45:1–8 The allocation of the land will be taken up in greater detail in ch. 47. The concern here is the sacred precincts. Ezekiel describes a sacred area in the middle of the land, a square about 8 miles (25,000 cubits) on a side, further subdivided into three strips of land (cf. Rev. 21:16). The northern zone (about 25 square miles) was set aside for the use of the Levites. The center zone contained the sanctuary and was set apart for the priests. The southern zone, about half the size of the other two, was given to the city itself. The area east and west of the 8-mile square was given to the prince, while the area north and south will be divided among the other tribes. Interestingly, in Ezekiel’s vision the temple itself was outside the city proper.