47 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the 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 the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the 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, the man measured a thousand cubits,1 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, “Son of man, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;2 when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.3 9 And wherever the river goes,4 every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea5 may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.6 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
Section Overview
Thus far, Ezekiel’s vision has been focused narrowly on the temple (chs. 40–46). Apart from a brief description of the sacred district around the temple (45:1–8), everything has had to do with the temple itself, with emphasis placed on walls and gates, entrances and exits, and access or denial to sacred space. In this world of heightened sanctity, sharp lines and clear boundaries are vital in order to allow the divine presence to remain at the heart of his people, dwelling in the temple. The remainder of Ezekiel’s vision, however, lifts the prophet’s eyes more broadly to survey the remainder of the land and in particular to take note of the one feature of the temple that transcends limits and boundaries, bringing the blessing of life outward from the sacred space at the heart of the community to the rest of the land. The temple exists not for itself but to revivify the entire land, just as surely as the dry bones were revitalized in chapter 37.
Section Outline
IV. Oracles of Good News (33:1–48:35) . . .
D. The Renewed Temple (40:1–48:35) . . .
3. The Life-Giving River (47:1–12)
Response
The connection between rivers and sanctuaries is common throughout the ancient Near East, including in the Bible. The sanctuary in Eden has a river that flows out to all four points of the compass, bringing fruitfulness as it goes (Gen. 2:10). A river in Psalm 46 brings joy to the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High (Ps. 46:4). Likewise, the new Jerusalem has a river of life that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). Like all those streams, Ezekiel’s river also brings life wherever it goes. Yet it is distinct and different in two ways. First, it starts from very small beginnings, barely more than a dripping faucet, growing to become the mightiest of all the rivers, uncrossable in its torrent. Second, it does not merely bring life but specifically brings life from the dead. It is in these distinct features that the significance of Ezekiel’s river is to be found.
The rapid growth of the river from tiny beginnings is clearly supernatural, reminding the prophet and his hearers not to “despise the day of small things” (Zech. 4:10). The saving, life-giving work of God may start out as a tiny trickle, but it will ultimately become a flooding river of abundance through the work of God’s Spirit (Zech. 4:6). To use Jesus’ analogy, the tiny mustard seed (the kingdom of God) grows up to become a mighty tree (Matt. 13:31–32).
Likewise, the river miraculously brings life from the dead, the message that Ezekiel’s hearers struggle to believe (cf. Ezek. 37:1–14). The Lord, by his Spirit, takes people who are spiritually dead and makes them alive in Christ, giving them new birth from above (John 3). That process too is mysterious, like the blowing of the wind (John 3:8), though its effects cannot be missed. That regenerating work too may begin in small ways, but God will bring it to completion in his own time.
This is not the first instance in the OT in which the Lord turns bitter water sweet. In Exodus 15 the Lord transforms the water at Marah as a demonstration of his power as yhwh raphaʾ (“the Lord, your healer”; Ex. 15:22–26). Similarly, when the city of Jericho is foolishly rebuilt after being placed under a curse by Joshua (cf. Josh. 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34), the people of the city appeal to the prophet Elisha because of the “bad water” of that city (2 Kings 2:19). God graciously “heals” the water, counterintuitively through the addition of salt (2 Kings 2:21–22); salt is used because its preservative power makes it a symbol of unchanging faithfulness, and thus a regular part of covenant meals (cf. 2 Chron. 13:5). So too in Ezekiel 47 the message is that God’s transforming power flows out from the temple into the wider community, transforming dead sinners to new life through his unchanging faithfulness. This explains the otherwise obscure reference to the continued existence of the salt marshes around the shores of the Dead Sea (Ezek. 47:11): the salt is necessary for the celebration of this enduring covenant communion between the restored people and their faithful God.
Through the gracious return of the Lord’s presence to dwell in the midst of his people, salvation and new life will come to Israel, as the river clearly demonstrates. Yet in the gospel an even larger salvation and blessing come into view through God’s coming to dwell among people. When Christ comes he opens a fountain of cleansing not just for Israel but for the world. Those who believe in him become miniature sanctuaries themselves, from which this blessing flows to those around them (John 7:38). No wonder the angels burst into song at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). In the gospel, salvation and blessing have arrived for the healing not just of Israel but for the nations as well (Rev. 22:2).Ezekiel 47:1–12
Ezekiel 47:13–48:35