Ezekiel Chapter 48 Vs. 30

The Gates of the City

And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. Eze. 48:30

And these are... The city of earthly Jerusalem will be foursquare with a wall and 3 gates on each side, and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on the gates, as in the new heavenly Jerusalem (Eze. 48:20, 48:30-34 with Rev. 21:12-16). The great difference will be in the size of the two cities. The earthly one will be about 9 miles square while the heavenly one will be 1,500 miles square, and the same measurement high.

four thousand and... About 9 square miles (Eze. 48:20, 48:32, 48:33, 48:34).

In describing the gates of the new city of Jerusalem, Ezekiel brought the city “full circle” from what it was at the beginning of his book. The city doomed for destruction will be restored to glory.

Everything north of the city together made up these 4500 measures.

All four sides when added together equal 18,000 cubits, which is nearly 6 miles around. Josephus, a Jewish historian, reported in the first century A.D. that Jerusalem was approximately 4 miles in perimeter.

The new city of Jerusalem will have 12 gates, 3 on each side. Why these gates are grouped as they are is obscure. The three gates on the north side (closest to the sanctuary) will be named for Reuben… Judah, and Levi. Perhaps these three were listed first because of their preeminent positions among the tribes. Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob’s 12 sons, Judah was the royal tribe, and Levi was the tribe of the priesthood. Also all three were children of Jacob’s first wife Leah (cf. Gen. 29:31-35).