Ezekiel 45:7

Eze 45:7 And a [portion shall be] for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy [portion], and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy [portion], and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length [shall be] over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.

Ver. 7. And a portion shall be for the prince.] See on Eze 44:3. Understand it of the civil magistrate, who is lord keeper of both tables of the law, and ought to have a special care of the Church’s welfare. Here his portion is said to lie on both sides of the oblation of the holy portion; and {Son 8:9} magistrates are required to hem ministers in with boards of cedar, i.e., to provide for their security, that they may be "without fear among them," as Timothy. {1Co 16:10}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

On either side of the 25,000 reeds a strip of land, running westward to the sea, eastward to the Jordan, formed the possession of the prince (see Eze 46:18 note). For the other tribes the limits from west to east are the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan Eze 48:8.

Eze 45:7

And the length shall be over against - Or, “and” in length “over against.”

The definition of the prince’s territory was to prevent the oppressions foretold (1Sa 8:14 ff), described 2Ki 23:35, and reproved Jer. 22.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Eze 45:7-8. And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side, &c. — One-half of the prince’s portion was to lie on the west side of the three portions laid out for the priests and sanctuary, the Levites and city; and the other half to be on the east side of it, and to run parallel to them in breadth from north to south. And the length shall be over against one of the portions — Or, as the words may be more intelligibly rendered, And the length shall be answerable to every one of these portions, both on the west border and on the east; that is, it shall run parallel with them, both on the east and west side. In the land shall be his possession in Israel — Or, this shall be his possession of land in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people — As they formerly did: for which they are severely reproved: see the margin.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

45:7 On both sides of the larger sacred area (45:1-6), the remainder of the holy portion was assigned to the prince. The same principle of graded access that operated in the Temple was applied more broadly to the surrounding land. The Temple would be the geographical and spiritual heart of the new Israel. The land would be divided into strips running east to west, orienting the whole nation along the sacred east–west axis of the Temple. The city and the prince would still be important in the new economy, but they would no longer be at the center. The Lord was Israel’s King, and his dwelling place would be the hub of their existence.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The prince's possession is to consist of two halves, one on the west, the other on the east, of the sacred territory. The prince, as head of the holy community, stands in closest connection with the sanctuary; his possession, therefore, on both sides must adjoin that which was peculiarly the Lord's [FAIRBAIRN].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 7. A portion shall be for the prince] נשיא nasi, he who had the authority of chief magistrate; for there was neither king nor prince among the Jews after the Babylonish captivity. For these allotments and divisions, see the plan, EE, FF, GG. See Clarke on Eze 48:35.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(7) For the prince.—The portion here assigned to the prince included all the land between the northern and southern bounding lines of the “oblation” continued to the Jordan on the east, and the Mediterranean on the west, not already included within the “oblation” itself. Two pieces of land are thus given to him, separated from each other by the whole width (47⅓ miles) of the “oblation.” (See the map under Ezekiel 48)

From the west side westward.—The prince’s position is to adjoin the “oblation” in its entire width of 25,000 reeds, stretching westward from its western side, and eastward from its eastern side.

The length.—Throughout the measurements of the land, length is from east to west; breadth from north to south. The east and west measurement of the prince’s portion was to be “over against “—i.e., parallel to—one of the portions of the tribes.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. The domain of the prince. A portion of land shall fall to the prince equal in breadth (N. to S.) to the whole square assigned to the priests, Levites and city (viz. 25,000), and extending on both sides of this square to the borders of the country, to the Jordan on the E., and the sea on the W.

and the length … portions] and in length answerable to one of the portions, as R.V. The “portions” here are the tracts of land assigned to the tribes respectively (ch. 48). These stretched across the country from the Jordan to the sea. The portion of the prince in like manner stretches across the whole country, only it is interrupted in the middle by the 25,000 square tract assigned to priests, Levites and city. Cf. Eze_48:21.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And a portion shall be for the prince,.... Meaning not the civil magistrate; though he ought to be supported in his dignity and authority, and in such manner that he may be under no temptation to oppress his subjects; and who ought to be, and at this time will be, the protector of the Lord's people, both in their civil and church state; but the Prince Messiah, of whom see Eze 44:3, to whom God will divide a portion with the great; Jacob shall be his portion, the Heathen his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth his possession, Isa 53:12,

on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city; on each side, both of the holy portion, in which are the sanctuary, the houses of the priests, and the chambers of the Levites, and also of the city for the house of Israel; so that his portion will lie, or he be placed, on each side both of the church state and civil state of the Lord's people, and so be the protector of both; he will be a wall of fire round about them, a covert and a hiding place for them; he will be near them, and they to him; he will be on every side of them, and preserve them from persecuting enemies, and false teachers; they shall enjoy his word, his ordinances, and Gospel ministers, and be kept in the utmost peace and prosperity of all kinds; he will protect and defend them, both in their civil and religious liberties, and none shall make them afraid.

