יחזקאל, פרק מ״ח, פסוק י״ח

The future division of the land includes specific areas set aside for public needs and those who serve the community. After carving out the central space for the city, large reserves of land remain on either side. The total length of this designated section spans twenty-five thousand units. With the city and its surrounding open spaces occupying five thousand units in the very center, two equal tracts of ten thousand remain, stretching out to the east and to the west. These tracts are situated directly opposite the holy portion of land reserved for the priests and Levites [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Together, these remaining twenty thousand units of land are strictly dedicated to agriculture. The space is meant for planting fields, vineyards, and gardens [רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. The food grown in these areas is designated specifically to feed the workers of the city.

The identity of these workers is viewed from two different perspectives. The primary approach among commentators is that these are the residents of the city themselves—representatives gathered from all the tribes of Israel. These individuals live in the area and are responsible for the city's maintenance, its ongoing development, agricultural work, and various official duties [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, another tradition identifies these city workers specifically as the Gibeonites, the group historically assigned to the roles of chopping wood and drawing water [רש״י]. While this specific identification is often shared as an oral tradition, it is firmly rooted in early rabbinic sources, including the Jerusalem Talmud and various Midrashic texts [חומת אנך].