Ezekiel 48 closes the book with a detailed map of the restored land: the twelve tribal portions, the holy offering set apart for the priests and Levites, the city, and the gates named for Israel’s tribes. This page gives you questions and leader’s notes for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each question points to specific verses so you can read the text together before discussing it.
Ezekiel 48 at a Glance
The chapter moves in a deliberate order. It starts at the northern border and lists seven tribes in sequence from north to south, each receiving a strip of land running east to west. The central section then describes the holy offering, a square reserved for the sanctuary, the priests, and the Levites, with the city placed in the middle of a common zone.
The chapter finishes with the remaining tribes from the south, the portions for the prince on either side of the sacred district, and the twelve gates of the city, three on each side. The final verse gives the city its name: The LORD Is There. That name is the key to reading everything before it.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the text, count the tribes, and note the measurements. Let the details surface before you move toward meaning.
Ezekiel 48:1
“Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath (and they shall have their sides east and west), Dan, one portion.
(WEB)
Reading the opening verse aloud sets the scope of the vision. It begins with the names of the tribes and the northern border, so the group hears the sweep of the whole land before the details begin.
Ezekiel 48:10-11
10 For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in width, and toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the middle of it. 11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my instruction, who didn’t go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.
(WEB)
These verses describe the holy offering and the priests who kept faith. Reading them together helps the group see the link between the sanctuary’s location and the faithfulness of those who serve there.
Ezekiel 48:15-18
15 “The five thousand that are left in the width, in front of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs; and the city shall be in the middle of it. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. 17 The city shall have suburbs: toward the north two hundred fifty, and toward the south two hundred fifty, and toward the east two hundred fifty, and toward the west two hundred fifty. 18 The remainder in the length, alongside the holy offering, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be alongside the holy offering. Its increase shall be for food to those who labor in the city.
(WEB)
This range sets out the common land for the city and its suburbs. Reading it aloud draws attention to the shared character of the city’s ground and its purpose of providing food and dwelling for all.
Ezekiel 48:31-34
31 And the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. 32 “At the east side four thousand and five hundred reeds, and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. 33 “At the south side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one. 34 “At the west side four thousand and five hundred reeds, with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.
(WEB)
The gates named after the tribes are read most effectively out loud, one by one. Hearing the names spoken in sequence reminds the group that every tribe has its own way into the city.
Ezekiel 48:35
“It shall be eighteen thousand reeds around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.’
(WEB)
Ending the session by reading the final verse gives the group the chapter’s central truth. The name of the city brings the whole vision to its point and invites a response of trust.
Memory Verse for Ezekiel 48
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you are not distant from your people. You measured out the land with care, placed your sanctuary at its center, and named the city after your presence. Help us, as we leave this study, to order our lives around that truth. Make us faithful like the priests who kept your instruction, generous with what we share, and open to everyone who comes to us. Let the reality of your nearness guide our choices this week, and let our words and actions show others that you are with us. Amen.