Before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city; or rather, "over against" them (w), as it is rendered, Eze 41:15 so, as the possession of the city was over against the holy portion, the portion of the prince was to be over against them both:

from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward; which explains on which sides of them it lay:

and the length shall be over against one of the portions; that is, against everyone of the portions:

from the west border unto the east border; now as there is no measure given to the portion of the prince, but the whole space eastward and westward is left for it, it shows the large extent of Christ's kingdom; that his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth; his Gospel shall be preached everywhere; the Spirit shall be poured down upon all flesh to make it successful; multitudes shall be everywhere converted, and churches set up in all places; the kingdoms of the world will become Christ's, even all the Pagan, Papal, and Mahometan nations; Christ will be King over all the earth, and his name shall be one; there will be but one religion everywhere, Psa 72:8. Some of the Jewish writers interpret this of the King Messiah, to whom they suppose is here allotted the thirteenth part of the land: so Kimchi says,

"to Israel belong twelve parts or portions, and to the prince the thirteenth part; the portion of the prince is as the portion of one of the tribes in length and in breadth, excepting that within the inheritance of the prince should be an oblation,''

as in Eze 45:13, and Maimonides (x) says,

"the King Messiah takes out of all lands, subdued by the Israelites, one part out of thirteen; and this thing is a statute for him and his sons for ever;''

which seems plainly to refer to this passage in Ezekiel; though there are some who understand him of any anointed king of Israel, as being his right: but the learned Selden (y) is of opinion that he is speaking of the King Messiah, and has respect to this distribution; and rightly observes, from the same author (z), that all that was subdued by him was his own, and he could dispose of it at his pleasure to his servants and soldiers.

(w) "contra faciem", V. L. (x) Hilchot Melachim, c. 4. sect, 8. (y) De Jure Naturae & Gentium, l. 6. c. 16. (z) Maimon Hilchot Melachim, c. 4. sect. 10.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Border. Two equal lots, one on the east and the other on the west, were assigned the prince, each 20,000 cubits broad, and 12,500 long, chap. xlviii. 21. (Calmet) --- He dwelt near the priests, for their protection; as the people were on both sides of him, that he might sustain no injury. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A portion; though not said how much, it is likely it was near fourfold to that of the city, sanctuary, or the priests and Levites.

For the prince; the king, or supreme ruler. One half of the prince’s portion lay on the west side of those three already set out; the other half lay on the east side thereof; so the portion of city, Levites, and priests lay in the middle of it.

Of the holy portion; of priests, and Levites, and sanctuary.

Before; it lay parallel, as broad as these three were broad, and so run on both sides in its breadth from north to south, and had its length as the other from east to west, as in this diagram.

The tribe of Judah’s portion from west to east.

The tribe of Benjamin’s portion from west to east.

Over against; what called now over against, or parallel, or by the side all along, is called before three times together. So now you have an exact square of 25,000 cubits laid out for God, the Levites, and city, which appears thus in the breadth:

10,000 for the priests. 10,000 for the Levites. 5,000 for the city.

And the length of each 25,000, that is, some twelve miles and half square.

And the prince’s portion embracing or bounding all at each end, as a guard and defence both of church and state, of religion and the civil rights, which may fairly be intimated by this assigning him his portion on each end of the other three.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And a portion shall be (or, ye shall appoint) for the prince. As to situation, his portion should lie on both sides of the holy portion, (or portions, i.e. of the priests and of the Levites; see Eze_48:20-22) and of the possession, or portion, of the city; should stretch exactly in front or alongside of these, i.e. from north to south; and should extend on the one side westward (to the Mediterranean), and on the other side eastward (to the Jordan). The concluding clause, And the length shall be over against (twOmul, a plural form, occurring only here) one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border, though somewhat obscure, obviously imports that the prince"s portion, on both sides of the holy terumah, should extend lengthwise, i.e. from east to west, along the side of one of the portions assigned to the tribes; in other words, should be bounded on the north and south by the tribal territories of Judah and Benjamin. (see Eze_48:22)

Ver. 7. The Prince"s portion.

