The big picture
Ezekiel 47 opens in verse 1 with “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 12 with “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all…”, and closes in verse 23 with “And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye…” Repeated or prominent terms include waters, side, border, river, east. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 23Ezekiel 47:1-8
1–8: Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold…
Ezekiel 47:1–8 opens with “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from…” and reaches “Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 47 develops its own movement around waters, side, border, river, east, with particular weight carried by waters, house, measured.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of…” Naming Afterward keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me…” The number thousand makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to…” The number thousand makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Ezekiel 47:1-8
King James Version1Afterward 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.
2Then 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.
3And 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.
4Again 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.
5Afterward 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.
6And 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.
7Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8Then 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.
Ezekiel 47:9-16
9–16: It shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth…
Ezekiel 47:9–16 opens with “And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers…” and reaches “Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 47 develops its own movement around waters, side, border, river, east, with particular weight carried by border, fish, fruit.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD ; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
“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…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Ezekiel 47:9-16
King James Version9And 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.
10And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; 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.
11But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12And 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.
13Thus 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.
14And 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.
15And 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;
16Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.
Ezekiel 47:17-23
17–23: The border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and…
Ezekiel 47:17–23 opens with “And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north…” and reaches “And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 47 develops its own movement around waters, side, border, river, east, with particular weight carried by side, border, Israel.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this…” Naming Kadesh and Tamar keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 47:17-23
King James Version17And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.
18And 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.
19And 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.
20The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
21So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
22And 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.
23And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 47:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 47:11 forms a natural hinge: “But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.”
The final note
Ezekiel 47:23 leaves the reader with “And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD .”
A word trail through the chapter
The words waters, side, border, river, east, Israel help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does Jacob describe his life to Pharaoh?
As a pilgrimage, with years he calls few and difficult compared with his ancestors.
What tension does the famine policy create?
People survive, while land and economic dependence increasingly belong to Pharaoh.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- sojourn
- live somewhere as a resident outsider
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.