Ezekiel 45

“‘“Moreover, when you divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to the LORD, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the width shall be ten thousand. It shall be holy in all its border all around.

Of this there shall be a five hundred by five hundred square for the holy place, and fifty cubits for its pasture lands all around.

Of this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a width of ten thousand. In it shall be the sanctuary, which is most holy.

It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD. It shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.

Twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, as a possession for themselves, for twenty rooms.

“‘“You shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, side by side with the offering of the holy portion. It shall be for the whole house of Israel.

“‘“What is for the prince shall be on the one side and on the other side of the holy allotment and of the possession of the city, in front of the holy allotment and in front of the possession of the city, on the west side westward, and on the east side eastward, and in length corresponding to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.

In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel. My princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”

“‘The Lord GOD says: “Enough you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness! Stop dispossessing my people!” says the Lord GOD.

“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.

The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain one tenth of a homer, and the ephah one tenth of a homer. Its measure shall be the same as the homer.

The shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

“‘“This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an ephah from a homer of barley,

and the set portion of oil, of the bath of oil, one tenth of a bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer (for ten baths are a homer),

and one lamb of the flock out of two hundred, from the well-watered pastures of Israel—for a meal offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” says the Lord GOD.

“All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.

It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

“‘The Lord GOD says: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect, and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.

The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.

So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple. So you shall make atonement for the house.

“‘“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.

The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.

He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil to an ephah.

“‘“In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, during the feast, he shall do like that for seven days. He shall make the same provision for sin offering, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the oil.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter sets forth the divine instructions for the consecration of land, worship practices, and social justice in the restored community of Israel. It outlines the allocation of a holy portion of land for the sanctuary, the priests, and the Levites, establishes fair land distribution involving the prince and the people, and regulates offerings and annual festivals to ensure proper worship and atonement. Centered on holiness, equity, and covenant fidelity, it reflects God’s order for communal life in the restored land.

Flow.

Begins with the division of land by lot, reserving a holy portion for the sanctuary, priests, and Levites (vv. 1–5).
Assigns land for the city and defines the prince’s portion, emphasizing equitable distribution and an end to oppression (vv. 6–8).
Commands justice in governance and commerce, requiring honest weights and measures (vv. 9–12).
Details the required offerings from the people and the prince’s responsibilities in worship, including sin, burnt, and peace offerings (vv. 13–17).
Prescribes annual rituals—cleansing of the sanctuary, Passover, and the Feast of Tabernacles—to restore and maintain covenant holiness (vv. 18–25).

Connections.
Following chapter 44, which emphasizes the holiness of the temple and the role of the priests, this chapter extends the theme of sacred order into the land’s social and economic structures. The vision of a just and worship-centered society laid here prepares the way for chapter 46, which further details the prince’s duties and the people’s participation in worship at the gates of the temple. The movement from ritual purity to communal justice and back to worship reveals a holistic vision where right relationship with God is inseparable from righteous living among His people.

What it teaches.
The chapter upholds the sanctity of God’s presence among His people, requiring a consecrated space and a just social order to reflect His holiness. The reservation of land for the priests and Levites underscores the priority of worship (WCF 22.4), while the command for fair weights and the prohibition of oppression reflect the eighth and tenth commandments (HC LD 42). The prince’s role in providing offerings highlights the civil authority’s responsibility to lead in covenant faithfulness, not exploit it (Rom. 13:1–4; WCF 23.3). The recurring atonement rituals point forward to the need for Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Heb. 9:11–14; WCF 8.5), showing that Israel’s restored life depends on continual cleansing and substitutionary offerings.

Apply.
When leadership prioritizes fairness, worship shapes public life, and holiness is woven into land and law, the community reflects God’s covenant order.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.