Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 47: The River of Life From the Sanctuary
Now the vision blossoms into one of the most beautiful pictures in all Scripture. Ezekiel sees 'waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward,' flowing from beside the altar. The guide leads him into the stream and measures it: at a thousand cubits the water is to the ankles, then the knees, then the loins, then 'waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over,' a river that grows deeper the farther it flows, though no tributary feeds it. Wherever it goes it brings life: it heals even the Dead Sea until it teems with fish, and on its banks grow trees whose 'leaf shall not fade,' bearing fruit for food and leaves for medicine, 'because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary.' It is the river of the Spirit of God, flowing from His presence to make everything live, and it ends, in Revelation, at the throne of God and of the Lamb.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Ezekiel chapter 47, the river of life from the temple and the borders of the land. For each section you will find the KJV text, key word studies, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. This chapter is one of the great pictures of the Holy Spirit and the life of God, echoed by the Lord Jesus and by the last chapter of the Bible. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Out of the Sanctuary
The waters flow from God's house, past the altar, eastward.
Waters to Swim In
The river grows deeper the farther it flows, beyond measure.
Everything Shall Live
Even the Dead Sea is healed; trees bear fruit and healing leaves.
Inheritance for All
Even the sojourner receives a portion among the tribes.
Every Thing Shall Live Whither the River Cometh (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
Waters flow from under the temple threshold and deepen the farther they run, until they are a river to swim in; wherever they go they bring life, healing even the salt sea, and on their banks grow trees of food and healing, because their waters flow from the sanctuary.
Because Their Waters They Issued Out of the Sanctuary
"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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 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 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. 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. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. 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."
Word Study
"waters issued out... at the south side of the altar." The source of the river is everything. It flows "from under the threshold of the house", from God's dwelling place, and specifically past "the south side of the altar", the place of sacrifice. Life pours out from the presence of God, by way of the altar where atonement is made. This is exactly the gospel order: the living water of the Spirit flows to the world from the throne of God through the finished sacrifice, "a pure river of water of life... proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).
"waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." The river deepens as it flows, ankles, knees, loins, then over the head, though nothing feeds it along the way. The life of God is inexhaustible and ever-increasing; there is always more of Him than we have yet known. We may wade at the ankles, or we may plunge in over our heads, but the river is always deeper than we have gone. This is the "rivers of living water" the Lord Jesus promised, "But this spake he of the Spirit" (John 7:38-39), a fulness that never runs dry.
Explanation
The guide brings Ezekiel to the temple door, and there flow "waters... from under the threshold of the house eastward," past "the south side of the altar." Then, measuring reed in hand, he leads the prophet into the stream at successive thousand-cubit marks: "to the ankles," "to the knees," "to the loins," and at last "waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." The river grows deeper the farther it runs, though no stream joins it, a miracle of ever-increasing life.
Then the guide shows what the river does. It flows down "into the sea", the Dead Sea, the saltiest, most lifeless water on earth, and "the waters shall be healed", filling with "a very great multitude of fish." Wherever the river reaches, "every thing shall live whither the river cometh." Fishermen line its banks. Only "the miry places... and the marishes" that the river does not reach stay "given to salt." And along both banks grow "all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade," bearing "new fruit according to his months," their fruit "for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine", all "because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary." Life, healing, and unfailing fruitfulness, all flowing from the presence of God.
Gospel Focus
This river is one of Scripture's clearest pictures of the Holy Spirit and the life of God. The Lord Jesus stood in the temple and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water", and John adds, "But this spake he of the Spirit" (John 7:37-39). The river that flows from the sanctuary is the Spirit of God, poured out from His presence to make everything live. Notice what it does: it heals the deadest sea, brings life "whithersoever" it comes, and feeds trees that never wither, "whose leaf shall not fade", like the blessed man "planted by the rivers of water" (Psalm 1:3). No place is too dead for this river; wherever it flows, death turns to teeming life. And it grows ever deeper, an endless supply, so that we are always invited further in. Yet there is a solemn note: "the miry places... shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt." Those who will not receive the flowing life of God remain in their death. The river runs the whole length of Scripture and empties into the last chapter of the Bible, "a pure river of water of life... and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1-2). The invitation still stands: "let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Come to Christ and drink; go deeper into the river; and let its life heal every dead place in you.
Inheritance for the Stranger (Ezekiel 47:13-23)
God sets the borders of the land to be divided among the twelve tribes as their inheritance, one as well as another, and, remarkably, commands that even the foreign sojourner who dwells among them receive a full portion as though born in the land.
They Shall Have Inheritance With You
"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. 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. 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; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. 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. 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. 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. The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 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. And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD."
Word Study
"the strangers that sojourn among you," ger (גֵּר). The ger was the foreigner, the non-Israelite living among God's people. Under the old law he was to be loved and protected, but here God goes further: the stranger who settles among Israel is to "have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel," treated "as born in the country." A share in the promised land, once for Israel only, is opened to the outsider. It is a bright anticipation of the gospel, in which "the Gentiles should be fellowheirs" (Ephesians 3:6), "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints" (Ephesians 2:19).
"one as well as another." The land is to be inherited equally, "one as well as another", not by merit or seniority but by God's gift, "concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers." Inheritance in God's kingdom is grace, a promised gift received alike by all His people. So the New Testament makes all believers "heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29), sharing one inheritance in Christ.
Explanation
Following the river, God gives the borders of the land, north, east, south, and west, to "be divided" among "the twelve tribes of Israel" as their "inheritance," "one as well as another." This is the land God had sworn to their fathers, now to be received as promised.
Then comes a striking, gracious command. The land is to be divided "for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you." The foreign sojourners who settle and raise families among Israel "shall be unto you as born in the country... they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel." The outsider is not merely tolerated but given a full portion in the promised land, in whatever tribe he dwells. In a vision all about the holiness and separateness of God's dwelling, God swings the door of inheritance open to the stranger.
Gospel Focus
This closing command is a shaft of gospel light near the end of the vision. God gives the stranger, the outsider, the non-Israelite, a full "inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel." That is precisely what the gospel accomplishes on a grander scale. In Christ, those who were once "strangers and foreigners" are made "fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19), and the Gentiles are made "fellowheirs, and of the same body" (Ephesians 3:6). The dividing line is erased, not by lowering God's holiness, but by grace bringing the outsider in. And the inheritance is received "one as well as another", by gift, not by rank or worth, so that "if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). The same river that flows out from the sanctuary to heal the whole earth carries the same message as this law of inheritance: the life and the inheritance of God are not hoarded for a few but poured out for all who will come, near and far, Jew and Gentile, native and stranger. If you feel like an outsider to the promises of God, hear this: in Christ you are given a full portion, as though born in the country, an heir with all the saints.
Chapter 47 in Review
Ezekiel 47 gives two of the vision's brightest pictures. First, the river of life: waters flowing "from under the threshold of the house," past the altar, deepening from ankles to knees to loins to "waters to swim in," a river that grows though nothing feeds it. Wherever it goes it brings life, healing even the Dead Sea until it teems with fish, and lining its banks with trees whose "leaf shall not fade," bearing fruit for food and leaves "for medicine", all "because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary." Second, the inheritance: the land divided among the tribes "one as well as another," and, remarkably, "the strangers that sojourn among you" given "inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel."
For the Apostolic reader both pictures are pure gospel. The river is the Holy Spirit, the life of God flowing from His presence through the finished sacrifice, exactly as the Lord Jesus promised, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water... this spake he of the Spirit." It heals the deadest places, never runs dry, and always invites us deeper, though those who refuse it are "given to salt." And it flows on to the last chapter of the Bible, to "the river of water of life" and the tree whose "leaves were for the healing of the nations." The inheritance opened to the stranger foreshadows the day when those "afar off" would be brought near and made "fellowheirs" in Christ. So the vision's God is a God who pours out His Spirit to make all things live, and opens His inheritance to the outsider. Come to Christ and drink; go deeper into the river; and receive your full portion as an heir of God.
- The river flows from God's presence, past the altar; life comes from His dwelling through the sacrifice (47:1; Revelation 22:1).
- The river deepens endlessly; there is always more of God than we have known (47:3-5; John 7:38-39).
- Wherever the river goes, death turns to life; it heals even the Dead Sea (47:9; John 4:14).
- Those who refuse the flowing life of God remain "given to salt" (47:11).
- The trees never wither and bear fruit and healing "because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary" (47:12; Psalm 1:3; Revelation 22:2).
- Even the stranger receives a full inheritance, foreshadowing Gentiles made fellowheirs in Christ (47:22-23; Ephesians 2:19; 3:6).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you wading at the ankles, or have you gone in over your head into the river of God's Spirit?
- The river heals the deadest places. What dead place in your life needs the flowing life of God?
- The marshes "given to salt" refused the river. Is there any part of your heart resisting the Spirit's flow?
- God gave the stranger a full inheritance. How does it comfort you that in Christ the outsider is made a full heir?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key term: ger ("stranger, sojourner," verse 22). The river from the sanctuary as the Holy Spirit and the life of God: John 7:37-39; 4:14; and its fulfillment in Revelation 22:1-2, 17, "a pure river of water of life... the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Parallel prophecies of living water from Jerusalem: Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8; Psalm 46:4. The tree by the water that never withers: Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:8. The stranger given inheritance foreshadows the Gentiles as fellowheirs: Ephesians 2:11-19; 3:6; Galatians 3:28-29; and the Old Testament love of the sojourner: Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:18-19. This temple vision (chapters 40-48) is read by godly interpreters in more than one way; we hold the details with humility while resting in its sure gospel meaning. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The river of life from the sanctuary, ever deepening and healing all it touches: Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 7:37-39; Revelation 22:1-2.
- The land inherited by the tribes, and a full inheritance opened to the stranger: Ezekiel 47:13-23; Ephesians 2:19; 3:6; Galatians 3:29.