יחזקאל, פרק מ״ח, פסוק י״ט

In the vision of the future Holy City, the division of roles and economic responsibilities highlights a deep bond of mutual care between those who serve the public and the entire nation. The primary approach among commentators is that the individuals living and working in the city manage its needs on behalf of all the Israelites. Because these public servants dedicate their time to acting for the benefit of the rest of the tribes, the entire nation carries a duty to support them. The people repay their service by providing for their livelihood, sending them gifts, and granting them a shared strip of land designated for fields and vineyards [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

A more literal view suggests a different arrangement. In this approach, the city workers themselves are the ones who will farm the designated agricultural land, and these workers will be drawn from every tribe across the nation [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

An additional layer of interpretation, rooted in early traditions, connects the city workers to the Gibeonites, who historically served as woodchoppers and water carriers. According to this tradition, God will completely remove the Gibeonites in the future, an idea derived from reading the text as an expression of destruction rather than service [מנחת שי]. However, this concept is firmly rejected by others. It is argued that it makes no sense for the Gibeonites to continue serving in the future, and it is even more unthinkable that they would be the ones residing in the holy city of Jerusalem on behalf of the Israelites [רד״ק].

Beyond the specific roles of the city workers, another tradition learns from these future events that the land of Israel will eventually be divided into thirteen portions, with the additional share granted to the prince [מנחת שי].