In the division of the land and its produce, while care was taken for the maintenance of the priesthood by means of the sacrifices, arrangements were also made for the support of the government by assigning a certain portion to "the prince." Christ, as "Prince of Peace," the Head of the spiritual kingdom, has a right to claim his portion in all that we possess.

I A PORTION SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR OUR HEAVENLY PRINCE. All that we have should be devoted to Christ, and nothing used except as he may be pleased with the purpose to which it is directed. In all our daily pursuits, if we are true Christians, we should not forget that Christ owns us, and therefore owns all our property. But it is not enough to allow this truth and even endeavor to act upon it. As the idea of the sacredness of all days is sometimes pleaded in excuse for the misuse of Sunday, so the notion that all we have belongs to Christ may be used as a plea for escaping from all direct acts of sacrifice on behalf of his cause. But we have to remember that our Master claims a portion for his immediate use. Some of our time should be devoted to Christ"s work, some of our money to the furtherance of his kingdom among men. What we give to a missionary society should be considered as especially a part of the Prince"s portion. Does the Prince have all that is due to him in this way?

II THE PRINCE REQUIRES AND WILL USE HIS PORTION. What we give wisely to the cause of Christ is not wasted as a merely ceremonial oblation. It is not like a sacred libation which is spilt for no practical purpose. The money and labor spent in the cause of Christ should bear fruit in advancing his cause. By the economy of Providence this great work is left to Christ"s people. If they do not give their Prince his portion, the rights of the kingdom will be crippled, and its progress among men will be hindered. Great and rich as he is, Christ has graciously condescended to make the spread of his kingdom on earth depend on the gifts and labors of Christian men and women. Thus we may say the Prince needs his portion.

III THE PRINCE HAS EARNED HIS PORTION. Democratic people grow impatient at the claims of princes, whom they consider to be idle and useless. But some princes have their missions in the world. Christ came to do a great work. He was no indolent Prince, only eager to clutch at his dues, and giving his people nothing in return. The account lies just the other way. He who was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. (2Co_8:9) Christ has given himself for his people. He has now ascended up on high, to give gifts to men. (Eph_4:8) When we give him anything, we are only returning some portion of what we first received from him, only rendering to him what is his own. If we would measure Christ"s claim upon us, we must be able to tell how great was his condescension in coming to this world, how tremendous was his sacrifice in his death on the cross, and how glorious are the blessings which he bestows on his people.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The prince - The king. Our side - One half of the prince's portion lay on the west side of those three already set out. The other side - The other half lay on the east-side thereof, so the portion of the city, Levites and priests, lay in the middle. The holy portion - Of priests, and Levites, and sanctuary. Before - It lay parallel as broad as these three were broad, and so run on both sides in its breadth from north to south, and had its length as the other, from east to west. Over against - What is called now over- against, or by the side, is called before three times together. So now you have an exact square of twenty-five thousand cubits laid out for God, the Levites and city, which appears thus in the breadth. 10000 For the priests. 10000 For the Levites. 5000 For the city. And the length of each, twenty-five thousand, that is twelve miles and half square.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And for the prince, on either side of the offering of the holy portion and of the possession of the city At the end of the section, he divides the land of Israel from east to west into thirteen strips: twelve as the number of the tribes each one twenty-five thousand rods wide, and its length equaling the length of all the land of Israel and one strip as an offering whose length is from the eastern border to the western border, and whose width is twenty-five thousand rods, just as each of the other portions. And from that strip he separated in its center the three strips stated above, which [all together] are twenty- five thousand by twenty-five thousand. And the remainder to the east until the end of the border of the land, and to the west, as well, shall be for the prince from either side to the east and to the west.

alongside the offering of the holy portion and alongside the possession of the city opposite the entire breadth of the three strips separated for the offering of the holy portion of the strips of the priests, the Levites, and the property of the city.

from the western side, westward from the west of the offering of the holy portion and the city until the west of the boundary.

and from the eastern side, east ward And from the east of the offering to the eastern boundary, opposite one of the portions of the tribes delineated at the end of the Book, which are from the western boundary of the land of Israel, until the eastern boundary.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.