Ezekiel 47:1-12

Waters from under the Temple

1 Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.

2 Next he brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side.

3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits ^[a] and led me through ankle-deep water.

4 Then he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through knee-deep water. Again he measured a thousand cubits and led me through waist-deep water.

5 Once again he measured off a thousand cubits, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough for swimming—a river that could not be crossed on foot.

6 “Son of man, do you see this?” he asked. Then he led me back to the bank of the river.

7 When I arrived, I saw a great number of trees along both banks of the river.

8 And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, ^[b] the water there becomes fresh. ^[c]

9 Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.

10 Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. ^[d]

11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.

12 Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”

Ezekiel 47:1-12 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1,000 (long) cubits is approximately 1,750 feet or 533.4 meters.
• [b]. That is, the Dead Sea
• [c]. Hebrew is healed; similarly in verses 9 and 11
• [d]. That is, the Mediterranean Sea; also in verses 15, 19, and 20