Ezekiel Chapter 47
Ezekiel 47
The River of Life
Ezekiel 47 moves from the measured temple and its ordered worship to the life-giving river that flows from the sanctuary. The glory of the LORD has returned to the temple, the altar has been consecrated, the priests and prince have been given their proper roles, and now Ezekiel sees water flowing from under the threshold of the house. This river begins as a trickle from the temple, increases miraculously in depth, flows eastward, heals the Dead Sea, produces abundant fish, and nourishes trees whose fruit is for food and whose leaves are for medicine. The chapter then turns to the borders of the land and the inheritance of the tribes of Israel, showing again that Ezekiel’s vision concerns a real restored land, real tribal allotments, and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to the fathers. The uploaded notes emphasize the literal future river, its spiritual significance as life from God, the healing of the Dead Sea, the fruit-bearing trees, the defined borders of Israel, Joseph’s double portion, and the gracious inheritance given even to strangers dwelling among Israel.
A. The river from the temple.
1. Ezekiel 47:1-2, The river’s source: the temple.
Ezekiel 47:1, 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.
Ezekiel 47:2, 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.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house means Ezekiel is brought back to the temple proper. The vision does not move away from the sanctuary as though the temple were incidental. Everything in these chapters centers on the LORD’s house, because the glory of God has returned there. The river begins where God dwells.
Behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward introduces something never seen in Israel’s former temples. Solomon’s temple had glory, sacrifices, priests, singers, courts, vessels, and altar service, but it did not have a river flowing from under its threshold. Zerubbabel’s temple and Herod’s temple did not have this river. Ezekiel is seeing something future, miraculous, and tied to the kingdom restoration.
The source of the river is crucial. It does not come from the palace of the prince, the seat of human government, the marketplace, the military, or the city’s natural springs. It comes from the house of God. Life flows from the presence of the LORD.
This matches a repeated biblical principle: life, blessing, cleansing, and fruitfulness come from God Himself.
Psalm 36:7, How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Psalm 36:8, They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psalm 36:9, For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
For the forefront of the house stood toward the east reminds us again of the eastward orientation of the temple. The glory returned from the east, and now the waters flow eastward from the temple.
Ezekiel 43:1, Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
Ezekiel 43:2, And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
The same direction associated with the return of glory is now associated with the outflow of life. Where God’s glory dwells, life flows.
The waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar gives the location more specifically. The water flows from the temple, passing by the altar area. That is theologically important. The life-giving river is connected with the house of God and the altar. In the fullest biblical theology, life flows from God through sacrifice. In the millennial temple, the altar and offerings memorialize the finished work of Christ, and the river visibly displays the life and blessing that flow from the presence of God.
The altar never saves by itself. Christ alone saves. But the altar points to the truth that access, cleansing, fellowship, and life come through the sacrifice God provides.
John 19:34, But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
1 John 5:6, This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and-blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward means Ezekiel does not simply walk straight east through the east gate. The eastern gate has special restrictions because the glory of the LORD entered by it. Therefore, Ezekiel is led by another route.
And led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward means he is taken around the outside to observe the water as it exits the temple area.
Behold, there ran out waters on the right side confirms that the waters are visibly flowing out. What began under the threshold is now seen running outside the sanctuary complex.
This river should not be reduced to symbolism only. It certainly has spiritual meaning, because water in Scripture often speaks of life, cleansing, refreshment, and the Spirit. But Ezekiel gives a geographic, directional, temple-centered description that fits other kingdom prophecies of actual waters flowing from Jerusalem.
Joel prophesied a fountain from the house of the LORD.
Joel 3:18, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the-hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come-forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Zechariah prophesied living waters from Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:8, And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward-the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Therefore, the best reading is both literal and rich in spiritual meaning. A real river will flow in the kingdom, and that river will visibly proclaim the spiritual truth that life comes from the presence of the LORD.
2. Ezekiel 47:3-5, The river’s increasing depth.
Ezekiel 47:3, 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.
Ezekiel 47:4, 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.
Ezekiel 47:5, 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.
The man that had the line in his hand recalls the measuring guide from Ezekiel 40. The one who measured the temple now measures the river. The same precision that marked the temple architecture also marks the outflow of life from the temple. God measures both His house and the blessing that flows from it.
Went forth eastward follows the direction of the river. The water flows away from the temple toward the east, toward the region that will include the Dead Sea.
He measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters means Ezekiel is not merely shown the river from a distance. He is brought into it. The prophet experiences the water personally. Revelation from God is not meant only for detached observation. Ezekiel is made to feel the depth and growth of the river.
The waters were to the ankles means the river begins at a shallow depth. At this first measured point, Ezekiel can walk in it easily. It is real water, but not yet deep water.
Spiritually, ankle-deep water can picture the beginning of experience with the life of God. A man may truly be in the water, yet still only at the shallows. There is life, contact, and refreshment, but there is much more depth ahead. This is only an analogy, not the main interpretation. The main interpretation is a real river in the kingdom. But the spiritual lesson is still powerful: God’s people should not be content with ankle-deep experience of divine life.
Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees means after another thousand cubits, the river is deeper. There is no mention of tributaries feeding it. The increase is miraculous. A small trickle from the temple becomes a growing river by divine power.
Knee-deep water naturally suggests prayer, dependence, and deeper yieldedness before God. The knees are associated with humility and supplication.
Psalm 95:6, O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Ephesians 3:14, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 3:15, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Ephesians 3:16, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his-Spirit in the inner man;
The river deepens, and so must the life of worship, prayer, and dependence.
Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins means the water rises to the waist. At this depth, the river begins to affect movement. A man can still stand, but he feels the force of the water. The river is no longer only something he walks through; it begins to control how he walks.
The loins in Scripture are often connected with strength, readiness, and service. To have the waters at the loins suggests that the life flowing from God begins to govern strength and action.
1 Peter 1:13, Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace-that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Again, this is a spiritual application, not a replacement of the literal prophecy. The literal prophecy is that the river rapidly and miraculously deepens. The application is that God’s life is meant to carry His people into deeper surrender, strength, and usefulness.
Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over means after four thousand cubits, the river has become uncrossable. This is remarkable. A river that began as water issuing from under the threshold becomes a great river in a short distance.
For the waters were risen, waters to swim in means Ezekiel can no longer stand on the bottom. The river is now beyond his control. He must swim. He must be carried by the water rather than merely walking through it.
This is one of the great pictures of abundance in Ezekiel. God’s blessing is not meager. It increases. It deepens. It becomes greater than man can manage. The river from the temple is not a canal engineered by men. It is a miraculous outflow of divine life.
Jesus used water imagery to speak of the life of the Spirit.
John 4:13, Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
John 4:14, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that-I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus also spoke of rivers of living water flowing from the believer.
John 7:37, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man-thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
John 7:38, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers-of living water.
John 7:39, But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy-Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
In Ezekiel 47 the river flows from the temple in the kingdom. In John 7 Jesus applies living-water imagery to the Spirit given to believers. Both truths stand: God will one day give a literal river from the millennial temple, and even now He gives spiritual life by the Holy Ghost through faith in Christ.
A river that could not be passed over means the river has become too deep and too powerful for human mastery. That is fitting. The life and blessing that come from God are greater than man can control or exhaust.
3. Ezekiel 47:6-12, The power of the river.
Ezekiel 47:6, 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.
Ezekiel 47:7, Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one-side and on the other.
Ezekiel 47:8, 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.
Ezekiel 47:9, 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.
Ezekiel 47:10, 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.
Ezekiel 47:11, But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
Ezekiel 47:12, 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.
Son of man, hast thou seen this? means Ezekiel is called to consider carefully what he has experienced. The guide does not want him merely to notice the water level. He wants him to understand the significance of the river. God is showing him a miracle of life flowing from the restored sanctuary.
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river means Ezekiel is brought back to the bank so he can observe what the river does. It is not enough to know the river’s source and depth. Ezekiel must also see its effects.
At the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other means the river produces life along both banks. Where the river flows, trees grow. The barren and dry places become fruitful. This is Eden-like imagery, but it is also kingdom imagery.
Psalm 1 uses the image of a fruitful tree by water to describe the blessed man.
Psalm 1:1, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way-of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psalm 1:2, But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and-night.
Psalm 1:3, And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit-in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Jeremiah uses similar imagery for the man who trusts in the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:7, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jeremiah 17:8, For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by-the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be-careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
The trees beside Ezekiel’s river show the same principle on a kingdom scale. Life from God produces fruitfulness.
These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert means the river flows into the dry and barren region east of Jerusalem. The Hebrew idea points toward the Arabah, the deep valley area leading toward the Dead Sea.
And go into the sea refers to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is known for its high salt content and lack of normal fish life. It is a fitting picture of barrenness and death.
Which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed is one of the great miracles in the chapter. The river from the sanctuary heals the waters of the Dead Sea. The lifeless sea becomes living.
This is not merely poetic optimism. The text describes a real geographical transformation. In the kingdom, the land itself will experience healing. God’s redemption touches creation, not only individual souls.
Paul teaches that creation itself waits for deliverance.
Romans 8:19, For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:20, For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected-the same in hope,
Romans 8:21, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children-of God.
The healing of the Dead Sea is one example of that kingdom restoration. The curse brought death and barrenness; the reign of Messiah brings healing and life.
Every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live means the river brings life wherever it goes. The effect is universal along its course. It does not merely improve the land slightly. It transforms death into life.
There shall be a very great multitude of fish shows the abundance of life. The Dead Sea, once lifeless in this sense, becomes full of fish.
Because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed gives the reason. The river heals the sea, and healing produces life.
Every thing shall live whither the river cometh is the central principle. The life of God conquers death. Where the sanctuary river comes, life comes.
This same principle is true spiritually. Where the gospel of Christ comes in power, dead sinners live. Where the Spirit of God works, barren lives become fruitful. Where the word of God flows, life follows.
Ephesians 2:1, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephesians 2:4, But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Ephesians 2:5, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved;
Yet again, the spiritual application must not erase the literal promise. Ezekiel is describing a kingdom river healing a real sea.
The fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim means fishing communities will exist along the healed waters. Engedi is on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Eneglaim is less certain in exact location, but together they mark a stretch where fishermen will work.
They shall be a place to spread forth nets means the waters will be full enough of fish to support fishing. Nets will be spread where no such fishing was possible before.
Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many means the fish will be numerous and varied, like those of the Mediterranean Sea. The miracle is not token life, but abundant life.
This is the kind of abundance associated with Messiah’s kingdom.
Isaiah 35:1, The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as-the rose.
Isaiah 35:2, It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given-unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency-of our God.
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt means some swampy or marshy places will remain saline. This does not contradict the healing of the sea. God leaves certain areas for salt.
Salt had value in the ancient world for seasoning, preservation, and covenant symbolism.
Leviticus 2:13, And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt-of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer-salt.
The remaining salt areas may preserve useful resources while the main waters are healed for life. The point is that God’s restoration is purposeful and ordered. He heals what He chooses to heal and preserves what He chooses to preserve.
By the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat means the river nourishes fruit trees on both banks. These trees are for food. The healed land becomes productive and sustaining.
Whose leaf shall not fade means the trees remain fresh and living. Their leaves do not wither because their source does not fail.
Neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed means the fruit will not fail, be exhausted, or come to an end.
It shall bring forth new fruit according to his months means the trees will bear fruit every month. This is extraordinary fruitfulness, sustained by the river from the sanctuary.
Because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary gives the reason for the never-failing fruit. The trees are fruitful because they are nourished by water from the sanctuary. The life source is holy. The river comes from the place where God dwells.
The fruit thereof shall be for meat means the fruit is for food. It sustains life.
And the leaf thereof for medicine means the leaves serve for healing. The river brings not only life but continuing health and restoration.
Revelation later describes a river and tree of life in the eternal state, with similar imagery but not identical geography.
Revelation 22:1, And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the-throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:2, In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree-of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the-tree were for the healing of the nations.
Ezekiel’s river flows from the millennial temple and heals the Dead Sea. Revelation’s river flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the eternal state, where there is no temple because God and the Lamb are the temple.
Revelation 21:22, And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
The similarity shows continuity in God’s purpose: life from God, fruitfulness, and healing. The difference shows that Ezekiel 47 belongs to the millennial kingdom, not the eternal state.
B. The borders of the land.
1. Ezekiel 47:13-14, The promise of the land, and two portions for Joseph.
Ezekiel 47:13, 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.
Ezekiel 47:14, 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.
Thus saith the Lord GOD gives divine authority to the land allotment. The borders are not political guesses or human claims. God Himself defines the inheritance.
This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land shows that the land is real and bounded. Borders belong to geography, not vague symbolism. Ezekiel now moves from the river’s course to the land’s boundaries.
The land promise has been central since Abraham.
Genesis 12:1, Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and-from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;-and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12:3, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in-thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 13:14, And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes,-and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
Genesis 13:15, For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for-ever.
God later defined the land promise by covenant.
Genesis 15:18, In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given-this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Genesis 15:19, The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
Genesis 15:20, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
Genesis 15:21, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
The promise was repeated to Isaac.
Genesis 26:3, Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee,-and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware-unto Abraham thy father;
And it was repeated to Jacob.
Genesis 28:13, And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy-father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and-to thy seed;
Therefore, Ezekiel’s land borders are not an accidental appendix. They are the fulfillment of covenant promises. God swore real land to real patriarchs and their real descendants.
According to the twelve tribes of Israel means all Israel is in view. The nation that had been divided into north and south will be restored as a unified twelve-tribe people.
This agrees with Ezekiel 37.
Ezekiel 37:21, And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from-among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their-own land:
Ezekiel 37:22, And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall-be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into-two kingdoms any more at all:
Joseph shall have two portions means Joseph’s inheritance is represented through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This follows the old pattern of Israel’s tribal inheritance.
Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own for inheritance purposes.
Genesis 48:5, And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt-before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
Genesis 48:6, And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name-of their brethren in their inheritance.
That is why Joseph receives two portions. Levi’s land role is different because the LORD is the inheritance of the priestly tribe, and Joseph’s two sons receive tribal portions.
Ye shall inherit it, one as well as another means the tribal inheritance will be assigned in ordered fairness. The future land distribution is not based on oppression, conquest, or political manipulation, but divine appointment.
Concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers is oath language. God swore this land to the fathers. The fulfillment of the land promise is tied to God’s own faithfulness.
Moses used this same language of God lifting His hand in oath.
Exodus 6:8, And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to-Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
This land shall fall unto you for inheritance means the promise will be fulfilled. Israel’s future inheritance is not merely heavenly, spiritual, or symbolic. The land itself will fall to them by the LORD’s decree.
2. Ezekiel 47:15-20, The borders of the land on every side.
Ezekiel 47:15, 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;
Ezekiel 47:16, Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon,-which is by the coast of Hauran.
Ezekiel 47:17, 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.
Ezekiel 47:18, 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.
Ezekiel 47:19, 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.
Ezekiel 47:20, The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath.-This is the west side.
This shall be the border of the land continues the geographical detail. God gives borders on the north, east, south, and west. The detail resists a purely allegorical interpretation. Symbolic lands do not need this kind of boundary description.
Toward the north side, from the great sea begins with the Mediterranean Sea and moves through northern boundary markers. The great sea is the western reference point.
The way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim lists northern locations. Some of these are difficult to locate with certainty today, especially because the kingdom age may involve significant geographic changes. Yet the general direction is clear: the northern border reaches into the region associated with Hamath, Damascus, and Hauran.
Which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath further locates the northern boundary in relation to known ancient regions.
The border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath completes the northern boundary.
And this is the north side confirms that the first border section is complete.
These borders resemble and develop earlier land descriptions given to Moses.
Numbers 34:1, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 34:2, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; this is-the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:
Numbers 34:7, And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:
Numbers 34:8, From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of-the border shall be to Zedad:
Numbers 34:9, And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan:-this shall be your north border.
The east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan gives the eastern boundary. The eastern border runs along the Jordan region toward the eastern sea, which in this context is the Dead Sea.
From the border unto the east sea identifies the southern movement of the eastern border toward the Dead Sea.
And this is the east side completes the east boundary.
