mediterranean sea. The boundaries on the N. and S. are particularly defined, the towns being mentioned by which they run, but the places named are mostly unknown. The boundaries are in the main the same as those laid down in <span class='bible'>Numbers 34<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\">The ideal reallotment of the land to the twelve tribes of Israel is found in <span class='bible'>Ezek. 47:1348:14<\/span>.<\/P> <P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\">The special mention of Josephs portions was in order to express that the twelve portions were to be exclusive of Levis land, which was to be provided out of the oblation.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Albert Barnes&#8217; Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Verse <span class='bible'>13<\/span>. <I><B>Joseph<\/B><\/I><B> shall have two <\/B><I><B>portions.<\/B><\/I>] That is, In <I>Ephraim<\/I> and <I>Manasseh<\/I>, his two sons, who each had a separate inheritance.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Adam Clarke&#8217;s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> <B>The border; <\/B>the utmost bounds of the whole land. <\/P> <P><B>Shall inherit; <\/B>that is, shall divide for inheritance to the tribes of Israel. <\/P> <P><B>According to the twelve tribes:<\/B> as it was at first divided into twelve portions, so now again. <\/P> <P><B>Joseph; <\/B>that is, the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, and this pursuant of their adoption by Jacob, as well as in fulfilling the will of Jacob, who gave Joseph a double share. <\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P><B>13.<\/B> <I>The redivision of theland: the boundaries.<\/I> The latter are substantially the same asthose given by Moses in <span class='bible'>Nu34:1-29<\/span>; they here begin with the north, but in Numbers theybegin with the south (<span class='bible'>Nu 34:3<\/span>).It is only Canaan proper, exclusive of the possession of the two anda half tribes beyond Jordan, that is here divided. <\/P><P>       <B>Joseph . . . twoportions<\/B>according to the original promise of Jacob (<span class='bible'>Gen 48:5<\/span>;<span class='bible'>Gen 48:22<\/span>). Joseph&#8217;s sons weregiven the birthright forfeited by Reuben, the first-born (<span class='bible'>1Ch5:1<\/span>). Therefore the former is here put first. His <I>two<\/I> sonshaving distinct portions make up the whole number <I>twelve<\/I>portions, as he had just before specified &#8220;<I>twelve<\/I> tribesof Israel&#8221;; for Levi had no separate inheritance, so that he isnot reckoned in the twelve.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown&#8217;s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Thus saith the Lord God, this shall be the border<\/strong>,&#8230;. Of the land of Israel, as described in the following verses; which being different from, and much larger, and more extensive, than it was in the times of Moses or Joshua, or than it was either before or after the captivity in Babylon, shows that this must be understood either of the land of Canaan, as it will be when possessed and inhabited by the Jews, upon their conversion in the latter day; or rather of the church of Christ, which is far greater than it was under the former dispensation; and especially it will be still more extensive hereafter, when Christ&#8217;s kingdom will be from sea to sea, and his dominion from the river to the ends of the earth; and from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, his name shall be great among the Gentiles. This subject is reassumed from <span class='bible'>Eze 45:1<\/span> after the insertion of various things of moment and importance there, a reserve upon the division of the land is made of a holy portion of it, for the sanctuary; for the priests, the ministers of it; for the Levites, the ministers of the house; and for a possession of the city, and of the prince; and the rest to be given to the house of Israel, the boundaries of which, are here fixed:<\/p>\n<p><strong>whereby ye shall inherit the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel<\/strong>; by which are meant, not literal Israel, or according to the flesh, these being not all Israel, or the children of God, and so not heirs, and shall not inherit; but spiritual Israel, or the special people of God, that shall dwell in the church, and enjoy all the privileges of it; these are the sealed ones of all the tribes of Israel, an equal number out of each tribe; see <span class='bible'>Re 7:4<\/span>. Joseph shall have two &#8220;portions&#8221; for his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and in virtue of the birthright which fell to him on the forfeiture of it by Reuben; he was an eminent type of Christ, with whom the saints are joint heirs; and who has two portions, one for himself as Mediator, and another for them.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Gill&#8217;s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Boundaries of the Land to be Divided among the Tribes of Israel.<\/p>\n<p><span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span>. <em> Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, This is the boundary according to which ye shall divide the land among you for an inheritance, for Joseph portions. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:14<\/span>.<em> And ye shall receive it for an inheritance, one as well as another, because I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers; and thus shall this land fall to you for an inheritance. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:15<\/span>.<em> And this is the boundary of the land: toward the north side, from the great sea onwards by the way to Chetlon, in the direction of Zedad; <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:16<\/span>.<em> Hamath, Berotah, Sibraim, which is between the boundary of Damascus and the boundary of Hamath, the central Hazer, which is on the boundary of Haruan. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:17<\/span>.<em> And the boundary from the sea shall be Hazar-Enon, the boundary town of Damascus; and as for the north northwards, Hamath is the boundary. This, the north side. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:18<\/span>.<em> And the east side between Hauran and Damascus and Gilead and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the boundary to the eastern sea ye shall measure. This, the east side. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:19<\/span>.<em> And the south side toward the south; from Tamar to the water of strife, Kadesh, along the brook to the great sea. This, the south side toward the south. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:20<\/span>.<em> And the west side; the great sea from the boundary to Hamath. This, the west side. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:21<\/span>.<em> This land shall ye divide among you according to the tribes of Israel. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:22<\/span>.<em> And it shall come to pass, ye shall divide it by lot among yourselves for an inheritance, and among the foreigners who dwell in the midst of you, who have begotten sons in the midst of you; they shall be to you like natives born among the sons of Israel; they shall cast lots with you for an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. <\/em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:23<\/span>.<em> And it shall come to pass, in the tribe in which the foreigner dwells, there shall ye give him his inheritance, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p> The fixing of the boundary of the land which Israel was to divide in future according to its twelve tribes is commenced (<span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:14<\/span>) and concluded (<span class='bible'>Eze 47:22<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:23<\/span>) with certain general statements concerning the distribution. The introductory statements are attached to the heading &ldquo;this is the boundary,&rdquo; which is therefore repeated in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:15<\/span>.  is evidently a copyist&#8217;s error for  , which is adopted by all the older translators, contained in some <em> Codd<\/em>., and demanded by  in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:15<\/span>.  stands here for the whole of the boundary of the land to be distributed; and  which follows is an accusative, &ldquo;according to which.&rdquo; &#8211; &rdquo;According to the <em> twelve<\/em> tribes,&rdquo; &#8211; for all Israel is to return and dwell as <em> one<\/em> people of God under one prince in its own land (<span class='bible'>Eze 36:24<\/span>., <span class='bible'>Eze 37:21<\/span>.). But the division among the twelve tribes is more precisely defined immediately afterwards by the clause abruptly appended, &ldquo;Joseph portions,&rdquo; i.e., two portions for Joseph. There can be no doubt that this is the meaning of the words in accordance with <span class='bible'>Gen 48:22<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Jos 17:14<\/span>, <span class='bible'>Jos 17:17<\/span>. Hence the notice-like form of the expression, which should not be obliterated by pointing  as a dual,  . If the land was to be divided by lot according to twelve tribes, and the tribe of Levi was to receive its portion from the <em> terumah <\/em> which was set apart, Joseph must necessarily receive two hereditary portions for his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, in accordance with the appointment of the patriarch in <span class='bible'>Gen 48:22<\/span>. The commencement of <span class='bible'>Eze 47:14<\/span> is not at variance with this, as Hitzig imagines; for the words, &ldquo;ye shall receive it for an inheritance, one as another,&rdquo; simply affirm, that of the twelve tribes reckoned by Israel in relation to the  , all were to receive equal shares, the one as much as the other. As the reason for this command to divide the land, allusion is made to the oath with which God promised to give this land to the fathers (cf. <span class='bible'>Eze 20:28<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p> The definition of the boundaries commences with <span class='bible'>Eze 47:15<\/span>. In form it differs in many points from <span class='bible'>Num 34:1-5<\/span>, but in actual fact it is in harmony with the Mosaic definition. In Num 34 the description commences with the southern boundary, then proceeds to the western and northern boundaries, and closes with the eastern. In Ezekiel it commences with the northern boundary and proceeds to the east, the south, and the west. This difference may be explained in a very simple manner, from the fact that the Israelites in the time of Moses came from Egypt i.e., marching from the south, and stood by the south-eastern boundary of the land, whereas at this time they were carried away into the northern lands Assyria and Babylon, and were regarded as returning thence. Again, in Ezekiel the boundaries are described much more briefly than in Num 34, the northern boundary alone being somewhat more circumstantially described. The course which it takes is represented in a general manner in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:15<\/span> as running from the great sea, i.e., the Mediterranean, by the way to Chetlon, in the direction toward Zedad. In <span class='bible'>Eze 47:16<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:17<\/span> there follow the places which formed the boundary. The starting-point on the Mediterranean Sea can only be approximately determined, as the places mentioned, Chetlon and Zedad, are still unknown. Not only <em> Chetlon<\/em>, but <em> Zedad<\/em> also, has not yet been discovered. The city of <em> Sadad<\/em> (<em> Sudud<\/em>), to the east of the road leading from Damascus to Hums (Emesa), which Robinson and Wetzstein suppose to be the same, lies much too far toward the east to be used in defining the boundary either here or in <span class='bible'>Num 34:8<\/span> (see the comm. on <span class='bible'>Num 34:8<\/span>). Among the names enumerated in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:16<\/span>,  is not the city of <em> Hamah<\/em> on the Orontes, which lay much too far to the north, but the kingdom of <em> Hamath<\/em>, the southern boundary of which formed the northern boundary of Canaan, though it cannot be given with exactness. <em> Berothah<\/em> is probably identical with <em> Berothai<\/em> in <span class='bible'>2Sa 8:8<\/span>, a city of the king of Zobah; but the situation of it is still unknown. <em> Sibraim<\/em> may perhaps be identical with <em> Ziphron<\/em> in <span class='bible'>Num 34:9<\/span>, which has also not yet been discovered, and is not to be sought for in the ruins of <em> Zifran<\/em>, to the north-east of Damascus, near the road to Palmyra; for that place could not form the boundary of Damascus and Hamath. The situation of the &ldquo;central <em> Hazer<\/em> &rdquo; has also not yet been determined. <em> Hauran<\/em>, on the boundary of which it stood, is used here in a more comprehensive sense that  in Josephus and other Greek authors, and includes the later <em> Auranitis<\/em>, together with <em> Gaulanitis<\/em> (Golan) and <em> Batanaea<\/em> (Bashan), and probably also <em> Ituraea<\/em>, as only Damascus and Gilead are named in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:18<\/span> in addition to Hauran, on the east side of the Jordan; so that the whole tract of land between the territory of Damascus and the country of Gilead is embraced by the name Hauran.  , Arab. <em> Hawran <\/em>, is derived from the number of caves (  ,  ) in that district, to which Wetzstein (<em> Reiseber<\/em>. p. 92) indeed raises the objection that with the exception of the eastern and south-eastern Hauran, where no doubt most of the volcanic hills have been perforated by troglodytes, the dwellings in caves are by no means common in that region. But the name may have originated in this eastern district, and possibly have included even that portion of Gilead which was situated to the north of the Jabbok, namely, <em> Erbed<\/em> and <em> Sut<\/em>, the true cave-country. For further remarks concerning these districts, see the comm. on <span class='bible'>Deu 3:4<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Deu 3:10<\/span>. The statement in <em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:17<\/span><\/em>, &ldquo;the boundary from the sea shall be <em> Hazar-Enon<\/em>, the boundary of Damascus,&rdquo; cannot have any other meaning than that the northern boundary, which started from the Mediterranean Sea, stretched as far as <em> Hazar<\/em> &#8211;<em> Enon<\/em>, the frontier city of Damascus, or that <em> Hazar-Enon<\/em> formed the terminal point on the east, toward the boundary of Damascus, for the northern boundary proceeding from the sea.   or   (<span class='bible'>Num 34:9<\/span>), i.e., spring-court, we have endeavoured to identify in the comm. on <span class='bible'>Num 34:3<\/span> with the spring <em> Lebweh<\/em>, which lies in the <em> Beka<\/em> at the watershed between the Orontes and the Leontes; and the designation &ldquo;the boundary of Damascus&rdquo; suits the situation very well. <em> <span class='bible'>Eze 47:17<\/span><\/em> has been aptly explained by Hitzig thus, in accordance with the literal meaning of the words, &ldquo;and as for the north north-wards, <em> Hamath<\/em> is the boundary,&rdquo; which he further elucidates by observing that  is intended as a supplementary note to the boundary line from west to east, which is indicated just before.    is a concluding formula: &ldquo;this, the north side.&rdquo; But  (here and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:18<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:19<\/span>) is not to be altered into  after <span class='bible'>Eze 47:20<\/span> and the Syriac version, as Hitzig supposes, but to be explained, as <span class='bible'>Eze 47:18<\/span> clearly shows, on the supposition that Ezekiel had  , &ldquo;ye shall measure,&rdquo; floating before his mind, to which &#8216;   , &ldquo;and that the northern boundary,&rdquo; would form a correct logical sequel.<\/p>\n<p> The eastern boundary is defined in v. 18 in the same manner as in <span class='bible'>Num 34:10-12<\/span>, except that in the latter it is more minutely described above the Lake of Gennesaret by the mention of several localities, whereas Ezekiel only names the Jordan as the boundary. &#8211;  , with supplementary remarks, is not to be taken as the predicate to the subject  , as Hitzig has correctly observed; for the meaning of  does not allow of this. The explanation is rather this: as for the east side, between Hauran, etc. and the land of Israel, is the Jordan. Hauran, Damascus, and Gilead lie on the east side of the Jordan, the land of Israel on the west side. The striking circumstance that Ezekiel commences with Hauran, which lay in the middle between Damascus and Gilead, &#8211; Hauran, Damascus, and Gilead, instead of Damascus, Hauran, and Gilead, &#8211; may probably be explained from the fact that the Jordan, which he names as the boundary, for the sake of brevity, did not extend so far upwards as to the territory of Damascus, but simply formed the boundary of the land of Israel between Hauran and Gilead.  points back to the northern boundary already mentioned. From this boundary, the eastern terminal point of which was <em> Hazar-Enon<\/em>, they are to measure to the eastern sea, i.e., to the Dead Sea.<\/p>\n<p><span class='bible'>Eze 47:19<\/span>. The southern boundary toward the south is to proceed from Tamar to the water of strife, Kadesh, (and thence) along the brook to the great (i.e., Mediterranean) sea. <em> Tamar<\/em>, a different place from <em> Hazazon-tamar<\/em>, called <em> Engedi<\/em> in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:10<\/span> (cf. <span class='bible'>2Ch 20:2<\/span>), is supposed to be the <em> Thamara<\/em> (  ),<\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'> (Note: The statement runs thus:         ,     ,       . In Jerome: <em> est et aliud castellum, unius diei itinere a Mampsis oppido separatum, pergentibus Ailiam de Chebron, ubi nunc romanum praesidium positum est <\/em>. But on account of the  (<em> Mampsis<\/em>), which is evidently a corruption, the passage is obscure. Robinson&#8217;s conjecture concerning <em> Thamara<\/em> is founded upon the assumption that the reading should be  , and that this is the <em> Malatha<\/em> mentioned by later writers as the station of a Roman cohort.)<\/p>\n<p> which was a day&#8217;s journey on the road from Hebron to Aelam (<em> Aelath<\/em>, <span class='bible'>Deu 2:8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Ki 9:26<\/span>), according to Eusebius in the <em> Onomast<\/em>. ed. Lars. p. 68, and had a Roman garrison; and Robinson (<em> Pal<\/em>. III pp. 178 and 186ff.) accordingly conjectures that it is to be found in the ruins of <em> Kurnub<\/em>, which lie six hours&#8217; journey to the south of <em> Milh<\/em>, toward the pass of <em> es-Sufh<\/em>. But this conjecture is bound up with various assumptions of a very questionable character, and the situation of Hurnub hardly suits the <em> Tamar<\/em> of our passage, which should be sought, not to the west of the southern point of the Dead Sea, but, according to the southern boundary of Canaan as drawn in <span class='bible'>Num 34:3-5<\/span>, to the south of the Dead Sea. The waters of strife of Kadesh (<span class='bible'>Num 20:1-13<\/span>), in the desert of Zin, were near Kadesh-barnea, which was in the neighbourhood of the spring <em> Ain Kades<\/em>, discovered by Rowland to the south of <em> Bir-Seba<\/em> and <em> Khalasa<\/em> by the fore-courts of <em> Jebel Helal<\/em>, i.e., at the north-west corner of the mountain land of the <em> Azazimeh<\/em> (see the comm. on <span class='bible'>Num 10:12<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Num 12:16<\/span>, and <span class='bible'>Num 20:16<\/span>). Instead of  we have the singular  in <span class='bible'>Eze 48:28<\/span>, as in <span class='bible'>Num 27:14<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Deu 32:51<\/span>.  is to be pointed  , from  with  <em> loc<\/em>.; and the reference is to the brook of Egypt; the great wady <em> el-Arish<\/em> (  ), along which the southern boundary of Canaan ran from Kadesh to the Mediterranean Sea (see the comm. on <span class='bible'>Eze 34:5<\/span>). &#8211; <span class='bible'>Eze 47:20<\/span>. The Mediterranean Sea formed the western boundary.  , i.e., from the southern boundary mentioned in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:19<\/span> till opposite (  ) to the coming to Hamath, i.e., till opposite to the point at which one enters the territory of <em> Hamath<\/em> (Hitzig), i.e., the spot mentioned in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:20<\/span> (? 17) as the commencement of the northern boundary in the neighbourhood of the promontory of <em> esh-Shkah<\/em> between Byblus (Gebal) and Tripolis. &#8211; <span class='bible'>Eze 47:21<\/span>. This land they are to divide among them according to their tribes. With this remark, which points back to <span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span>, the definition of the boundaries is brought to a close. There is simply added in <span class='bible'>Eze 47:22<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Eze 47:23<\/span> a further regulation concerning the foreigners living in Israel. The law of Moses had already repeatedly urged upon the Israelites affectionate treatment of them, and in <span class='bible'>Lev 19:34<\/span> the command is given to treat them like natives in this respect, and to love them. But the full right of citizenship was not thereby conceded to them, so that they could also acquire property in land. The land was given to the Israelites alone for an hereditary possession. Foreigners could only be incorporated into the congregation of Israel under the limitations laid down in <span class='bible'>Deu 23:2-9<\/span>, by the reception of circumcision. But in the future distribution of the land, on the contrary, the  were to receive hereditary property like native-born Israelites; and in this respect no difference was to exist between the members of the people of God born of Abraham&#8217;s seed and those born of the heathen. At the same time, this right was not to be conferred upon every foreigner who might be only temporarily living in Israel, but to those alone who should beget sons in the midst of Israel, i.e., settle permanently in the holy land. The <em> Kal<\/em>  is not to be altered into the <em> Hiphil<\/em>  , as Hitzig proposes, but is used in the sense of receiving by lot, derived from the <em> Hiphil<\/em> signification, &ldquo;to apportion by lot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Keil &amp; Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><TABLE BORDER=\"0\" CELLPADDING=\"1\" CELLSPACING=\"0\"> <TR> <TD> <P ALIGN=\"LEFT\" STYLE=\"background: transparent;border: none;padding: 0in;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: none\"> <span style='font-size:1.25em;line-height:1em'><I><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\">The Borders of the Land Appointed.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> <TD> <P ALIGN=\"RIGHT\" STYLE=\"background: transparent;border: none;padding: 0in\"> <SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"><FONT SIZE=\"1\" STYLE=\"font-size: 8pt\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-style: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-weight: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\">B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-style: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"font-weight: normal\"><SPAN STYLE=\"background: transparent\"><SPAN STYLE=\"text-decoration: none\"> 574.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR>  <\/TABLE> <P>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 13 Thus saith the Lord G<B>OD<\/B>; This <I>shall be<\/I> the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph <I>shall have two<\/I> portions. &nbsp; 14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: <I>concerning<\/I> the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. &nbsp; 15 And this <I>shall be<\/I> the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; &nbsp; 16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which <I>is<\/I> between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which <I>is<\/I> by the coast of Hauran. &nbsp; 17 And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And <I>this is<\/I> the north side. &nbsp; 18 And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel <I>by<\/I> Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And <I>this is<\/I> the east side. &nbsp; 19 And the south side southward, from Tamar <I>even<\/I> to the waters of strife <I>in<\/I> Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And <I>this is<\/I> the south side southward. &nbsp; 20 The west side also <I>shall be<\/I> the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This <I>is<\/I> the west side. &nbsp; 21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. &nbsp; 22 And it shall come to pass, <I>that<\/I> ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. &nbsp; 23 And it shall come to pass, <I>that<\/I> in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give <I>him<\/I> his inheritance, saith the Lord G<B>OD<\/B>.<\/P> <P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; We are now to pass from the affairs of the sanctuary to those of the state, from the city to the country. 1. The Land of Canaan is here secured to them for an inheritance (<span class='bible'><I>v.<\/I><\/span><span class='bible'> 14<\/span>): <I>I lifted up my hand to give it unto your fathers,<\/I> that is, promised it upon oath to them and their posterity. Though the possession had been a great while discontinued, yet God had not forgotten his oath which he swore to their fathers. Though God&#8217;s providences may for a time seem to contradict his promises, yet the promise will certainly take place at last, for God will be <I>ever mindful of his covenant. I lifted up my hand to give it,<\/I> and therefore it shall without fail <I>fall to you for an inheritance.<\/I> Thus the heavenly Canaan is sure to all the seed, because it is what <I>God, who cannot lie, has promised.<\/I> 2. It is here circumscribed, and the bounds and limits of it are fixed, which they must not pass over to encroach upon their neighbours and which their neighbours shall not break through to encroach upon them. We had such a draught of the borders of Canaan when Joshua was to put the people in possession of it, <span class='bible'>Num. xxxiv. 1<\/span>, c. That begins with the salt sea in the south, goes round and ends there. This begins with Hamath about Damascus in the north, and so goes round and ends there, <span class='_0000ff'><U><span class='bible'>&amp;lti&gt;v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 20<\/span><\/U><\/span>. Note, It is God that <I>appoints the bounds of our habitation;<\/I> and his Israel shall always have cause to say that <I>the lines have fallen to them in pleasant places.<\/I> The lake of Sodom is here called <I>the east sea,<\/I> for it, being healed by the waters of the sanctuary, it is no more to be called a <I>salt sea,<\/I> as it was in Numbers. 3. It is here ordered to be divided among the tribes of Israel, reckoning Joseph for two tribes, to make up the number of twelve, when Levi was taken out to attend the sanctuary, and had his lot adjoining to that (<span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eze 47:21<\/span>): <I>You shall inherit it, one as well as another,<\/I><span class='_0000ff'><I><U><span class='bible'> v.<\/span><span class='bible'> 14<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. The tribes shall have an equal share, one as much as another. As the tribes returned out of Babylon, this seems unequal, because some tribes were much more numerous than the other, and indeed the most were of Judah and Benjamin and very few of the other ten tribes; but as the twelve tribes stand, in type and vision, for the gospel-church, the Israel of God, it was very equal, because we find in another vision an equal number of each of the twelve tribes <I>sealed<\/I> for the <I>living God,<\/I> just 12,000 of each, <span class='bible'>Rev. vii. 5<\/span>, c. And to those sealed ones these allotments did belong. It intimates likewise that all the subjects of Christ&#8217;s kingdom have <I>obtained like precious faith.<\/I> Male and female, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, are all alike welcome to Christ and made partakers of him. 4. The strangers who sojourn among them, <I>who shall beget children<\/I> and be built up into families, and so help to people their country, <I>shall have inheritance among<\/I> the tribes, as if they had been native Israelites (<span class='_0000ff'><U><span class='bible'>Eze 47:22<\/span><span class='bible'>Eze 47:23<\/span><\/U><\/span>), which was by no means allowed in Joshua&#8217;s division of the land. This is an act for a general naturalization, which would teach the Jews who was their neighbour, not those only of their own nation and religion, but those, whoever they were, that they had an opportunity of showing kindness to, because from them they would be willing to receive kindness. It would likewise invite strangers to come and settle among them, and put themselves under the wings of the divine Majesty. But it certainly looks at gospel-times, when the partition-wall between Jew and Gentile was taken down, and both one in Christ, in whom <I>there is no difference,<\/I><span class='bible'><I> Rom. x. 12<\/I><\/span>. This land was a type of the heavenly Canaan, that <I>better country<\/I> (<span class='bible'>Heb. xi. 16<\/span>), in which believing Gentiles shall have a blessed lot, as well as believing Jews, <span class='bible'>Isa. lvi. 3<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Matthew Henry&#8217;s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p style='margin-left:6.43em'><strong>THE INHERITANCE OF THE GODLY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 13-23:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 13 declares <\/strong>that land should be divided among the twelve tribes of Israel substantially as formerly outlined, Numbers ch. 34. Here the description begins at the north, there at the south. Joseph is directed to have two portions, for his sons were given the birthright portion forfeited by Reuben, the firstborn, <span class='bible'>Gen 48:5<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 48:22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jos 14:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Ch 5:1<\/span>. These twelve portions were to be exclusive of Levi&#8217;s land that was provided out of the oblation, <span class='bible'>Eze 48:4-5<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 14<\/strong> asserts that each tribe was to inherit it &#8220;one as well as another,&#8221; impartially, speaking of tribes, not individuals; Each tribe was to have an equitable breadth of the land assigned to it. It was to be done in harmony, which God had sworn to them, as their inheritance, from ancient times, <span class='bible'>Eze 20:5-6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eze 20:28<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eze 20:42<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 12:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 13:15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 15:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 17:8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 26:3<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 28:13<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 15, 16 describe <\/strong>those northern boundaries of Canaan, with the names and places of those who should occupy them. From the great Mediterranean sea by way of Hethlon, <span class='bible'>Eze 48:1<\/span> as one goes to Zedad, <span class='bible'>Num 34:8<\/span>. The area is further identified on the east by Hamath, at the foot of Mt Hermon; Then to Berolhah which is believed to be the same as Berothai, a city of Syria, conquered by David, as recounted <span class='bible'>2Sa 8:8<\/span>. From there eastward to Sibrain, located between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath. Hazar-hatticon is then near the border of Hauran or Auranitis, a tract in Syria just south of Damascus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 17 adds that <\/strong>the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan the boundary or border of Damascus, north-northward, and the border of Hamath; And this exists as the north side of Israel&#8217;s boundaries, <span class='bible'>Eze 48:1<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Num 34:9<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 18 states <\/strong>that the eastern border shall be from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan unto the east sea, the Dead Sea. This exists as the eastern border of Israel&#8217;s inheritance, as here delineated, <span class='bible'>Num 34:11-12<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verse 19 gives <\/strong>the south border of Israel as extending from Tamar, meaning &#8220;palm tree,&#8221; a village of that day near the southern end of the Dead Sea, south and west to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the Mediterranean sea, to the west, as also described <span class='bible'>Eze 48:28<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Num 20:13<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Deu 32:51<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Psa 81:7<\/span>. This is (exists as) the south side, southward. This river to the great sea is that mentioned <span class='bible'>Num 34:5<\/span>. Known as &#8220;The river of Egypt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 20, 21 state <\/strong>that the western border of Israel&#8217;s inheritance should be the coast of the great sea (Mediterranean) from the southwest border northward till one comes to Hamath. This is the west side of the land; After and within these outer borders the, land of restored Israel was to be apportioned to the tribes, equitably, <span class='bible'>Num 34:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jdg 19:10<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jdg 20:43<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verses 22, 23 instruct <\/strong>Israel to divide the land by lot for an inheritance for them, and to the strangers who sojourned among them. Here the difference between the Jew and Gentile of former days seems to be either amended or abrogated, as it shall in the millennial era, <span class='bible'>Rom 10:12<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gal 3:28<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Col 3:11<\/span>; See also <span class='bible'>Eph 3:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Rev 7:9-10<\/span>. These strangers among the Israelites were to share in her inheritance, as if native born; In whatever tribal territory they lived, they were to be given an inheritance.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>B. The Boundaries of the Promised Land 47:1321<\/p>\n<p><strong>TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>(13) Thus says the Lord GOD: This shall be the border whereby you shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. (14) And you shall inherit it, one as well as another; for I sware to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. (15) And this shall be the border of the land: On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, unto the entrance of Zedad; (16) Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazer-hatticon, which is by the border of Hauran. (17) And the border from the sea, shall be Hazarenon at the border of Damascus; and on the north northward is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. (18) And the east side, between Hauran and Damascus and Gilead, and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the north border unto the east sea shall you measure. This is the east side. (19) And the south side southward shall be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribathkadesh, to the brook of Egypt, unto the great sea. This is the south side southward. (20) And the west side shall be the great sea, from the south border as far as over against the entrance of Hamath. This is the west side. (21) So shall you divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the new age the land of promise is to be divided fairly between the twelve tribes. It has already been noted the Levites were to receive no land inheritance (<span class='bible'>Eze. 44:28<\/span>) because God had provided for their needs in the Temple offering system. Joseph was given two portions, because his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were reckoned as separate tribes. Thus was retained the number twelve for the tribes of Israel (<span class='bible'>Eze. 47:13<\/span>). In this new allocation each tribe was to receive an equal portion of land.[541] God had made promises to the Patriarchs  had lifted up His hand in the gesture of an oath  that the land would belong to their descendants. So God would keep His promise. The land of promise would finally and forever belong to His people (<span class='bible'>Eze. 47:14<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>[541] By contrast in the first apportionment of the promised land numerical strength of the tribes was taken into account (c f. <span class='bible'>Num. 26:54<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In <span class='bible'>Eze. 47:15-20<\/span> the borders of the promised land are listed. Not all the towns mentioned can be located with certainty. The Mediterranean Sea (the great sea) was to be the western boundary (<span class='bible'>Eze. 47:20<\/span>) and the Jordan river the eastern (<span class='bible'>Eze. 47:18<\/span>). The northern boundary stretched roughly from Tyre on the west to the head waters of the Jordan. Hamath (i,e., the entrance of Hamath, <span class='bible'>Eze. 47:20<\/span>)[542] would mark the northern-most point (<span class='bible'>Eze. 47:16<\/span>). The southern boundary extended from Tamar near the southern end of the Dead Sea to Meribath-kadesh (lit., the waters of strife, i.e., Kadesh-barnea), to the Brook (i.e., the Brook of Egypt) which ran into the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n<p>[542] Cf. <span class='bible'>Num. 34:8<\/span>. The entrance of Hamath is generally thought to refer to the one-hundred-mile long valley leading up to Hamath. In Solomons day the entrance of Hamath actually served as the north border of Israel (<span class='bible'>1Ki. 8:65<\/span>).<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>(13) <strong>According to the twelve tribes of Israel.<\/strong>In the ideal land of the restoration, not Judah and Benjamin only, but all the twelve tribes are to have their portions. Yet Levi is otherwise provided for in the oblation, and therefore Joseph, in accordance with <span class='bible'>Gen. 48:5<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen. 48:22<\/span>, and with the whole history of the nation, is to have two portions. The Hebrew is simply Joseph portions in the plural, but that these portions were to be two and no more was a matter of course, not needing to be specified.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Ellicott&#8217;s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> EZEKIEL NOW TRACES THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NEWLY ORGANIZED HOLY LAND. &ldquo;THIS SHALL BE THE BORDER WHEREBY YE SHALL DIVIDE THE LAND FOR INHERITANCE ACCORDING TO THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL&rdquo; (R.V.).<\/p>\n<p><strong> 13<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> <strong> Joseph <\/strong> Representing the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim (<span class='bible'>Gen 48:22<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jos 16:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jos 17:17<\/span>), Joseph is given <strong> two portions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Whedon&#8217;s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> &lsquo;Thus says the Lord Yahweh, &ldquo;This shall be the border by which you will divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have portions (i.e. two portions). And you will inherit it, one as well as another, concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers, and this land will fall to you for an inheritance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> God was here reiterating to the exiles that He would restore what they had lost, and He then outlined in the following verses the land that was to be theirs for the taking. The land was to be split equally between the tribes &lsquo;one as well as another&rsquo;. As often Joseph was to be split into Ephraim and Manasseh for this purpose, and Levi had no portion (<span class='bible'>Eze 44:28<\/span> &#8211; apart of course from the portion mentioned in <span class='bible'>Eze 44:4-5<\/span>). Thus the number twelve was maintained. Yahweh had sworn (lifted up His hand) that it would be theirs, and theirs it would be. It was their inheritance.<\/p>\n<p> The fact that the land was to be split relatively equally, and to some extent without regard to previous tribal portions, or tribal numbers, is also an indication that it is not to be taken literally. Add to this that the tribes are split into a group of seven, indicating the divine perfection of the event, and a group of five, indicating conformance with the covenant, and the case is even more certain.<\/p>\n<p> Many Israelites would in fact already be in the land having escaped the deportations. There were those in Galilee outside the range of the Samaritan importations; possibly those in Benjamin which was already in Babylonian hands prior to the final invasion, and may have escaped deportation; and some in areas to the south in the Negeb and the Shephelah which would possibly not been quite so affected (confirmed by <span class='bible'>Neh 11:25-35<\/span>). The King of Babylon was angry with those who had shown fierce resistance and probably finally saw the Judah and Jerusalem that he deported as a limited area. The idea is really that all twelve tribes will be represented in the land and be settled there, within the covenant, and within God&rsquo;s divinely perfect plan. All with a fair share of the land.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> The Land Which Is Allotted Defined (<span class='bible'><strong> Eze 47:13-23<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> ).<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> Chapter <span class='bible'><strong> Eze 47:13<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> to <span class='bible'><strong> Eze 48:35<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> The Division of the Land and the Establishment of &lsquo;The City&rsquo;.<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Presenting Paradise to the people of Israel at their lowest ebb could only be by giving them a picture of the sharing of the land among &lsquo;the twelve tribes&rsquo; and the establishment of God&rsquo;s City under the Davidic prince. That was the expanded Mosaic dream, with every man living under his own vine and his own fig tree (<span class='bible'>1Ki 4:25<\/span>). But it would depend on their true response and obedience, and as ever that was lacking. Thus the vineyard would be taken from them and given to others (<span class='bible'>Mar 12:9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Luk 20:16<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Mat 21:41<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p> They could not dream that, under God, one day the vision of the &lsquo;twelve tribes&rsquo; would become fulfilled in the redeemed from all nations of the world who would become the twelve tribes (<span class='bible'>Jas 1:1<\/span>; compare <span class='bible'>1Pe 1:1<\/span> and the idealistic picture of the sealed of God in <span class='bible'>Rev 7:3-8<\/span> who became the great multitude whom no man could number). This would occur as men from all nations were grafted into the olive tree (<span class='bible'>Rom 11:13-24<\/span>) and adopted into the new covenant, becoming fellow-citizens with the true remnant of the old Israel &#8211; &lsquo;the saints&rsquo; (<span class='bible'>Rom 9:6<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Eph 2:19<\/span>), and becoming the new seed of Abraham (<span class='bible'>Gal 3:7-9<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gal 3:29<\/span>), thus themselves becoming the new Israel, the true people of God (<span class='bible'>Gal 6:16<\/span>), made near by the blood of Christ (<span class='bible'>Eph 2:12-13<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p> That was God&rsquo;s greater vision. It was regularly in one way or another portrayed by the prophets. In Abraham&rsquo;s seed all the nations of the world were to be blessed (<span class='bible'>Gen 12:3<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 18:18<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 22:18<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 26:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 28:14<\/span>), Israel were to be a kingdom of priests to the world in a world which all belonged to Yahweh (<span class='bible'>Exo 19:5-6<\/span>), His servant Israel (the inner Israel who were to seek to restore the whole) were to be the servant to the nations to bring them salvation and the true worship of God (<span class='bible'>Isa 49:3-7<\/span>), all nations would finally flock to a new Jerusalem to worship in a new heaven and a new earth (<span class='bible'>Isa 66:23<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Isa 65:17<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Zec 14:16-17<\/span>), and so on. But that would first depend on Israel in the person of their Prince coming before God to receive the everlasting kingdom (<span class='bible'>Dan 7:13-14<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Dan 7:27<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p> Thus having depicted the new Paradise Ezekiel will now portray the new sharing of the land among the people of God, the establishment of their prince, and the founding of a new city named &lsquo;Yahweh is there&rsquo; (<span class='bible'>Eze 48:35<\/span>). This is his picture of the final fulfilment of God&rsquo;s purposes and of His final triumph, presented to those who would be its earthly source (it was from them that the Gospel would go out to the world &#8211; <span class='bible'>Act 1:8<\/span>). It was given to them when they were at their lowest ebb, in order to lift them up and press them on towards full obedience. His people are to be redeemed and restored, in order to enter the everlasting kingdom. God&rsquo;s triumph is put into words that may seem to us an anticlimax, but to the people of Israel it was their vision and their living hope. It would finally be fulfilled in a way better than he ever envisioned.<\/p>\n<p> So as we look at these last two chapters from <span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span> onwards, we must not be tied down to the detail. We must see them rather as God&rsquo;s promise, put in terms of the day, that all the dreams that He had given to His true people would come to fruition.<\/p>\n<p> In fact even when they &lsquo;returned to the land&rsquo; Israel did not seek to fulfil this vision literally. It was a vision from the past, a dream, not something that they wanted to carry into actuality. Instead of gathering together in twelve tribes, the divisions between the tribes became blurred and almost overlooked, although many did still proudly see themselves as of a particular important tribe (compare <span class='bible'>Php 3:5<\/span>), but without trying to gather that tribe into a particular section of the land. (Jesus, Who was of Judah, happily lived in Nazareth and was &lsquo;a Nazarene&rsquo;).<\/p>\n<p> Most of those who belonged to the tribes remained in foreign countries. Intermarriage blurred the distinctions. There were no longer literally &lsquo;twelve&rsquo; tribes, and apart from in the earliest days never strictly were (the contents fluctuated, although not in a major way), and this is constantly recognised in that when the twelve tribes are listed the lists tend to differ slightly depending on their purpose (<span class='bible'>Genesis 29<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 49:3-27<\/span>; (the original twelve sons of Jacob) <span class='bible'>Num 1:5-15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Num 1:20-43<\/span> (here, and regularly, Joseph is divided into Ephraim and Manasseh, and Levi omitted &#8211; note 47:47); 2; 7; 13; 26; <span class='bible'>Deu 27:12-13<\/span> (the original twelve); <span class='bible'>Eze 33:6-25<\/span> (Simeon omitted); Joshua 15-21; <span class='bible'>1Ch 2:1<\/span> (the original twelve); <span class='bible'>Eze 27:16<\/span> (Gad and Asher omitted); <span class='bible'>Rev 7:5-8<\/span> (Dan omitted, Ephraim called Joseph) compare the part lists in <span class='bible'>Judges 1<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Jdg 5:14-18<\/span>). It is the ideal that matters, that the full tribal confederacy made up of &lsquo;twelve tribes&rsquo; was sharing God&rsquo;s inheritance, not the detail. The &lsquo;twelve tribes&rsquo; simply represent all the people of God.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p><\/strong> The Boundaries of the New Canaan<strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 13. Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border,<\/strong> the boundary of Canaan proper, <strong> whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions,<\/strong> as in the first division of the land. Cf <span class='bible'>Gen 48:5<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Ch 5:1<\/span>. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 14. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another,<\/strong> every one an equal portion, <strong> concerning the which I lifted up Mine hand,<\/strong> in a solemn oath accompanying his promise, <span class='bible'>Gen 12:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 13:15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 15:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 17:8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Gen 26:3<\/span>, <strong> to give it unto your fathers; and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. <\/p>\n<p>v. 15. And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the Great Sea,<\/strong> the Mediterranean Sea, <strong> the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad,<\/strong> these two towns being on the northwestern border: <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 16. Hamath,<\/strong> the ancient northernmost point, <strong> Berothah,<\/strong> a city in Syria conquered by David, <span class='bible'>2Sa 8:8<\/span>, <strong> Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath,<\/strong> on the caravan road toward Palmyra; <strong> Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran,<\/strong> a province on the east side of Jordan, south of Syria. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 17. And the border from the sea,<\/strong> as one draws the northern border from the Mediterranean Sea to the beginning of its eastern boundary, <strong> shall be Hazar-enan,<\/strong> in the extreme northeastern corner, <strong> the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath,<\/strong> the description indicating that this entire northeastern section was included. <strong> And this is the north side. <\/p>\n<p>v. 18. And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran,<\/strong> from the extreme northeastern boundary of this section, <strong> and from Damascus,<\/strong> as indicating the limit of extent in that direction, <strong> and from Gilead,<\/strong> in the center east of Jordan, <strong> and from the land of Israel by Jordan,<\/strong> extending to the river along its whole length, <strong> from the border unto the East Sea,<\/strong> that is, the Dead Sea. <strong> And this is the east side,<\/strong> which therefore included Canaan proper only. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 19. And the south side southward,<\/strong> along the southern boundary, <strong> from Tamar,<\/strong> probably south of the Dead Sea, <strong> even to the waters of strife in Kadesh,<\/strong> Cf Numbers 20, near Kadesh-barnea, <strong> the river to the Great Sea,<\/strong> the Wady el Arish, whose brook flows into the Mediterranean Sea, the boundary toward the southwest being clearly defined. <strong> And this is the south side southward. <\/p>\n<p>v. 20. The west side also shall be the Great Sea from the border,<\/strong> all along from the river of Egypt, <strong> till a man come over against Hamath,<\/strong> the Philistine coast thus being included in the Holy Land and the whole description being held along ideal lines. <strong> This is the west side. <\/p>\n<p>v. 21. So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel,<\/strong> this statement summarizing what has been said concerning the boundaries of Canaan. <strong><\/p>\n<p>v. 22. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you;<\/strong> for he who connects himself with the true Church may enjoy the privileges and blessings of the true Church; <strong> and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel,<\/strong> as Hobab and his tribe did at the time of Moses; <strong> they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. <\/p>\n<p>v. 23. And it shall come to pass that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord God. <\/strong> In the New Testament the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles has been fully removed, so that through Him they both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Cf <span class='bible'>Eph 2:14-18<\/span>. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong><em><span class='bible'>Eze 47:13<\/span><\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong><strong><em>This shall be the border<\/em><\/strong><strong><\/strong> By the captivities of Judah and Israel, the several limits or borders belonging to the inheritance of each tribe were obliterated and forgotten; whereupon here is a new boundary and division of the Holy Land, which is to be understood in a mystical sense also. The places hereafter mentioned were the boundaries of the Holy Land, as will appear from an inspection of the map of Canaan. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Here seems to open a new subject, in dividing the several portions of the Holy Land to the tribes of Israel. And I would ask, is there not a most gracious and merciful provision made also for the Gentile stranger, whom the after Dispensation of Grace brings in, to make one fold with Israel under one shepherd, Jesus Christ the righteous? <span class='bible'>Joh 10:16<\/span> .<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Hawker&#8217;s Poor Man&#8217;s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Eze 47:13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This [shall be] the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph [shall have two] portions.<\/p>\n<p> Ver. 13. <strong> This shall be the border.<\/strong> ] Here the prophet returneth again to the dividing of the land, begun <span class='bible'>Eze 45:1-2<\/span> , &amp;c., having hitherto interposed many most memorable matters, and of great use to the Church. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> Joseph shall have two portions.<\/strong> ] He had so by his father&rsquo;s will, and for his two sons adopted by his father.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Trapp&#8217;s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 47:13-14<\/p>\n<p> 13Thus says the Lord God, This shall be the boundary by which you shall divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall have two portions. 14You shall divide it for an inheritance, each one equally with the other; for I swore to give it to your forefathers, and this land shall fall to you as an inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>Eze 47:13 This is the beginning of the reallocation of the land (i.e., Joshua 12-23).<\/p>\n<p>Eze 47:14 each one equally In Joshua the land was divided according to the size of the individual tribes.<\/p>\n<p> for I swore to give it to your forefathers This reflects the promises to the Patriarchs beginning in Genesis 12, 15.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Thus saith, &amp;c. See note on Eze 44:9. <\/p>\n<p>the Lord GOD. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. See note on Eze 2:4. <\/p>\n<p>Joseph. Reference to Pentateuch (Gen 48:5-22). App-92. <\/p>\n<p>shall have, Supply this Ellipsis (App-6), by &#8220;shall inherit&#8221;. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Eze 47:13-23<\/p>\n<p>Eze 47:13-23<\/p>\n<p>Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. 14  And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. 15  And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; 16  Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. 17  And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. 18  And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. 19  And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward. 20  The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. 21  So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 22  And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23  And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. <\/p>\n<p>The Land and Its Boundaries (Eze 47:13-23)<\/p>\n<p>These verses describe the land that is to be divided among the twelve tribes.  The specific and orderly division described here and in Chapter 48 would have been very important and very meaningful to the Jewish mind. No longer would the tribes be mixed and confused, but everything would be properly ordered.  This is not a prophecy that the church will be divided, but rather to the Jewish mind this orderly division meant that everything under the New Covenant would be as it should be. God will be in charge, and all of His people will be included in his new kingdom. As we will see, the tribes are not arranged randomly.  (1Co 14:40) &#8220;Let all things be done decently and in order.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What were the twelve tribes?<\/p>\n<p>This question is harder than it sounds.  The Tribe of Levi had no portion of the land because they were provided for by the offerings and by the land surrounding the temple. (Eze 44:28) And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.   To keep the total number at 12, Joseph was given two portions &#8212; one for his son Manasseh and one for his son Ephraim.  Thus, we have 14 groups to choose from in obtaining 12 tribes.  In Rev 7:4-8, Levi, Joseph, and Manasseh are included, but Dan and Ephraim are left out! Why?  Dan was very early connected with idolatry.<\/p>\n<p>(1) Jdg 18:30 And the Danites set up the graven image for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>(2) 1Ki 12:28-29 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, &#8220;You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.&#8221; 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.<\/p>\n<p>(3) Gen 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse&#8217;s heels so that his rider falls backward.<\/p>\n<p>Rome was full of idolatry and so was Dan. Hence, Dan was not used in the description of the church in Revelation 7. Dan was the classic example of a tribe that compromised with the world! The message to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 was not to compromise with the world!<\/p>\n<p>Why was Ephraim left out? For the same reason.<\/p>\n<p>(1) Hos 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.<\/p>\n<p>(2) Hos 12:1 Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a bargain with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>Ephraim had forsaken God and was busy trying to make deals with the world. They made a covenant with Assyria, but at the same time were making deals with Egypt. Ephraim was also guilty of compromise.  Note the careful use of symbolism in Revelation 7 in the omission of Dan and Ephraim because of their compromise with the world and in the inclusion of Manasseh and Joseph to keep the total number at 12.<\/p>\n<p>A question for the premillennialists: Why bother will all of this if the numbers are not symbolic? If the numbers are literal, then who cares if we have 12 tribes or 13 tribes? Why not throw them all in and have 14 tribes? And why 1000 years? Does God just like nice round numbers or is there a deeper significance?<\/p>\n<p>What area of land is described here?<\/p>\n<p>The Great Sea (the Mediterranean) is on the west (Eze 47:20) and the river Jordan is on the east (Eze 47:18).  The northern border runs along a line drawn roughly from Tyre on the coast to the headwaters of the Jordan, southwest of Damascus (Eze 47:15-17).  The eastern boundary follows the Jordan to the Dead Sea (which is the eastern sea in Eze 47:18). Tamar was probably near its southern end, and it marked the beginning of the southern boundary, which ran to the Mediterranean coastline.<\/p>\n<p>It is very interesting that the boundaries given here in Ezekiel 47 match the boundaries given in Numbers 34.  Premillennialists insist that the land promise was never fulfilled to Abraham&#8217;s seed &#8212; not as to either area or duration.  They point to Gen 15:18 for the area and to Gen 17:8 for the duration (&#8220;everlasting possession&#8221;).  However, Joshua tells us that the &#8220;area&#8221; promise was completely fulfilled, and Deuteronomy tells us that the &#8220;duration&#8221; promise was forfeited when Israel broke their covenant with God.  So, premillennialists must be wrong!!<\/p>\n<p>According to the premillennialists, these promises will be fulfilled in the Millennium. But what does the Bible say?  Israel possessed and dwelled in all the land mentioned in Numbers 34. See Jos 21:43-45; Jos 23:14-16. But the millennialist says that was not enough &#8212; God owed them even more land and they have not received it even to this very day! But Ezekiel tells us here that Israel will not have enough land even in the supposed Millennium because Ezekiel here does not include all of the land mentioned in Genesis 15.  Also, if the land is an everlasting possession then Israel will have to dwell there for all eternity! I don&#8217;t know about you, but I don&#8217;t want any land as an everlasting possession. I had much rather move on to that place that Jesus has prepared (Joh 14:2).<\/p>\n<p>What about the land in Gen 15:18? Has Israel ever possessed all of that land? If not, then is that a promise remaining to be fulfilled?  First, the passages from Joshua 21, 23 listed above tell us four times that ALL of the promises to Israel were fulfilled.  Example: (Jos 21:43) And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.  But what about Gen 15:18 and Exo 23:28 ff, which speak of much larger tracts of land? Although that land was given to Israel, only a section of that gift was ever intended to be the promised inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>The promised land was a subset of the land described in Genesis 15. How do we know this? We ask and answer a simple question &#8212; Did Moses ever enter the promised land?<\/p>\n<p>(Num 20:12) Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, &#8220;Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(Num 27:12-13) Now the LORD said to Moses: &#8220;Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 &#8220;And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered.<\/p>\n<p>If that huge section of land mentioned in Genesis 15 and Exodus 23 was the promised land, then Moses was standing in the promised land when God told him he would never enter the promised land!  The promised land was located entirely to the west of the Jordan river. Deu 2:29 tells us that the people would have to &#8220;cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD our God is giving us.&#8221; That is the same land that Joshua said the Israelites had possessed, and it is the same land described here by Ezekiel.<\/p>\n<p>Strangers are not be mistreated, but are to be treated as the home-born.  This was a common theme in the Mosaic Law, although it was never followed whole-heartedly by the Jews. It points toward the day when God would bless the entire world through Abraham.