Ezekiel 48:1-7·~1 min

The Portions for the Tribes

The names of the tribes are introduced, and the northern allotments are laid out one beneath another from Dan to Judah. Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah each receive a strip bordering the one above it from east to west. The repeated formula emphasizes the stability and balance of the restored inheritance.

“¹Now these are the names of the tribes: ²Asher will have one portion bordering the territory of Dan from east to west. ³Naphtali will have one portion bordering the territory of Asher from east to west. ⁴Manasseh will have one portion bordering the territory of Naphtali from east to west. ⁵Ephraim will have one portion bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west. ⁶Reuben will have one portion bordering the territory of Ephraim from east to west. ⁷Judah will have one portion bordering the territory of Reuben from east to west.

Section summaryThe chapter begins by listing the northern tribal portions in order from Dan down to Judah, each running from east to west across the land. The arrangement is orderly and evenly structured, showing that the inheritance of the tribes in the restored land is carefully apportioned and free from the disorder and displacement that marked earlier history.

Role in the chapterThis section establishes the first sequence of tribal inheritances and frames the restored land as orderly and equitable.