Ezekiel 47:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If the land is assigned to both strangers and locals in conjunction with the people of Israel, it is evident that the same inheritance is available to the Gentiles as it is to the Jews, provided they turn to serve the God of Israel. This promise rightly belongs to Christians, as the Jews possess the letter of the law, while we embrace the spirit. The Jews adhere to the texts, while we focus on the essence captured in those texts. Furthermore, the land was divided by lot as commanded in the time of Moses, with this allocation being ordained by the will of the Lord; each possession is shared among both the strangers and Israel, with inheritances assigned to them within each tribe according to the decree of the Lord God.

Subsequently, the prophet learns of Israel's boundaries. From the north lies the route to Imath, which marks the edge of Damascus. Imath is also known as Epiphany, or by some as Emessa; two cities share this name in Scripture, as it states, “To Imath the great.” To the east, the boundary is the Jordan River, and to the south, it extends to the waters of the precursor, as translated by the Syrian interpreter: Mari Moth. The western limit is defined by the sea. God established a division of this land not only for the descendants of Israel but also for the foreigners residing among them, who, as the Scriptures indicate, have raised children among you. In every tribe, the strangers living among them shall receive an inheritance alongside the tribe itself, as stated by the prophet.