Ezekiel 48:30

Good News Translation

There are twelve entrances to the city of Jerusalem. Each of the four walls measures 2,520 yards and has three gates in it, each named for one of the tribes. The gates in the north wall are named for Reuben, Judah, and Levi; those in the east wall, for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; those in the south wall, for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and those in the west wall are named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“These are the exits of the city:

Hebrew Names Version
These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure;

King James Version
And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

English Standard Version
"These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure,

New American Standard Bible
"Now these are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement,

New Century Version
"These will be the outside borders of the city: The north side will measure more than one mile.

Amplified Bible
"These are the exits of the city: on the north side, [which is to extend] 4,500 cubits by measurement,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And these are the boundes of the citie, on the North side fiue hundreth, and foure thousande measures.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"These are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement,

Legacy Standard Bible
"And these are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement.

Berean Standard Bible
These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which measures 4,500 cubits long,

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: The city of Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each of the four sides of the city wall. These gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi will be in the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan will be in the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun will be in the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali will be in the west. Each side of the city wall will be a mile and a half long,

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘These are the city exits; they are to be named after the tribes of Isra'el, three gates on each of the four sides; the four sides each measure just under one-and-a-half [miles]: on the north, gates named after Re'uven, Y'hudah and Levi; on the east, gates named after Yosef, Binyamin and Dan; on the south, gates named after Shim‘on, Yissakhar and Z'vulun; and on the west, gates named after Gad, Asher and Naftali.

Darby Translation
And these are the goings out of the city. On the north side, four thousand and five hundred [cubits] by measure.

Easy-to-Read Version
"These are the gates of the city. The gates will be named for the tribes of Israel. "The north side of the city will be 4500 cubits long.

George Lamsa Translation
And these shall be the limits of the city: on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

Lexham English Bible
And these shall be the exits of the city: From the north side, four thousand and five hundred cubits by measurement.

Literal Translation
And these are the exits of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus wyde shal the cite reach: vpon the north parte v C and iiij M measures.

American Standard Version
And these are the egresses of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure;

Bible in Basic English
And these are the outskirts of the town: on the north side, four thousand five hundred by measure;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And these are the goings out of the city: on the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure;

King James Version (1611)
And these are the goings out of the citie, on the North side foure thousand and fiue hundred measures.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
These be the bondes of the citie, vpon the north part fiue hundred and foure thousand measures.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And these are the goings out of the city northward, four thousand and five hundred by measure.

English Revised Version
And these are the goings out of the city; on the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure:

World English Bible
These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And these ben the goyngis out of the citee; fro the north coost thou schalt mete fyue hundrid and foure thousynde rehedis.

Update Bible Version
And these are the egresses of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure;

Webster's Bible Translation
And these [are] the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.

New English Translation
"These are the exits of the city: On the north side, one and one-half miles by measure,

New King James Version
"These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits

New Living Translation
"These will be the exits to the city: On the north wall, which is 1 1⁄2 miles long,

New Life Bible
"These will be the gates of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is as long as 2,250 long steps,

New Revised Standard
These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And these are the exits of the city, - on the north side, four thousand five hundred measures,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And these are the goings out of the city: on the north side thou shalt measure four thousand and five hundred.

Revised Standard Version
"These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure,

Young's Literal Translation
`And these [are] the outgoings of the city on the north side, five hundred, and four thousand measures.

THE MESSAGE
"These are the gates of the city. On the north side, which is 2,250 yards long (the gates of the city are named after the tribes of Israel), three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, the gate of Levi.

Contextual Overview

¹The northern boundary of the land runs eastward from the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Hethlon, to Hamath Pass, to Enon City, to the boundary between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. Each tribe is to receive one section of land extending from the eastern boundary west to the Mediterranean Sea, in the following order from north to south: Dan Asher Naphtali Manasseh Ephraim Reuben Judah ⁸ The next section of the land is to be set apart for special use. It is to be 10 miles wide from north to south, and the same length from east to west as the sections given to the tribes. The Temple will be located within this section. ⁹ In the center of this section, a special area 10 miles by 8 miles is to be dedicated to the Lord . ¹⁰ The priests are to have a portion of this holy area. From east to west their portion is to measure 10 miles, and from north to south, 4 miles. The Temple of the Lord is to be located in the middle of this area. ¹¹ This holy area is to be for the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They served me faithfully and did not join the rest of the Israelites in doing wrong, as the other members of the tribe of Levi did. ¹² So they are to have a special area next to the area belonging to the Levites, and it will be the holiest of all. ¹³ The Levites also are to have a special area, south of that of the priests. It too is to be 10 miles from east to west, by 4 miles from north to south. ¹⁴ The area dedicated to the Lord is the best part of all the land, and none of it may be sold or exchanged or transferred to anyone else. It is holy and belongs to the Lord . ¹⁵ The part of the special area that is left, 10 miles by 2 miles, is not holy, but is for the general use of the people. They may live there and use the land. The city is to be in the center of it, ¹⁶ and it will be a square, 2,520 yards on each side.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the goings: Ezekiel 48:16, Ezekiel 48:32-35, Revelation 21:16

four: It is certainly most obvious to interpret these measures, not of cubits, but of the measuring reed which the prophet's conductor had in his hand; according to which, the city would be about thirty-six miles in circumference, and nine miles on each side of the square; which was nearly nine times larger than the greatest extent to which Jerusalem ever attained - See note on Ezekiel 42:15, and see note on Ezekiel 42:16. The large dimensions of the city and land were perhaps intended to intimate the extensive and glorious propagation of the gospel in the times predicted; and the land was not called Canaan, nor the city Jerusalem, probably because they were figurative of spiritual blessings to the church and to Israel.

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 31:38 - that Ezekiel 40:2 - as the Ezekiel 45:6 - the city Ezekiel 48:15 - for the city Zechariah 2:2 - unto Zechariah 12:6 - Jerusalem shall

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And these are the goings out of the city,.... The gates of it, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it, by which they went out of it, and into it; and also the sides of it. The Lord here returns to the city again, to give an account of its circumference and name:

on the north side four thousand and five hundred measures; the north side of the city measured so many measures; that is, reeds, as Jarchi explains it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The goings out of the city - The gates described in Ezekiel 48:31. “Measures” (reeds) concern the sides. Divide the verses thus: Ezekiel 48:30. “And these are the goings out of the city. Ezekiel 48:31. On the north side 4500 measures: and the gates of the city after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward etc.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 48:30. These are the goings out — Each of the four sides of the city was four thousand five hundred cubits long. There were three gates on each side, as mentioned below; and the whole circumference of the city was eighteen thousand cubits. See the map, plan B. dddd. Ezekiel 48:35.

The rector of New Haven College, in New England, supposes the preceding representations to refer to the happy state of the Church in what is called the Millennium. Leaving this period out of the question, the following observations are worthy of notice:-

"The Jews, for whom this vision was intended, would conceive their country to be divided to the twelve tribes, in lots of a regular and mathematical form; and not confused or intermixed, as in Joshua's time. Their city laid out larger than before; and exactly foursquare, with regular suburbs; the temple and appendages much more commodious for their sacrifices, and the habitations of the priests and Levites regularly formed round about the temple. So that this whole plan of the division of the country, laying out of the city, temple, and all the appendages, appears to be perfectly regular and uniform, as if it were drawn all at one time, and by one hand, who had power to effect it; and therefore conveyed to the Jews the most complete idea they were capable of conceiving of the most perfect church, commonwealth, city, temple, and conveniences, for Divine worship.

I. The Holy Land, as described Ezekiel 47:13-21 and Ezekiel 48:1-35 according to the original grant, being about two hundred and fifty miles long, north and south, and about one hundred and fifty miles wide, is divided, by parallel lines east and west, to the twelve tribes, each of them having a portion twenty miles wide. Only between Judah and Benjamin there is a holy portion near ten miles wide; in the middle of which is the holy oblation, twenty-five thousand cubits; that is, about ten miles square for the priests, Levites, city, and temple, Ezekiel 45:1; Ezekiel 48:8; the two ends are for the prince, Ezekiel 45:7, c.

II. The holy oblation, lying in the middle of the holy portion, is twenty-five thousand cubits square, which is near ten miles of which ten thousand cubits, or four miles, are taken off from the north side for a habitation for the priests, and as much for the Levites on the south side, Ezekiel 45:4-5, and Ezekiel 48:20; and five thousand cubits in the middle for the city portion, Ezekiel 45:6; in the middle of which is the city, four thousand five hundred cubits square, which is nearly two miles, Ezekiel 48:15-16. Round about this is left two hundred and fifty cubits, near thirty rods, for suburbs, Ezekiel 48:17. The remaining ten thousand cubits on the east side, and the ten thousand cubits on the west side, are for the profit of those who serve the city, out of all the tribes, Ezekiel 48:18-19. The sanctuary is in the midst o! the city, Ezekiel 48:8.

III. The sanctuary or temple, and its appendages, were entirely surrounded with a wall six cubits high and six cubits thick, Ezekiel 40:5; and five hundred cubits long on each side, Ezekiel 42:15, c., and Ezekiel 45:2. In the middle square stands the temple, which was surrounded by a wall one hundred cubits long on each side, Ezekiel 41:13, and six cubits thick, Ezekiel 41:8. The side-chambers on the outside four cubits, Ezekiel 41:5. The Holy of Holies, at the west end, was twenty cubits square on the inside, Ezekiel 41:4. The holy place or outer court at the east end, was forty cubits, Ezekiel 41:12. The length of the porch on the north side was twenty cubits the breadth was eleven cubits, Ezekiel 40:49; and the width of the separate place on the south side twenty cubits. On each side of the temple, towards the four gates in the outer wall, stood two courts, eight in the whole, each one hundred cubits square, Ezekiel 40:19; Ezekiel 40:23; Ezekiel 40:27. In each of these were thirty-six little chambers or buildings, about six cubits square, viz., six at the entrance of the gate, Ezekiel 40:7; Ezekiel 40:17; Ezekiel 40:20, &c., and thirty on the pavement, Ezekiel 40:17, &c., which were for lodgings for the priests, for hanging up their garments, and their part of the sacrifices, Ezekiel 42:13."

Calmet has constructed a map to show the position of the tribes, and the quantum of space each was to possess. As this will give a better view of the subject than any written description can, I have inserted one constructed for this work, which, consulting the places said to be connected with the possessions of the different tribes, shows that the tribes did not all possess the same quantum of space, five of the southern tribes possessing only one half as much as those of the north.