Ezekiel 47:1-6

Water Flowing from the Temple

1 Then he brought me back to ¹the door of the temple, and behold, ²water was issuing from below ³the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of ⁴the altar.

2 Then he brought me out by way of ⁵the north gate and led me around on the outside to ⁶the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, ⁷the man measured a thousand cubits,^[a] and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.

4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.

5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

6 And he said to me, ⁸"Son of man, ⁹have you seen this?"Then he led me back to the bank of the river.

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Ezekiel 47:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 47

This chapter gives an account of the vision of the holy waters, and of the borders of the holy land, and the division of it to Israelites and strangers. The waters are described by the original and spring of them, Eze 47:1,2, by the progress and increase of them, Eze 47:3-5, by the healing and quickening nature of them, and the places where they were so, and were not, Eze 47:8-11, and by the trees which grew upon the banks of them, Eze 47:6,7,12. The borders of the holy land are fixed, Eze 47:13,14, the northern border, Eze 47:15-17, the eastern border, Eze 47:18, the southern, Eze 47:19, and the western, Eze 47:20, which is to be divided by lot to the tribes of Israel, and the strangers that sojourn among them, Eze 47:21-23.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 9

1. [Ezekiel 43:1, 2]
2. Psalms 46:4; Joel 3:18; [Zechariah 14:8; Revelation 22:1]
3. See Ezekiel 9:3
4. See Ezekiel 43:13
5. Ezekiel 40:35
6. [Ezekiel 40:6]
7. [Ezekiel 40:3]
8. See Ezekiel 2:1
9. [Ezekiel 8:6]

Footnotes 1

[a]. A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.