
The chapter starts out with the descriptions of where the land would be for 7 of the 12 tribes, then there was a break and the land in the middle would be set aside for special purposes and it would be holy land, with the land for the other 5 tribes at the bottom. First came the land for Dan in the far north. Then came the land for Asher, Naphtali, Mannaseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah. Everyone's boundaries extended from east to west.
The land in the middle, (South of Judah) that was holy and set apart, would have the temple in the center. Then there would be a section aside for the priests. Part of the land for the priests would only be for the ordained priests, the desendants of Zodak, who served God faithfully. Another part would be the land where the other priests, the Levites would live. None of this special holy land cold ever be sold, traded, or used by others, it belonged to the LORD.
South of the sacred Temple there would be a strip of land allotted for public use. It would be used for homes, pasture lands, and common lands with the city at the center. Open lands would surround the city in every direction. Outside the city there would be farm land that would produce food for the people working in the city. The area remaining to the east and west of the sacred land would belong to the prince.
South of the Prince's land would be the land for the rest of the tribes: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulan, and Gad.
On each of the four walls would be three gates. Each gate would be named after one of the tribes.
I noticed the names for the land divided and the names on the gates were different. The land divided above and below the holy land included Manasseh and Ephraim (Joseph's sons), and exluded Joseph and Levi, (of course the tribe of Levi had land in the holy land set apart for the priests), but the names on the gates were the orignial 12 tribes including Joseph and Levi, and excluding Manasseh and Ephraim.