“When you allot the land
As an inheritance,
You shall set apart
For Yahweh
A portion of the land
As a holy district,
Twenty-five thousand cubits long,
Twenty thousand cubits wide.
It shall be holy
Throughout its entire extent.”
Here is the grand design for the new Jerusalem. Yahweh wanted Ezekiel to set aside a large portion of the land to be holy, a true holy land. This was the expectation of a new configuration for Jerusalem, the holy city, not just the Temple itself. This rectangular area was about 25,000 by 20,000 cubits, a large section of land about 9 miles by 8 miles wide. How he was going to get this really big area was not clear.