Bible Strands
Ezekiel 48:3
Naphtali will have one portion bordering the territory of Asher from east to west.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezekiel records a prophetic vision detailing the future territorial division of the land among the twelve tribes. The text addresses the exiled community by outlining a precise, ordered allocation of land from east to west.
The words — The verse hinges on `גְּב֣וּל (ge.Vul)`, meaning "border," and `קָדִ֛ימָ/ה (ka.Di.ma/h)`, meaning "eastward," which establish the exact spatial boundaries of the allotment. These terms frame the portion as a defined strip of territory rather than a vague region.
The thread — This allocation echoes the earlier tribal boundaries recorded in Joshua 19:32 and traces back to Naphtali’s origin in Genesis 30:7. The prophecy revisits the tribe’s historical inheritance while projecting it into a restored, symmetrical land division.
Why it lands — The text demands attention to the exactness of divine geography, where each tribe receives a measured strip aligned with its neighbors. It requires the reader to recognize the structured restoration of tribal territories without allegorizing the physical boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
Cross-references
- Joshua 19:32 The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali:
- Genesis 30:7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.