And when you shall begin to divide the land by lot, separate ye firstfruits to the Lord, a portion of the land to be holy, in length twenty-five thousand and in breadth ten thousand: it shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.
וּבְהַפִּֽילְכֶ֨ם אֶת־הָאָ֜רֶץ בְּנַחֲלָ֗ה תָּרִימוּ֩ תְרוּמָ֨ה לַיהוָ֥ה ׀ קֹדֶשׁ֮ מִן־הָאָרֶץ֒ אֹ֗רֶךְ חֲמִשָּׁ֨ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים אֶ֙לֶף֙ אֹ֔רֶךְ וְרֹ֖חַב עֲשָׂ֣רָה אָ֑לֶף קֹדֶשׁ־ה֥וּא בְכָל־גְּבוּלָ֖הּ סָבִֽיב׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The prophet addresses the Israelites coming back from Babylon, as well as those who will construct Jerusalem. He instructs that a portion of the city be designated for the priests and the temple, another portion for the Levites, a separate area for the people, and yet another for the prince.
When the land is allocated as a possession, a sacred area must be consecrated to the Lord, measuring twenty-five thousand units in length and ten thousand units in width, which will be considered holy throughout its borders. In this area, there shall be a sanctuary featuring a square of five hundred units in all directions, with an additional fifty units for its surrounding space. From these dimensions, another area of twenty-five thousand units in length and ten thousand units in width will be designated for the temple and the most holy place. This consecrated section of land will be allotted to the priests who minister in the sanctuary and serve the Lord; this will provide them with dwelling places and a holy space.
The specification remains twenty-five thousand in length and ten thousand in width. The Levites who serve in the temple shall inherit twenty districts (some translations read: they shall have a city in which to reside). Additionally, part of the city shall be set apart measuring five thousand in width and twenty-five thousand in length, dedicated for the sanctuary, designated for all the people of Israel.
The prince shall also receive a share on both sides of the holy space and of the city, mirroring both the sacred site and the city itself, extending towards the sea on the western side and toward the east on the eastern side, with the same length for each inheritance from west to east; this piece of land will be his possession in Israel. Let the princes no longer diminish or exploit my people, but rather allocate the land to the house of Israel according to their respective tribes. Following the guidelines pertaining to the priests’ duties, their attire, and the allowed and forbidden foods, the Lord now outlines how the holy land will be distributed. Before assigning the entirety of it among the tribes, He instructs that a specific area—twenty-five thousand units in length and ten thousand in width—be selected from all the tribes. No specific cubits or measures are given, which implies that the measuring cane utilized, approximately six cubits plus a sixth part of a cubit (which is akin to an inch), is referenced. Curious readers may calculate how many canes comprise a thousand paces and determine the resulting thousand units in length and breadth.
God ordains that the priests should also receive designated lands in the outskirts of the city, extending ten thousand cubits from east to west and from north to the southern limit, with an expanse of twenty-five thousand cubits. This provision allows them, as scripture states, to utilize the tithes and the offerings of the firstborn, fostering a sense of well-being from the land, enabling them to live in fulfillment, cherish justice, remain content, and refrain from excess, thus not offending the populace. As Ezekiel 45:9 states, "Ye elders of Israel, let unrighteousness and malice be cast away, but let justice and righteousness prevail; remove violence from the people, saith the Lord Adonai."
He then establishes regulations regarding weights and measures, asserting that fairness and integrity must be maintained in these practices, commanding that the same standard apply both in receiving and giving. He clarifies that a kor comprises ten homors, each homor containing ten quinixes, totaling one hundred quinixes in a kor. Furthermore, he indicates that an ephi equals a quinix. It is directed that there exist fifty shekels in a mina, and each shekel is made up of twenty ovols. He designates ten kotyls of oil as a homor, determining it to be a tenth part of a korah. The offering of wheat and barley is to be one-sixth of a homor, or half a medimn, as there are thirty medimn in a korah, making the homorah one-tenth of the specified korah; hence, the homorah must include three medimn, and half of three medimn equals one-sixth of a medimn.
It is decreed that from ten kotyls, one kotyl shall be offered, along with a tenth part of the sheep. All these offerings are to be presented by the people to the elder for the necessary sacrifices, allowing for offerings during feasts, new moons, and sabbaths, so he may intercede with God on behalf of the people. Subsequently, instruction is given regarding the actions to be taken in the new month of the tenth month, the observance on the fourteenth day, and procedures for the seventh month. The offering in the seventh month is labeled a sacrifice, as stated: "The sacrifice of unleavened bread to the calf, and of unleavened bread to the ram, and of oil to the unleavened calf"; the term used in the Syrian translation is identified as gemina.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS