Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ezekiel 47

Introduction

1  The vision of the holy waters.
6  The virtue of them.
13  The borders of the land.
22  The division of it by lot.
Verse 1

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
the door
41:2,23-26
waters issued
Solomon's temple and the second temple were doubtless well supplied with water, probably conveyed there by means of pipes; but these waters flowed from the temple, not as a common sewer, but as a fertilizing river. A fountain producing abundance of water was not in the temple, and could not be there on the top of such a hill; and consequently these waters, as well as those spoken of by Joel and Zechariah, must be understood figuratively and typically. These waters doubtless were an emblem of the "gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;" and their gradual rise beautifully represents it progress, from small beginnings to an immensely large increase; and the latter part of the representation may relate to the times when it shall fill the earth, and produce the most extensive and important effects on the state of making in every nation.
Psalms 46:4, Isaiah 30:25, 55:1, Jeremiah 2:13, Joel 3:18, Zechariah 13:1, 14:8, John 7:37-39, Revelation 22:1,17
from under the threshold
12, Isaiah 2:3
Verse 2

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
northward
44:2,4
Verse 3

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
the man
40:3, Zechariah 2:1, Revelation 11:1, 21:15
waters were to the ancles
Heb. waters of the ancles.
Luke 24:49, Acts 2:4,33, 10:45,46, 11:16-18
Verse 4

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
the waters were to the knees
Acts 19:10-20, Romans 15:19, Colossians 1:6
Verse 5

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
waters to swim in
Heb. waters of swimming.
Isaiah 11:9, Daniel 2:34,35, Habakkuk 2:14, Matthew 13:31,32, Revelation 7:9, 11:15, 20:2-4
Verse 6

And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
hast thou
8:17, 40:4, 44:5, Jeremiah 1:11-13, Zechariah 4:2, 5:2, Matthew 13:51
Verse 7

Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
bank
Heb. lip.
1 Kings 9:26, 2 Kings 2:13; *marg:
many
12, Genesis 2:9,10, Revelation 22:2
Verse 8

Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
and go down
Isaiah 35:1,7, 41:17-19, 43:20, 44:3-5, 49:9, Jeremiah 31:9
desert
or, plain.
Deuteronomy 3:17, 4:49, Joshua 3:16
the sea
This was the Dead sea, or sea of Sodom, east of Jerusalem, in which it is said no living creature is found; or, at least, from its extreme saltness, it does not abound with fish like other seas. The healing of these waters denotes the calling of the Gentiles.
the waters
2 Kings 2:19-22, Isaiah 11:6-9, Malachi 1:11, Matthew 13:15
Verse 9

And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
every thing
John 3:16, 11:26
rivers
Heb. two rivers.
Psalms 78:16
shall live
John 5:25, 6:63, 11:25, 14:6,19, Romans 8:2, 1 Corinthians 15:45, Ephesians 2:1-5
a very great
Isaiah 49:12, 60:3-10, Zechariah 2:11, 8:21-23, Acts 2:41,47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:7, Acts 21:20
Greek
for they.
Exodus 15:26, Psalms 103:3, Isaiah 30:26
Verse 10

And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
fishers
Apostles and preachers of the gospel.
Matthew 4:19, 13:47-50, Mark 1:17, Luke 5:4-10, John 21:3-11
En-gedi
2 Chronicles 20:2
the fish
Great quantities of all kinds of fish usually caught in the Mediterranean, genuine converts of all nations, kindreds, and people.
the great sea
15, 48:28, Numbers 34:6, Joshua 23:4, Psalms 104:25
exceeding
Isaiah 49:12,20
Verse 11

But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
the miry places
Those who reject, neglect, or pervert the gospel.
shall not be healed, they shall be
or, and that which shall not be, shall be, etc.
Hebrews 6:4-8, 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:19-22, Revelation 21:8, 22:11
given
Deuteronomy 29:23, Judges 9:45, Psalms 107:34, Jeremiah 17:6, Mark 9:48,49
Verse 12

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
by the river
7, Psalms 92:12, Isaiah 60:21, 61:3
grow
Heb. come up. trees for meat. Probably, believers, "trees of righteousness," who still bring forth, "fruit unto holiness," and "whose end is eternal life."
whose
Job 8:16, Psalms 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8
new
or, principal. medicine. or, bruises and sores.
Isaiah 1:6, Jeremiah 8:22, Revelation 22:2
Verse 13

Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.
This shall
Numbers 34:2-12
Joseph
48:4-6, Genesis 48:5, 49:26, 1 Chronicles 5:1, Jeremiah 3:18, 31:1
Verse 14

And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.
lifted up mine hand
or, swore.
20:5,6,28,42, Genesis 12:7, 13:15, 15:7, 17:8, 26:3, 28:13, Numbers 14:16,30
fall
48:29, Proverbs 16:33
Verse 15

And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;
And this
Hethlon
48:1
Zedad
Numbers 34:8
Verse 16

Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.
Hamath
Numbers 13:21, 34:8, 1 Kings 8:65, Amos 6:14, Zechariah 9:2
Berothah
2 Samuel 8:8
Berothai
Damascus.
Genesis 14:15, 1 Chronicles 18:5, Acts 9:2
Hazar-hatticon
or, the middle village. Hauran. The district of Auranitis, now Haouran, S. W. of Damascus.
Verse 17

And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.
the border from
The Holy Land, as here described, extended from about 31 degrees to 35 degrees N. lat. and from 34 degrees to 37 degrees E. long.; being bounded on the north by a line drawn from the Mediterranean to Hamath; on the east by Damascus, Hauran, Gilead, and the land of Israel east of Jordan, unto the south of the Dead sea; on the south by Tamar and Kadesh, unto the river of Rhinocorura; and on the west by the Mediterranean sea, from the same point northward "till a man came over against Hamath;" and its length from north to south would be about 280 miles, and its breadth about 150 miles. The ten tribes, as well as Judah and Benjamin, were to be admitted to a full share in this inheritance, which seems to imply, that the future restoration to the promised land is predicted; while the admission of strangers who sojourned in the land to a share in the inheritance, as if native Israelites, plainly intimates the calling of the Gentiles into the church, and their joint inheritance of its privileges, and of the heavenly felicity.
Hazarenan
48:1, Numbers 34:9
Verse 18

And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.
from
Heb. from between. from Gilead.
Genesis 31:23,47
Galead
Numbers 32:1, Judges 10:8
Jordan
Genesis 13:10, Job 40:23
Verse 19

And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.
Tamar
48:28
strife
or, Meribah.
Numbers 20:13, Deuteronomy 32:51, 33:8, Psalms 81:7
river
or, valley.
Joshua 12:3
southward
or, toward Teman.
Verse 22

And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
ye shall divide
13,14
and to the strangers
Isaiah 56:6,7, Acts 2:5-10, 11:18, Ephesians 2:12,13,19-22, 3:6, Revelation 7:9,10
they shall have
Acts 15:9, Romans 10:12, Galatians 3:28,29, Colossians 3:11

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