King James Version
Ezekiel 47
23 verses with commentary
The River from the Temple
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Ezekiel sees '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.' This river flowing from the temple represents life-giving blessing emanating from God's presence. The eastward flow recalls Eden's river watering the garden (Genes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XLVII.**
The first twelve verses of this chapter constitute what is generally known as “the vision of the living waters;” the latter part of the chapter, Ezekiel 47:13-23, more properly belongs with Ezekiel 48, and, with that, gives an account of the boundaries of the land, of its distribution among the tribes, and of the building of the holy city.
The ideal character of this vision of the water...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. It was planted in a good soil--**It was not want of the necessaries of life, nor oppression on the port of Nebuchadnezzar, which caused Zedekiah to revolt: it was gratuitous ambition, pride, and ingratitude.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The guide leads Ezekiel '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'—revealing the water's source and flow. The circuitous route (north gate, around outside, back to east gate) created anticipation and comprehensive perspective. The waters 'running out' (Hebrew פָּכ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Out of the way of the gate northward.**—Rather, *out by the way of the north gate.* The east gate, the direct way, was shut (Ezekiel 44:2); the prophet was therefore carried round to the outside of it by the way of the north gate. There he saw the waters on the right, or south, side of the gateway.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. Shall it prosper?--**Could it be that gratuitous treason should prosper? God will not allow it. "It," that is, the vine.
**he ... pull up--**that is, the first eagle, or Nebuchadnezzar.
**in all ... leaves of her spring--**that is, all its springing (sprouting) leaves.
**without great power or many--**It shall not need all the forces of Babylon to destroy it; a small division of the arm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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 waters were: Heb. waters of the ankles
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KJV Study Commentary
The progressive depth measurement—ankle deep at 1,000 cubits—introduces the principle: God's blessings start small but increase exponentially. The Hebrew אָפֵס (ephes, 'ankle') suggests initial engagement is shallow, manageable, accessible. This prevents overwhelming newcomers while inviting deeper immersion. The thousand-cubit measurement (approximately 1,750 feet) indicates substantial progressi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Brought me through the waters**.—The point from which the measurement began is not distinctly mentioned, but is to be assumed as from their source, the threshold of the house. The prophet is “brought through the waters” to impress upon him a vivid sense of their size and depth, and this is repeated at each 1,000 cubits until the waters become impassable.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. being planted--**that is, "though planted."
**east wind--**The east wind was noxious to vegetation in Palestine; a fit emblem of Babylon, which came from the northeast.
**wither in ... furrows where it grew--**Zedekiah was taken at Jericho, on Jewish soil (Jr 52:8). "It shall wither, although it has furrows from which it expects continual waterings" [Calvin], (Eze 19:12; Ho 13:15).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The progression—ankles to knees to waist (loins)—depicts increasing immersion in God's Spirit and purposes. Knee-deep water (Hebrew בִּרְכַּיִם, birkaim) requires greater commitment; one can't casually wade but must deliberately engage. Waist-deep water (מָתְנַיִם, motnaim—loins) represents the center of strength and reproductive capacity—God's work affecting core identity and fruitfulness. Each t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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: Heb. waters of swimming
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KJV Study Commentary
The climax—'waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over'—represents complete immersion where self-sufficiency fails and total dependence on God's sustaining power becomes necessary. The Hebrew נַחַל (nachal, 'river') suggests torrential, powerful flow—no longer gentle stream but mighty flood. The phrase 'could not be passed over' (לֹא־יֵעָבֵר, lo-ye'aver) indicates human ability exhau...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **A river that could not be passed over.—**The whole distance measured is 4,000 cubits, or less than a mile and a half, during which the waters, without external addition, have swollen from a mere streamlet to an impassable river, in direct opposition to the ordinary fact in nature. A large part (1,500 cubits, or half of 3,000 cubits) of this distance must have been within the precincts descri...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Know ye not--**He upbraided them with moral, leading to intellectual, stupidity.
**hath taken the king--**Jeconiah or Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:11, 12-16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The guide's question—'Son of man, hast thou seen this?'—demands reflective comprehension, not mere observation. The Hebrew רָאָה (ra'ah, 'seen') implies understanding, not just visual perception. Seeing God's works requires spiritual insight (Matthew 13:14-16). The return 'to the brink of the river' suggests that after experiencing depths, one must return to minister at accessible edges where othe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **To return to the brink.—**The angel, having called the prophet’s attention to this marvellous increase, now causes him to return *along* the bank to observe other things. The word *brink* in this verse and *bank* in the next are the same in the original. The prophet does not *return* to the brink, for he had not left it, but is told to pass *along* it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. the king's seed--**Zedekiah, Jeconiah's uncle.
