Ezekiel 47:1-7

1 The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east, the direction the Temple faced. It was flowing down from under the south part of the Temple past the south side of the altar. ¹

2 The man then took me out of the Temple area by way of the north gate and led me around to the gate that faces east. A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate.

3 With his measuring rod the man measured 560 yards downstream to the east and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles.

4 Then he measured another 560 yards, and the water came up to my knees. Another 560 yards farther down, the water was up to my waist.

5 He measured 560 yards more, and there the stream was so deep I could not wade through it. It was too deep to cross except by swimming.

6 He said to me, "Mortal man, note all this carefully." Then the man took me back to the riverbank,

7 and when I got there, I saw that there were very many trees on each bank.

Ezekiel 47:1-7 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.

Cross References

• 1. 47.1Zechariah 14.8;John 7.38;Revelation 22.1.