Hesekiel 45:7

In this chapter is further represented to the prophet, in vision, I. The division of the holy land, so much for the temple, and the priests that attended the service of it (Eze 45:1-4), so much for the Levites (Eze 45:5), so much for the city (Eze 45:6), so much for the prince, and the residue to the people (Eze 45:7, Eze 45:8). II. The ordinances of justice that were given both to prince and people (Eze 45:9-12). III. The oblations they were to offer, and the prince's part in those oblations (Eze 45:13-17). Particularly in the beginning of the year (Eze 45:18-20) and in the passover, and the feast of tabernacles (Eze 45:21-25). And all this seems to point at the new church-state that should be set up under the gospel, which, both for extent and for purity, should far exceed that of the Old Testament.

45:7 On both sides of the larger sacred area (45:1-6), the remainder of the holy portion was assigned to the prince. The same principle of graded access that operated in the Temple was applied more broadly to the surrounding land. The Temple would be the geographical and spiritual heart of the new Israel. The land would be divided into strips running east to west, orienting the whole nation along the sacred east–west axis of the Temple. The city and the prince would still be important in the new economy, but they would no longer be at the center. The Lord was Israel’s King, and his dwelling place would be the hub of their existence.