1 And these `are' the names of the tribes: From the north end unto the side of the way of Hethlon, at the coming in to Hamath, Hazar-Enan, the border of Damascus northward, unto the side of Hamath, and they have been his -- side east and west, Dan one,
`And this `is' the border of the land at the north quarter; from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, at the coming in to Zedad: Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, that `is' between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-Hatticon, that `is' at the coast of Havran. And the border from the sea hath been Hazar-Enan, the border of Damascus, and Zaphon at the north, and the border of Hamath: and `this is' the north quarter.
For the tribe of the sons of Dan, for their families, hath the seventh lot gone out; and the border of their inheritance is Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-Shemesh, and Shalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah, and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, and Jehud, and Bene-Barak, and Gath-Rimmon, and Me-Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over-against Japho. And the border of the sons of Dan goeth out from them, and the sons of Dan go up and fight with Leshem, and capture it, and smite it by the mouth of the sword, and possess it, and dwell in it, and call Leshem, Dan, according to the name of Dan their father.
And she saith, `Lo, my handmaid Bilhah, go in unto her, and she doth bear on my knees, and I am built up, even I, from her;' and she giveth to him Bilhah her maid-servant for a wife, and Jacob goeth in unto her; and Bilhah conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son, and Rachel saith, `God hath decided for me, and also hath hearkened to my voice, and giveth to me a son;' therefore hath she called his name Dan.
And these `are' the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt with Jacob; a man and his household have they come; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the persons coming out of the thigh of Jacob are seventy persons; as to Joseph, he was in Egypt.
`And these `are' the names of the men who stand with you: `For Reuben -- Elizur son of Shedeur. `For Simeon -- Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. `For Judah -- Nahshon son of Amminadab. `For Issachar -- Nathaneel son of Zuar. `For Zebulun -- Eliab son of Helon. `For the sons of Joseph -- for Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud: for Manasseh -- Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. `For Benjamin -- Abidan son of Gideoni. `For Dan -- Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. `For Asher -- Pagiel son of Ocran. `For Gad -- Eliasaph son of Deuel. `For Naphtali -- Ahira son of Enan.'
and these their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur. For the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori. For the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh. For the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph. For the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea, son of Nun. For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu. For the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi. For the tribe of Joseph, (for the tribe of Manasseh,) Gaddi son of Susi. For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli. For the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael. For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vopshi. For the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
`And this is to you the north border: from the great sea ye mark out for yourselves mount Hor; from mount Hor ye mark out to go in to Hamath, and the outgoings of the border have been to Zedad; and the border hath gone out to Ziphron, and its outgoings have been at Hazar-Enan; this is to you the north border.
and the sons of Dan go on their way, and Micah seeth that they are stronger than he, and turneth, and goeth back unto his house. And they have taken that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and come in against Laish, against a people quiet and confident, and smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the city have burnt with fire, and there is no deliverer, for it `is' far off from Zidon, and they have no word with `any' man, and it `is' in the valley which `is' by Beth-Rehob; and they build the city, and dwell in it, and call the name of the city Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and yet Laish `is' the name of the city at the first.
And the king taketh counsel, and maketh two calves of gold, and saith unto them, `Enough to you of going up to Jerusalem; lo, thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.' And he setteth the one in Beth-El, and the other he hath put in Dan,
`And the west quarter `is' the great sea, from the border till over-against the coming in to Hamath: this `is' the west quarter.
And I heard the number of those sealed, (144 thousands were sealed out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel): of the tribe of Judah 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin 12 thousand were sealed.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 48
Commentary on Ezekiel 48 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 48
Eze 48:1-35. Allotment of the Land to the Several Tribes.
1. Dan—The lands are divided into portions of ideal exactness, running alongside of each other, the whole breadth from west to east, standing in a common relation to the temple in the center: seven tribes' portions on the north, five in the smaller division in the south. The portions of the city, the temple, the prince, and the priesthood, are in the middle, not within the boundaries of any tribe, all alike having a common interest in them. Judah has the place of honor next the center on the north, Benjamin the corresponding place of honor next the center on the south; because of the adherence of these two to the temple ordinances and to the house of David for so long, when the others deserted them. Dan, on the contrary, so long locally and morally semi-heathen (Jud 18:1-31), is to have the least honorable place, at the extreme north. For the same reason, St. John (Re 7:5-8) omits Dan altogether.
3. Asher—a tribe of which no one of note is mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament one is singled out of it, the prophetess Anna.
4. Manasseh—The intercourse and unity between the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan, and the nine and a half west of it, had been much kept up by the splitting of Manasseh, causing the visits of kinsmen one to the other from both sides of the Jordan. There shall be no need for this in the new order of things.
5. Ephraim—This tribe, within its two dependent tribes, Manasseh and Benjamin, for upwards of four hundred years under the judges held the pre-eminence.
6. Reuben—doomed formerly for incest and instability "not to excel" (Ge 49:4). So no distinguished prophet, priest, or king had come from it. Of it were the notorious Dathan and Abiram, the mutineers. A pastoral and Bedouin character marked it and Gad (Jud 5:16).
15-17. The five thousand rods, apportioned to the city out of the twenty-five thousand square, are to be laid off in a square of four thousand five hundred, with the two hundred fifty all around for suburbs.
profane—that is, not strictly sacred as the sacerdotal portions, but applied to secular uses.
24. Benjamin—Compare Jacob's prophecy (Ge 49:27; De 33:12). It alone with Judah had been throughout loyal to the house of David, so its prowess at the "night" of the national history was celebrated as well as in the "morning."
25. Simeon—omitted in the blessing of Moses in De 33:1-29, perhaps because of the Simeonite "prince," who at Baal-peor led the Israelites in their idolatrous whoredoms with Midian (Nu 25:14).
26. Issachar—Its ancient portion had been on the plain of Esdraelon. Compared (Ge 49:14) to "a strong ass crouching between two burdens," that is, tribute and tillage; never meddling with wars except in self-defense.
31. gates—(Re 21:12, &c.). The twelve gates bear the names of the twelve tribes to imply that all are regarded as having an interest in it.
35. Lord is there—Jehovah-Shammah. Not that the city will be called so in mere name, but that the reality will be best expressed by this descriptive title (Jer 3:17; 33:16; Zec 2:10; Re 21:3; 22:3).