A future vision of the Land of Israel reveals a profound geographical and spiritual reorganization during the time of redemption. Unlike historical settlements, this new arrangement features perfect order, anchored by a massive, sacred center that serves as the beating heart of the entire country. The land will be divided and distributed among the people, a process typically done by casting lots [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Many commentators emphasize that this future distribution will look completely different from the historical division during the days of Joshua. In the past, territories were assigned based on the population size of each tribe, sometimes resulting in multiple tribes sharing a single region. In the future, however, the country will be divided into twelve perfectly equal strips of land. These strips will run parallel to one another from east to west, neatly arranged like rows of vines in a vineyard [רש״י, אברבנאל].
From this newly organized land, the Israelites are commanded to separate a specific area and dedicate it entirely to God [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Just as a person sets aside a holy portion from the harvest of a field, a dedicated piece of land must be carved out from the country itself [אברבנאל]. The primary purpose of this separated territory is to serve as the site for the Third Temple [רש״י]. Additionally, it will provide living quarters for the Temple servants, namely the Priests and Levites, and accommodate the needs of a vastly expanded city of Jerusalem, which will belong to all the Israelites [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The exact dimensions of this sacred area are carefully measured, with a length of twenty-five thousand units and a width of ten thousand. The commentators agree that in this context, length always refers to the east-west geographical axis, while width refers to the north-south axis [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. A broader square of land will be set aside in the center of the country, situated between the territories of Judah and Benjamin. Out of this larger square, a specific strip matching these exact measurements will be allocated exclusively to the Priests, and the Temple Mount and the Temple will stand precisely in its center [מלבי״ם].
The sheer, massive scale of these measurements has sparked debate throughout the generations. However, [אברבנאל] strongly opposes anyone who interprets these dimensions as a mere spiritual allegory. He argues that this is a literal, physical description of the future expansion of Jerusalem and the Temple, which will spread across an enormous area covering tens of miles. Ultimately, this entire designated territory will be absolutely holy, completely set apart from the rest of the land across its entire space and perimeter [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].