The portion of seven tribes, ver. 1 - 7.
The allotment of land for the sanctuary, priests and Levites,
ver. 8 - 14.
For the city and prince, ver. 15 - 22.
For the other five tribes, ver. 23 - 29.
A plan of the city, its gates, and new name, ver. 30 - 35.
15: A profane place - A common, not consecrated place.
16: The measures thereof - The extent and proportions of the city, a
square of four thousand five hundred shall be taken out of the middle of
the twenty five thousand or the ground - plat of the city. So it shall be
an equilateral square, every side exactly the same, north, south, east,
and west, four thousand five hundred apiece, by which measures the whole
content is visible eighteen thousand cubits not reeds.
18: For food - For the maintenance of the city - officers.
20: The possession - The land assigned for the city.
35: Eighteen thousand cubits - About five miles in compass.
From that day - From the day of the Lord's restoring this people, and
rebuilding their city, and their thankful, holy, and pure worshipping
of God there, from that day it shall be said of Jerusalem.
The Lord is there - The Lord who as his name alone is Jehovah, so is
the only true God, faithful to his promise, rich in mercy, glorious in
majesty, righteous in his judgments, wise and holy in his government,
whose presence makes us happy, whose withdrawing from us leaves us to
misery. This God will by his favour and presence, bring the confluence
of all good to persons, families, and cities; this God will be there to
dwell, govern, defend, prosper, and crown. Such is to be the case of
earthly Jerusalem, such shall be for ever the case of the heavenly
Jerusalem. Such is the case of every true believer, who may, wherever
he is, in his way of duty, still write Jehovah - Shammah, My God is here.
And 'tis best to be where he is 'till he bring us within the gates of
the glorious city, where inconceivable light and love from the immediate
presence of God, give every one an eternal demonstration that God is here:
to him be glory for ever.
