The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be ten thousand cubits to the east, and ten thousand to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion: The city will take up 5,000 cubits of the length of the additional strip of land that will border on the holy land of the priests and the Levites. The total length of that land will be 25,000 cubits (see verse 15). The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion refers to the 20,000 cubits left after deducting the 5,000 cubits of the city. Since the city will be in the center of this land, there will be ten thousand cubits to the east, and ten thousand to the west of the city. Ten thousand cubits is equivalent to about 5 kilometers (3 miles). These two tracts of land will be alongside the holy portion, that is, on the southern border of the holy area. Although the text repeats the information about these tracts bordering on the holy area, translators may omit one of the references if that is more natural in their language.

Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city: The two tracts of land will “be used as farmland” (Good News Translation). Its produce refers to the food that will be grown on this land. It will be food for the workers of the city. These workers may be the people who will work in Jerusalem to look after the pilgrims who come to worship at the Temple. Since each tribe will have its own land, it is unlikely that anybody will live permanently in Jerusalem.

And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it: The city workers will come from all the tribes of Israel (see 37.19) and live there for short periods, serving the needs of the pilgrim worshipers. Possibly the different tribes will take turns sending some of their people to work in Jerusalem for short periods at a time. It is these short-term residents of Jerusalem who will till it, that is, “farm the land” (Contemporary English Version; similarly Good News Translation, New International Reader’s Version, New Living Translation, Complete Jewish Bible).

A model for verses 18-19 is:

• 18 Along the portion of land set aside for me [the LORD] there will remain a strip of land that will extend 5 kilometers to the east of the city and 5 kilometers to the west of the city. This land should be used to grow food for the people who work in the city. 19 These workers who will come from all the tribes of Israel can farm this land [or, grow food here for themselves].

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .