THEOSISJerome of Stridon
These passages describe the exits of the city, where on the northern side, one measures four thousand five hundred units. The gates of the city correspond to the names of the tribes of Israel. On the north side, there are three gates: one for Reuben, one for Judah, and one for Levi. The eastern side also measures four thousand five hundred, with three gates designated for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. The south side similarly measures four thousand five hundred units, containing three gates for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. On the western side, there are four thousand five hundred units and three gates: one for Gad, one for Asher, and one for Naphtali. Therefore, the total perimeter is eighteen thousand units, and from that day forward, the name of the city shall be: The Lord is present.
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As mentioned earlier, each side of the city measures four thousand five hundred reeds, totaling eighteen thousand reeds, which amounts to forty-four thousand and three hundred paces. It is noted that there are three gates located at intervals of eleven thousand paces and eighty-five paces, referred to as "exits of the city." It is essential to remember that the tribes positioned their encampments around the tabernacle: to the east were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Leah; to the south were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad from Leah, along with the son of Zilpah; to the west were Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, since the tribe of Joseph was divided into Ephraim and Manasseh for sacrificial duties; to the north were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, with the first and the third born of Rachel’s maid, and the second from Leah’s maid, showing their humble beginnings stemming from handmaids who were in conflict. This is contextualized within the book of Numbers and the Lord's directives reiterated through Moses.
Contrasting this with our city, the city of the great King, built and crafted by God, as proclaimed by the Psalmist, “Is not Zion, says the man, and man is born in it, and that is the foundation and the Highest” (Psalm 86:5), the arrangement of the tribes in the Holy Land differs, as well as the measurements and the portions allotted to each tribe.
The northern side presents three gates for the firstborn Reuben, the royal line of Judah, and Levi, whose name is absent in the tabernacle's description, serving as a symbol that we, inheritors of a royal and priestly lineage, dismiss the chill of the north. The eastern side is occupied by Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan—the sons of Rachel and her maid. The southern side holds Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun, all children of Leah. The western side is composed of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, where the first two are from Zilpah, Leah's maid, and the latter from Bala, Rachel's maid.
Who possesses the wisdom to grasp these truths? The paths of the Lord are righteous, and the upright will walk therein, whereas the wicked will find weariness in them (Hosea 14:10). These twelve gates, or exits, are allocated to each tribe based on their merits and virtues, identified by the names of the apostles and patriarchs, as elaborated in John's Revelation, which also reveals numerous mysteries of sacred Scripture (Rev. 21).
Moreover, the circumference of this city is to be eighteen thousand reeds, a number also noted in the eighteenth Psalm, reflecting the natural law and the grace of the Gospel, upon which the Church, the city of the Savior, stands. Thus, this city will be referred to as Jerusalem—meaning the sight of peace—but also as Adonai sama, translated in Latin as Dominus ibidem (the Lord is there), who will remain present, unlike when He departed from the preceding people, saying to His disciples “Arise, let us depart from here” (John 14:31), and to the Jews, “Behold, your house is left desolate” (Matt. 23:38). Yet, He will reign eternally, being the sovereign for it, affirming His promise to His disciples: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).