<\/p>\n<p>(Lev 24:22) &#8220;Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(Isa 56:6-8) &#8220;Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This river was not just a blessing to the Jews, but was blessing to all of the people of God everywhere. God through Jesus Christ fulfilled his promise to bless the entire world through the seed of Abraham.<\/p>\n<p>The Temple and the Land &#8211; Eze 47:1 to Eze 48:35<\/p>\n<p>Open It<\/p>\n<p>1. What sorts of conflicts have you seen, or would expect to see, surrounding the division of an inheritance? <\/p>\n<p>2. What particular recollections, positive or negative, do you have regarding rivers? <\/p>\n<p>Explore It<\/p>\n<p>3. At the end of his tour of the restored temple of God, what did Ezekiel see coming out of the temple? (Eze 47:1-2) <\/p>\n<p>4. What happened to the stream of water as it got farther away from the temple? (Eze 47:3-6) <\/p>\n<p>5. What good effects did the river in Ezekiels vision have along its route? (Eze 47:7-12) <\/p>\n<p>6. What were Gods instructions for the division of the land among the tribes? (Eze 47:13-21) <\/p>\n<p>7. How did God instruct His people to regard aliens who had settled among them for legal purposes? (Eze 47:22-23) <\/p>\n<p>8. How specific were Gods instructions about which tribe was to receive which piece of land? (Eze 48:1-7; Eze 48:23-29) <\/p>\n<p>9. For what purposes did God set aside the &#8220;special gift&#8221; of land at the center of the country? (Eze 48:8-22) <\/p>\n<p>10. What different groups were specifically provided for within the special sector of land? (Eze 48:8-22) <\/p>\n<p>11. How were the gates of the city of Jerusalem to be named? (Eze 48:30-34) <\/p>\n<p>12. How did the name of the city reflect its reason for being? (Eze 48:35) <\/p>\n<p>Get It<\/p>\n<p>13. What do you think the river that flowed out of the temple in Ezekiels vision might represent? <\/p>\n<p>14. How does this passage show us that Gods blessings are not for a single ethnic group only? <\/p>\n<p>15. Why is it important for us to set aside portions of the blessings God gives to us? <\/p>\n<p>16. What conclusions can we draw from the characterization of the new Israel about the fairness and holiness of God? <\/p>\n<p>17. What do you think is the greatest privilege of any nation, city, or individual? <\/p>\n<p>Apply It<\/p>\n<p>18. How can you set aside something from the material blessings God has given you in order to honor and thank Him? <\/p>\n<p>19. What source of help, inspiration, and power from God is available to prosper your daily life, and how can you take advantage of it? <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>This shall: Num 34:2-12 <\/p>\n<p>Joseph: Eze 48:4-6, Gen 48:5, Gen 49:26, 1Ch 5:1, Jer 3:18, Jer 31:1 <\/p>\n<p>Reciprocal: Gen 48:22 &#8211; given Num 34:3 &#8211; south quarter Jos 13:7 &#8211; General 1Ki 18:31 &#8211; twelve stones Eze 47:22 &#8211; ye shall divide Eze 48:29 &#8211; General Oba 1:19 &#8211; the fields of Ephraim Rev 7:4 &#8211; all<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Eze 47:13. In &#8220;general remarks at the beginning of chapter 40 a statement is made regarding the last 9 chapters as a group, classifying them among the highly figurative writings of inspired prophets. Such a view has been maintained and the comments have been made accordingly. The place has been reached, however, where an exception should be made to that classification. From here on to the end of the book the ideal or figurative form of speech will be dropped, except perhaps some statements that are unusually strong numerically for the purpose of emphasis, and the language will be a literal description of the redistribution of the land after the return from captivity. But while the nature of the language Is literal, I do not know that every detail of the allotment was to be carried out. Having no specific history of the procedure as to the land after the return, I shall take up the verses in their order and offer such comments on any technical statements that seem necessary. Joseph , . . two portions. This is according to a prediction that was made by Jacob in Gen 48:5; Gen 48:22. This was because the two sons of Joseph, Mari asseh and Ephraim, were each to become a full tribe as indicated in the passage in Genesis just cited.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Section 7 (Eze 47:13-23).<\/p>\n<p>The perfect Land, for &#8220;the Lord is there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>1. This final section begins with giving the boundaries of the land. These are essentially the same as those given in Num 34:1-15. There is the difference that in Numbers the southern boundary is given first, whereas here we begin with the north. In both cases the Jordan forms the eastern line, the settlement of the two and a half tribes east of the river being a departure from the original plan. This is not given any place in the final arrangement, all the tribes being given their inheritance west of the Jordan.<\/p>\n<p>We may note that Joseph is given two portions -Manasseh and Ephraim. This fulfils Gen 48:5-6; and according to 1Ch 5:1, the birthright forfeited by Reuben was given to the sons of Joseph. Since he has two portions the number of the tribes remains twelve, although Levi is not counted, his inheritance being part of the heave-offering.<\/p>\n<p>2. In addition to prescribing the division of the land to the tribes, the strangers who have settled themselves among them and begotten children among them are to receive inheritance with the tribes. The word for &#8220;stranger&#8221; here is different from that used in Eze 44:1-31 where the word signifies &#8220;sons of the alien,&#8221; or &#8220;foreigner,&#8221; really those brought in through Israel&#8217;s unholy mixture with the evil nations around. Here it is one who, though not naturally one of the tribes, has cast in his lot among them. Such are to be as the home-born, and have their inheritance by lot in the tribe in which they live.<\/p>\n<p>3-5. We next have the order of the tribes, first those north of the heave-offering (1-7), then that offering itself is described (8-22), followed by the tribes to the south (23-28). It will be of interest to compare the relations of the tribes as first settled in the land, and this final disposition. Jos 13:1-33; Jos 14:1-15; Jos 15:1-63; Jos 16:1-10; Jos 17:1-18; Jos 18:1-28; Jos 19:1-51; Jos 20:1-9; Jos 21:1-45 give in detail the first allotment of the inheritance, and this has been fully considered in its place. Here it seems only needful to emphasize the relation of the tribes to one another.<\/p>\n<p>First, in bringing Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh from the east side of Jordan* an element of division is removed which formerly existed in the nation, and a feature not originally a part of God&#8217;s order. Thus national unity and solidarity are established -divided interests and natural barriers overcome.<\/p>\n<p>{*Compare the map of Canaan with that of the new arrangement. See Appendix.}<\/p>\n<p>Reuben formerly separated from Judah by the expanse of the Dead Sea is now situated next to him. Benjamin who stood between Judah and Ephraim is removed to the south, bounding on that side the holy heave-offering. Manasseh, once divided, is now united and placed immediately north of his brother tribe, Ephraim. Asher, Naphtali, and Dan remain in the north, but Zebulun and Issachar are located in the south, and with them, Gad, who was formerly east of the Jordan. The division of Dan disappears. Simeon remains in the south.<\/p>\n<p>It is noticeable that Judah and Benjamin, the tribes that remained faithful to David&#8217;s house, are honored by nearest relation to the glorious centre of the Messianic kingdom. &#8220;Them that honor Me will I honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now let us see what spiritual instruction may be gathered from this new arrangement of the tribes. They are in two groups, one of seven and one of five. It seems evident that we must seek the lesson in this very division, and consider them in the order of a first and second to which the numbers seven and five apply respectively. Group one should yield us truth suited to that number, and also seven; group two, what suits that and five.<\/p>\n<p>First, the whole number of the tribes, twelve, speaks of manifest divine government over all creation in realized mastery over evil. Since this is divided into two parts, we may think of a full witness being given to this in the perfection and completeness (7) of the position in which God sets His redeemed people -a position of righteousness and blessing in harmony with the divine attributes and sovereignty (1); and then in the fellowship, service, and relationship (2) in which they are placed in happy union with God, God and His creature reconciled (5 4 +1). With these general thoughts before us, let us see what lessons the first group of seven tribes may teach us. They are in order as given us from the north:<\/p>\n<p>1. Dan 2:1-49. Asher. 3. Naphtali. 4. Manasseh. 5. Ephraim. 6. Reuben. 7. Judah.<\/p>\n<p>In Jacob&#8217;s prophecy (Gen 49:1-33) we read in connection with Dan of Satanic character, the power of evil in manifestation. This can only be met and overcome by Jehovah&#8217;s salvation, and for this Jacob expresses earnest desire. But despite Dan&#8217;s evil character the prophetic assurance that he shall judge his people points to restoration and the realization of self-government, as far as the nation is concerned, when the day of the lawless one, the false Messiah, is over -a personage linked with Dan it would seem from this very prophecy. So in Dan&#8217;s blessing as pronounced by Moses we have suggested the power that overcomes the enemy. His name means &#8220;judge,&#8221; or &#8220;judging,&#8221; and he stands for the spirit of rule which must necessarily be realized through the lesson of self-rule, self-judgment, self-government, and this means the truth applied to the whole man. Little does Dan&#8217;s history express this, rather is it entirely in contrast to what his character should be. It is this which makes what Jacob yearns for in speaking of him such a necessity -Jehovah&#8217;s salvation. This alone can meet the condition in which man is found, unable to rule himself (or the creation over which he was set as head at the first), dominated by the evil of his own heart, carried about by every wind of Satanic influence, he shows a character and power like that of the serpent. Self-judgment, self-government alone become possible through submission to another will and power, that of God revealed in Christ. Thus man comes into his true place and dignity -the enemy overcome, mastery through grace secured, the dominion of sin broken as made free by the Son. This is the first step in the cycle of divine blessing and perfection.<\/p>\n<p>It quite naturally leads to the second as expressed in Asher, &#8220;the happy,&#8221; for this man becomes when once reconciled to God by the death of His Son. As thus turned from Satan unto God, he enters the kingdom of the Son of God&#8217;s love. There he enjoys fellowship with Him, finding in His shadow rapture and rest, His fruit sweet to our taste and His banner over us love (Son 2:3-4, New Trans.). Truly of such it can be said, as of Asher, &#8220;His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties&#8221; (Gen 49:20) . Jehovah&#8217;s salvation brings us the bread of life, the food of the mighty. His blessing is that of living fruit, brotherly fellowship, spiritual power in walk, and divine strength, as we may learn from the blessing of Moses (Deu 33:24-25). &#8220;It is of immense importance that the people of God should be known as a &#8216;happy&#8217; people. If &#8216;the joy of the Lord is your strength,&#8217; then happiness must have for the soul a large spiritual value. As a testimony to God it can be no less. One of the characteristics of the true &#8216;circumcision,&#8217; as given by the apostle, is that they &#8216;rejoice in Christ Jesus:&#8217; and his exhortation to the same people is, &#8216;Rejoice in the Lord; and again, I say, Rejoice&#8217; (Php 3:3; Php 4:4). Such joy is one of the best signs that the knowledge of the gospel has reached the heart, and that the life will be governed by it. It is quite true that feelings may be put in a wrong place, as in the first quest of peace they are almost sure to be. There is plenty of need for insisting on the truth that we are not justified by feeling but by faith. Nay, it is certain that the reception of the gospel with immediate joy is made by the Lord Himself a sign rather of stony-ground hearing than of a fruitful reception of the Word (Mat 13:20). Plowing up must be before the seed can spring up aright; repentance before God will accompany &#8216;faith in our Lord Jesus Christ&#8217; where the latter is real and effective. This is all true; yet, on the other hand, it is no less true that the effect of the gospel -the &#8216;glad tidings&#8217; -is to produce gladness, and that the apostle prays for believers that &#8216;the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing&#8217; (Rom 15:13). The third character of the &#8216;kingdom of God&#8217; he gives, after &#8216;righteousness and peace,&#8217; is &#8216;joy in the Holy Ghost&#8217; (ch. 14: 17) . &#8216;The fruit of the Spirit is&#8217; said to be &#8216;love, joy, peace&#8217; (Gal 5:22). &#8216;And not only so, but we joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation&#8217; (Rom 5:11). These passages, of course, define the happiness which they speak of, so that it is impossible to confound it with the mere play of animal spirits, or even the happiness derivable from the hope of salvation. One might have this last, and yet in fact be unsaved. &#8216;Joy in God through Christ&#8217; is something perfectly distinct and infinitely higher&#8221; (Joshua, Notes, pp. 145, 146). In this connection another lesson may be noticed in Asher following Dan. If Dan speaks of self-rule, self-judgment, we know this means exercise of heart and conscience, and these are essential to the maintenance of a happiness worthy of the name.<\/p>\n<p>This brings us to Naphtali which means &#8220;my wrestling,&#8221; not so much with the idea of this going on but as having reached a conclusion in victory, bringing freedom. It expresses the blessedness of that new place in which man finds himself, as Moses declares of Naphtali, &#8220;satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord,&#8221; so that he becomes as &#8220;a hind let loose,&#8221; all fear removed, and the tongue loosed to give goodly words which are the sacrifices of the lips confessing His name (Heb 13:15). Is not this the first-fruits of the Spirit, the blessing and triumph of Rom 8:1-39? This fittingly fills the third place in the cycle of perfection and completeness.<\/p>\n<p>Following on we come to Manasseh, &#8220;forgetting&#8221; -not in a mere negative sense, but after the manner of the apostle who was &#8220;forgetting the things behind,&#8221; as absorbed with the glory opened through faith to the vision of his mind and the affections of his heart. Thus for him the rule became, &#8220;For me to live is Christ.&#8221; Naphtali leads us to Manasseh, to that soleness of object and whole-heartedness of life which finds its portion in the things above, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This is the manner of walk that results from being in the sanctuary where, like Naphtali, we are made &#8220;full with the blessing of the Lord.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Is it any wonder that Ephraim, &#8220;fruitfulness,&#8221; comes next? It must, it ever does, in. such a cycle of blessing as we are considering, and since Manasseh and Ephraim are the sons of Joseph we may turn to what is said of him to learn more fully what belongs to them (Gen 49:22-26; Deu 33:13-17). Plainly Christ is very much before us in Joseph, and what is the fruit-bearing of the divine life in man but the being conformed to His image, changed from glory to glory by the power and energy of the Spirit&#8217;s transforming work? The wealth of figure and expression used to tell the portion of Joseph, and so of Manasseh and Ephraim, witnesses to the greatness of the abiding power, grace, and blessing reached as we advance in the knowledge of God&#8217;s thoughts concerning the perfection and completeness of His redeemed people.<\/p>\n<p>Our course brings us to Reuben with whom the excellency and dignity of sonship in its virgin freshness find expression. Such was man unfallen, fresh from the hand of God; but he showed himself unstable as water; like Reuben he fell. But Moses can say, &#8220;Let Reuben live and not die, and let not his men be few.&#8221; Though worthy of death, the way of life has been opened to sinful man, and now by faith in Christ Jesus he receives that sonship which is of higher order and richer blessing than the dignity lost through sin. It is &#8220;according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has taken us into favor in the Beloved: in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offences, according to the riches of His grace.&#8221; This is victory indeed, so Reuben fitly fills the sixth place.<\/p>\n<p>We end with Judah, &#8220;praise.&#8221; &#8220;We find the spirit of praise is that of power -necessarily, because God is exalted in it. It is what the fiftieth psalm challenges on His part from His people: &#8216;Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High. . . whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me.&#8217; It is this which marks the life that comes from God, that it turns back to God again; and the joy of the Lord is ever its principle of strength. A simple lesson, but, oh, that it were learnt! The &#8216;wine&#8217; in the portion of Judah is the sign of a joy in which there can be no excess; and the milk may show that here there is not merely stimulus, but nourishment as well, and that in the form in which the merest babe may find it&#8221; (Genesis, Notes, p. 129). Throughout Scripture praise is presented as a marked characteristic of God&#8217;s redeemed people; it brings us to the completeness of that salvation with which we began in Dan. Let us also remember that the spirit of praise is the spirit of obedience, for it is to be rendered with the understanding, with the soul, and with the whole heart in uprightness, the whole man is to be in the power of it, and this means to find God with us, for He delights to dwell amid the praises of His people. When the heart is thus fixed, and God fills it, it will be His throne; His judgments will be known and His Word kept. Then the place of our inheritance will be found in immediate connection with the Sanctuary as with Judah here, his border joins that of the holy heave-offering where the throne-house of Jehovah stands.<\/p>\n<p>In this cycle of blessing we have traced precious truths of God&#8217;s great love and grace which apply to all who are His redeemed, to all to whom the new covenant is made good, as it is to us now and will be to Israel in that coming day to which Ezekiel&#8217;s vision refers.<\/p>\n<p>But we must now see what instruction we may gather from the second and southerly group of tribes. There the order is: 1. Benjamin. 2. Simeon. 3. Issachar. 4. Zebulun. 5. Gad.<\/p>\n<p>In the first group of seven we learn the glorious perfection of the position grace gives. It is God&#8217;s purposes and work whereby new creation is accomplished. This is a real bringing out of darkness into His own marvelous light, and thus we reach the Sanctuary as we move onward from Judah. Passing through its holy precincts we come to this second group which, as a second, we might expect to teach us, as already remarked, lessons of relationship and fellowship regarding the divine life. Being a series of five it should show how God (1) is found with His saved creature (4) for the control of its way, the strength of its life, and the enlargement of its capacity to know Himself through the union thus established in His grace. This of necessity brings into the meaning of this number creature-responsibility and the exercise occasioned by being under the government of God. So from the precincts of the Sanctuary we enter Benjamin, &#8220;son of the right hand.&#8221; This suggests the place of power and privilege in known relationship. Moses declares his blessing, &#8220;The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by Him: He shall cover him all day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders.&#8221; Here is dearness, nearness, security, the overshadowing of Almighty power, and rest as borne up on the shoulders of infinite love. True as this is in a special way of the Church, it will be Israel&#8217;s special glory too in the coming age. But all of this for us is connected with the truth of Christ in us, for because we are sons God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, and in this is all our power on earth for the activities of the divine life in fellowship with God whom we now know as Father. It is thus we come to know Christ lives in us, and we not only glory in Him, but we accept Him for ourselves, God having accepted Him for us.<\/p>\n<p>Easily enough we pass to Simeon, &#8220;hearing.&#8221; This suggests communion, Mary&#8217;s place at the feet of Jesus hearing His word. &#8220;Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors&#8221; (Pro 8:34). In this Wisdom speaks, but we know that Christ is the wisdom of God, and that He has been made wisdom unto us; and He is the Word. To thus hear is to delight ourselves in Him. It is truly the way of life, and this leads us into what is connected with Issachar.<\/p>\n<p>From Jacob&#8217;s prophecy we see that Issachar stands for yoke-bearing, though evidently in a slavery that speaks of fleshly indulgence and the vain reward of sin&#8217;s pleasure for a season. Here, however, we are rather to think of deliverance through grace from such servitude, as coming to the One whose loving voice calls us to hear and find the true rest. Thus coming under His yoke and learning from Him (Mat 11:29, New Trans.) -the meek and lowly One who stooped to bear our burden and carry our sorrows, even unto death, the death of the cross -we enter a new service, sanctified by the word of truth we have heard and received, finding in this way the true reward, for &#8220;If any man will serve Me, him will My Father honor.&#8221; Issachar means, &#8220;There is reward.&#8221; Thus the blessing of Issachar is realized, for, as Moses declares, he sounds God&#8217;s call to the peoples to come to &#8220;the mountain,&#8221; surely the mountain of the Lord&#8217;s house, there to offer the sacrifices of righteousness, a service, a yoke-bearing so different from that of the past, both for Issachar and those to whom he carries the invitation. And this is ever the order according to God, that communion (Simeon) should issue in such service. The heart that is full of the Word must overflow in ministry to others, calling them to the place where the fulness of God is found. Issachar, then in this third place may well speak of walking in the Spirit, sanctified by Him by means of the Word of truth so that we manifest in our walk His fruit. In this our true recompense, &#8220;reward,&#8221; will be found both now and for eternity.<\/p>\n<p>The Lord assures those who take His yoke and learn from Him that they will find rest unto their souls, and so we pass into Zebulun, &#8216;dwelling with,&#8221; a doing so in intimacy, as Leah&#8217;s words intimate when giving this name. &#8220;For where I am there will My servant be also. Is not this Joh 14:1-31? &#8220;If any one love Me, he will keep My word (this indeed is what the communion of Simeon and the service of Issachar involve), and My Father will love him, and We will come and make our abode with him.&#8221; Because the apostle so well knew this &#8220;dwelling with,&#8221; he could say out of the richness of his experience, &#8220;My God shall abundantly supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. What a rich gathering of precious and priceless store this means, and so we end this series with Gad, &#8220;a gatherer:&#8221; a glorious fifth in which the need of the creature is supplied out of the exhaustless treasuries of the divine glory! Alongside the ever-abiding sufficiency of God we have the two governing principles for His people by which sufficiency is appropriated dependence and obedience. &#8216;Be careful about nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses every understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts by Christ Jesus. . . What ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you&#8221; (Php 4:6-9).<\/p>\n<p>Thus we reach Gad, the place of increase, for that thought is associated with the meaning of his name. Our truest and fullest enlargement must be found in being with God, who did not spare His own Son that with Him we might receive all things. It is of His fulness that we receive, and grace upon grace.<\/p>\n<p>6. We are now told about the gates of the city.* They are named after the twelve tribes. It is a city in which all have their part and special interest. All ancient jealousies, all strife for place, are over; unity and concord prevail with each one in his ordered place. What we have just considered will help us to the understanding of the spiritual meaning.<\/p>\n<p>{*See Diagram of the city gates in the Appendix.}<\/p>\n<p>We may note that Manasseh and Ephraim have their gate in Joseph. This permits Levi to have a gate bearing his name. Here, too, the association of the tribal names is different from the order of succession in the land. The prominent lesson here would appear to be in connection with the side on which they occur -north, east, south, or west. In placing the names it seems clear that we are to begin at the west corner of the north side and proceed eastward, so passing around the entire city.