The south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh gives the southern border. The waters of strife in Kadesh recall Israel’s wilderness history.
Moses’ failure at Meribah-Kadesh was a serious moment in Israel’s journey.
Numbers 20:12, And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the-eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given-them.
Numbers 20:13, This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was-sanctified in them.
Ezekiel’s use of such boundary markers connects the future inheritance with Israel’s earlier wilderness and conquest history. The God who judged unbelief in the wilderness will still fulfill His oath to give Israel the land.
The river to the great sea likely refers to the brook or river marking the southern boundary toward the Mediterranean.
And this is the south side southward completes the southern boundary.
The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath means the Mediterranean Sea forms the western boundary.
This is the west side completes the borders on all four sides.
These boundary descriptions show that the millennial inheritance of Israel is not the eternal state. Revelation says that in the eternal state there is no more sea.
Revelation 21:1, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were-passed away; and there was no more sea.
But Ezekiel 47 has the Great Sea as the western boundary and the eastern sea being healed by the temple river. Therefore Ezekiel’s vision belongs to the kingdom age before the eternal state, not to the final new heaven and new earth.
3. Ezekiel 47:21-23, The command to divide the land.
Ezekiel 47:21, So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:22, 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.
Ezekiel 47:23, And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his-inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel repeats the command. The land must be divided according to the tribes. The twelve-tribe structure remains in God’s future purpose.
This again agrees with the restoration of all Israel in Ezekiel 37 and the land allotments of Ezekiel 48. God’s covenant program for Israel is not dissolved into the church or erased by history. The church shares in spiritual blessings through Christ, but God still keeps His covenant promises to national Israel.
Paul teaches that Israel’s hardening is partial and temporary, not final.
Romans 11:1, I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite,-of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Romans 11:2, God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith-of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Romans 11:25, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be-wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles-be come in.
Romans 11:26, And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the-Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Romans 11:27, For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you means the land distribution will be assigned by divine oversight, not human favoritism. The lot in Israel’s history was not chance in the pagan sense. It was a means by which God’s decision was recognized.
Proverbs 16:33, The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
And to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you introduces a remarkable grace in the kingdom land allotment. Foreigners dwelling among Israel and raising families there are included in inheritance.
Under the law, strangers were to be treated with justice and kindness.
Exodus 22:21, Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23:9, Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers-in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:33, And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.
Leviticus 19:34, But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt-love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Ezekiel goes even further by granting inheritance rights to such strangers in the tribal areas where they dwell.
They shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel means these resident strangers are treated as native-born in regard to inheritance. This shows that the kingdom order is not anti-Gentile. Israel remains Israel, the tribes remain tribes, and the land remains covenant land, but Gentiles who dwell among them are treated with remarkable generosity.
This fits the broader prophetic expectation that Gentiles will worship the LORD in the kingdom.
Isaiah 56:6, Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love-the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it,-and taketh hold of my covenant;
Isaiah 56:7, Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer:-their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of-prayer for all people.
Zechariah also speaks of the nations coming to worship the King.
Zechariah 14:16, And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against-Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep-the feast of tabernacles.
They shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel means they share in the land inheritance without erasing the tribal structure. This is not replacement. It is inclusion under Israel’s restored kingdom order.
In what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance means the stranger’s inheritance is located within the tribe among whom he dwells. This protects the stranger from being landless and rootless.
Saith the Lord GOD seals the command. The inclusion of the stranger is not merely humanitarian policy. It is the word of the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 47 reveals the life that flows from the restored presence of God. The river begins at the temple, passes by the altar, deepens miraculously, and flows eastward to heal the Dead Sea. Wherever the river comes, life comes. Trees grow on both banks, fruit appears every month, leaves are given for medicine, fish fill the waters, and fishermen spread their nets where death once reigned. The chapter then defines the borders of the land and commands its division among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Joseph receiving two portions and strangers dwelling among Israel receiving inheritance rights. The chapter is a powerful witness to God’s kingdom purpose: the glory-filled temple becomes the source of life, the land is healed, Israel receives the inheritance sworn to the fathers, and even strangers are graciously included under the righteous order of the LORD.