<\/p>\n<p>We have had occasion to consider the quarters of the heaven in the book of Numbers in connection with the encampment of the tribes around the Tabernacle (Vol. 1, pp. 388-393). The significance there given we may use here: &#8220;The north (tsaphon) means &#8216;what is hidden,&#8217; and the reason why the north is called so is because to those living in the northern hemisphere the sun travels through the southern heavens, and the north side of anything is the dark side. Naturally the north itself would be contemplated as the seat of darkness, the abode of gloom and mystery. . . And this mystery, how it assaults us! From the north come the most frequent attacks upon the land, and from it will come the final attack (Eze 38:1-23; Eze 39:1-29). In the sides of the north the Babylonian apostate makes his seat and utters his defiance of the Almighty (Isa 14:1-32). We must not imagine this to be without significance. Nothing in Scripture is; and it is by putting things together that we perceive a meaning which taken by themselves such things might seem to lack. Certainly in the place of mystery it is that apostasy and infidelity entrench themselves most securely; while upon the forehead of Babylon the Great there is also written &#8216;Mystery.'&#8221; Thus the north tells of mystery, the power of evil, the judgment of God, His ways in providence too, which so often awaken exercise and leave man in his wisdom utterly baffled, and, as we have also seen, it is the place of slaying the sacrifice which speaks of the cross with all its horror of great darkness, but through which after all we come into the knowledge of the wisdom and power of God, so the dark shadow is lifted from His face and there is light from Him which &#8220;removes all guilty fear and love begets.&#8221; In this quarter we get Reuben, the excellency of sonship, with which there is the blessed unfolding of the purposes of God, and Judah, for all of this is to the praise of His glory, yea, the glory of His grace, making His people an ever thankful and praising people. They have a triumph-song to sing in the face of the north, for God is for us, and who can separate us from His love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? So we now have Levi, &#8220;joined.&#8221; Forevermore it is Christ and those who are His, His companions, co-heirs, ever together with Him who is the Firstborn among many brethren, the Captain of salvation with His host of sons, all things with Him. Glorious truth! How it thrills the soul and fills the lips with praise &#8220;to Him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father: to Him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We turn to the east, which we have already seen is connected with the glory of God. There the sun rises, and this always suggests the idea of joy and blessing with the returning day. But the word for east is qedem, &#8220;what faces,&#8221; or &#8220;confronts&#8221; you, and thus, as nearly as may be, resembles our word &#8220;adversity&#8221; from the. Latin, &#8220;what is toward&#8221; you, only in a hostile manner. The qadim, the &#8220;east wind,&#8221; is the dry and parching wind from the desert, as the west wind is literally the sea-wind, bringing moisture and rain. These two contrary thoughts to us as Christians so suggest one another that there is no difficulty in their connection. He who faces in earnest the evil of the world will have proportionately before him that appearing of Christ which will bring its long disorder to an end forever. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand; blessed be God, we who believe in Him are children of the day; &#8220;therefore,&#8221; says the apostle, &#8220;let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light&#8221; (Rom 13:12). In this quarter we have Joseph, beautiful type of Christ in all the lowly grace of His humiliation, and then the surpassing glory of His place at the right hand of the Majesty on high -the sufferings of Him who was separated from His brethren, and the glories that followed. These two things are in their measure true of the redeemed, for they learn to suffer with Him and are glorified together, then shall they be conformed perfectly to His image: here the lessons of Manasseh and Ephraim combine, for in the light of the glory and as absorbed with it, pressing forward to it, we &#8220;forget&#8221; the adverse and evil world, with the result that the mind of Christ possesses us and we become &#8220;fruitful&#8221; in the power of the Spirit. Benjamin follows -&#8220;Christ in us the hope of glory,&#8221; so there is present power to overcome: and lastly on this side, Dan who stands for the spirit of rule and judgment. Only do we form a right judgment of the world and of ourselves as we enter into what Joseph and Benjamin speak of, and so too learn how to rule, thereby gaining capacity to rule with Him in the day of glory when the Sun of Righteousness has arisen, bringing an end to all opposition. How good to be familiar with the gate-ways that enter eastward, as well as those of the north.<\/p>\n<p>We have had occasion to speak of the south as indicative of relaxing influences, of the way of the world and the pleasures of sin by which men seek to escape from dependence upon and exercise under the hand of God. But this only brings spiritual drought, the soul is parched and barrenness results. In accord with this the word for south is negeb which means &#8220;to be parched,&#8221; and is applied to the south because of its drought. In this connection we may well think of the discipline of God as exercised over His people, by which they come to know Him better and are made partakers of His holiness and serve Him in righteousness. The patriarchs in their wanderings southward learned these ways of God, and so do we. Here, then, we first have Simeon, &#8220;hearing,&#8221; and we cannot help but think of that word, &#8220;Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it&#8221; (Mic 6:9). Submission leads into communion, of which Simeon speaks, and this to that obedient, willing service that brings reward (Issachar): then we find the green pastures and still waters whither our Shepherd leads by rod and staff where we rest with Him (Zebulun).<\/p>\n<p>Turning westward we face the sea. &#8220;Westward in Hebrew means &#8216;toward the sea.&#8217; And the sea is preeminently in Scripture, as in nature, the type of trouble and unrest, which the word itself signifies in the original. We have seen it in the six days&#8217; work the type of the evil within us, and which remains in us though regenerate, limited, however, by divine grace. It is the evil, moreover, in the negative rather than its positive aspect, and the west wind, as the sea-wind, differs from the east wind, the wind of the desert, in this way. It comes not to wither, but rather loaded with the moisture that revives and refreshes the earth. This is the answer of heaven to the appeal of man&#8217;s misery, even though that misery be in a certain sense identified with his sin. As the heaven draws from the bosom of the sea itself the vapors which it pours out again upon the land, so grace is that with which God in sovereign goodness has answered our sin, and the occasion of which has been the very sin itself; for only in a world of sinners could He show grace. How full and exact are these natural types when we come to analyze them.&#8221; It is just out of this that we are able to gather our increase (Gad, &#8220;a gatherer&#8221;), and find our genuine happiness (Asher, &#8220;happy&#8221;), and in our wrestling overcome, finding victory over all the subtle influences of this world&#8217;s things, learn in fact not to love them, as John speaks, and that our faith is the victory that gets the victory over the world:<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps we should not pass without notice the oft-repeated measurement of each side -4,500 (45 [5&#215;9] x 10&#215;10) . Here nine appears as an important factor. As being 3&#215;3 it signifies the full manifestation. of what is divine, its complete display. It has been suggested that as the last of the digits it signifies the end or conclusion of a matter. This brings in the idea of perfection and completeness (7), to which competent testimony (2) is given in the display. This fits well with Ezekiel&#8217;s vision in which we have traced the summation of God&#8217;s thoughts as to man&#8217;s blessing in relation with Himself. So in another way it is all that five speaks of added to the four -the number of the creature and creation. This again is intensified by five, making the forty-five, and this whole is multiplied twice by ten -a full and competent witness to the accomplishment of divine order in all relations Godward and manward. This shows us the character of the Millennial metropolis, and the government of the kingdom; this agrees with the general testimony of Scripture. The same thoughts appear in the final measurement, &#8220;It shall be 18,000 round about&#8221; (18 [9&#215;2] x 10 x 10 x 10).<\/p>\n<p>7. The name of the city Jehovah Shammah -Jehovah is there.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Grant&#8217;s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Eze 47:13. This shall be the border, &amp;c.  The borders described in the following part of this chapter shall be the limits or boundaries of your country; whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel  By the several captivities both of Israel and Judah, the several limits or borders, belonging to the inheritance of each tribe, were obliterated and forgotten; whereupon a new boundary and division are here made of the holy land. The allotment of the land, says Grotius, made here, and in the next chapter, would have taken place, had the ten tribes in general, as well as Judah and Benjamin, turned themselves to the worship of the true God: for if so, they, as well as Judah and Benjamin, would have obtained a restoration. But only some part of them returned with Judah and Benjamin, with whom they settled in common in the land of Judea. This may, perhaps, be the literal sense of the following part of the prophecy; but, without question, a mystical sense is implied under this literal description, as well as in all the preceding parts of the vision. Joseph shall have two portions  Upon Reubens forfeiting his birthright, the double portion, belonging to the firstborn, accrued to Joseph and his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, according to Jacobs own appointment.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Eze 47:13-20. Boundaries of the Land.The northern boundary was to run from a point on the Mediterranean a little north of Tyre eastward in the direction of Damascus, the eastern boundary would stretch along the sea of Galilee, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea to a point a little to the south, the southern boundary ran from this point west to the Mediterranean, which naturally constituted the western boundary. No land was included east of the Jordan. As Levi did not count (Eze 44:28), the number twelve was made up by reckoning Joseph (Eze 47:13) as two tribesEphraim and Manasseh. (Many of the places named in this list are unidentified.)<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Peake&#8217;s Commentary on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:bold\">The boundaries of Israel&rsquo;s Promised Land inheritance 47:13-23<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Note the similarities between Ezekiel and Moses in this section that describes the division of the Promised Land. This is another part of the new constitution for the reconstituted nation of Israel that Ezekiel revealed.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>The Lord instructed the future Israelites (cf. Eze 47:21) to divide the Promised Land for their inheritance. He first described the boundary around the entire land. The tribes of Joseph, namely, Ephraim and Manasseh, were to have two portions (cf. Gen 48:5-6; Gen 48:22). This was important to clarify at the outset because the tribe of Levi would receive another portion of the land (Eze 45:1-8; Eze 48:8-14). Thus the number of tribal allotments would be 12 plus the Levitical portions. Each tribe was to have as much land as all the others; the portions were to be equal in size. This was not the case when Joshua divided the land among the tribes; some tribes received more land than others. Thus the Lord would fulfill His promise to give the Israelites the land as an inheritance. The overall boundaries described here are almost identical to the ones in Num 34:3-12 (cf. 1Ki 8:65).<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thus saith the Lord GOD; This [shall be] the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph [shall have two] portions. 13. The tribe of Joseph, being composed of two great families, shall have &ldquo;portions,&rdquo; i.e. two lots (perhaps dual should be read). There still remained twelve tribes, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-ezekiel-4713\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 47:13&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}