**taken ... oath of him--**swearing fealty as a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar (2Ch 36:13).
**also taken the mighty--**as hostages for the fulfilment of the covenant; whom, therefore, Zedekiah exposed to death by his treason.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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
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KJV Study Commentary
The 'very many trees on the one side and on the other' represent abundant fruitfulness resulting from the river's life-giving flow. Trees symbolize righteous individuals (Psalm 1:3, Jeremiah 17:7-8) or nations (Daniel 4:10-12). The Hebrew עֵץ (ets, 'tree') recalls Eden (Genesis 2:9), promising paradise restoration. The bilateral placement—'one side and on the other'—suggests comprehensive blessing...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Very many trees.**—In the corresponding vision of Revelation 22:2 the same thought is symbolised by the “tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. That the kingdom might be base--**that is, low as to national elevation by being Nebuchadnezzar's dependent; but, at the same time, safe and prosperous, if faithful to the "oath." Nebuchadnezzar dealt sincerely and openly in proposing conditions, and these moderate ones; therefore Zedekiah's treachery was the baser and was a counterpart to their treachery towards God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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. desert: or, plain
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KJV Study Commentary
The waters' destination—'the east country... the desert... the sea'—traces life flowing to dead places. The 'sea' likely refers to the Dead Sea, saltiest body of water on earth where virtually nothing lives. The promise 'the waters shall be healed' (Hebrew רָפָא, rapha) means restoration to wholeness, health, vitality. What was cursed becomes blessed; death becomes life. This pictures the gospel's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Go down into the desert.—**The word for *country* is the same as is used in Joshua 22:10-11, for the borders of the Jordan, and undoubtedly has the same meaning here: the valley of the Jordan, called the *Ghor.* The word *desert* is better translated in the margin, *plain,* and refers to that expansion of the Jordan valley just north of the Dead Sea in which the city of Jericho was situated....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. he rebelled--**God permitted this because of His wrath against Jerusalem (2Ki 24:20).
**horses--**in which Egypt abounded and which were forbidden to Israel to seek from Egypt, or indeed to "multiply" at all (De 17:16; Is 31:1, 3; compare Is 36:9). Diodorus Siculus [1.45] says that the whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal stalls, so that twenty thousand chariots with t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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. rivers: Heb. two rivers
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KJV Study Commentary
Concerning the river: '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.' The repeated emphasis on 'life' underscores the river's vivifying power—whatever it t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **The rivers.—**According to the pointing of the Hebrew text this is *the two rivers,* as is expressed in the margin. This peculiar form has occasioned some perplexity, especially because in the vision of Zechariah (Zechariah 14:8) the waters are represented as divided, half of them flowing to the Dead Sea and half of them to the Mediterranean. It is plain, however, that but one river is inten...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. in the place where the king dwelleth--**righteous retribution. He brought on himself in the worst form the evil which, in a mild form, he had sought to deliver himself from by perjured treachery, namely, vassalage (Eze 12:13; Jr 32:5; 34:3; 52:11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The fishers from En-gedi to En-eglaim spreading nets indicates economic revival and abundant provision. Fish represent souls (Matthew 4:19, Luke 5:10), and fishing pictures gospel ministry bringing people into God's kingdom. The fish 'according to their kinds... exceeding many' suggests ethnic diversity—'every kindred, tongue, people, and nation' (Revelation 5:9, 7:9). The phrase 'as the fish of t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **From En-gedi even unto En-eglaim.—**En-gedi, “the fountain of the goat,” is a well-known copious spring about midway on the western coast of the Dead Sea. En-eglaim occurs only here, and has not been certainly identified. St. Jerome speaks of “Engallim” as at the junction of the Jordan with the sea, and near this point there is a fountain now known as *Ain-el-Feshkhah.* Others consider that...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Pharaoh--**Pharaoh-hophra (Jr 37:7; 44:30), the successor of Necho (2Ki 23:29).
**Neither ... make for him--**literally, "effect (anything) with him," that is, be of any avail to Zedekiah. Pharaoh did not act in concert with him, for he was himself compelled to retire to Egypt.
**by casting up mounts, &c.--**So far from Pharaoh doing so for Jerusalem, this was what Nebuchadnezzar did...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. shall not: or, and that which shall not be healed
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KJV Study Commentary
The 'miry places and marishes... shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt' presents sobering exception to universal healing. The Hebrew בִּצָּה (bitsah, 'miry places') and גְּבָאִים (geva'im, 'marshes') are swampy, stagnant areas resisting the river's flow. These represent those who reject God's grace—given healing opportunity yet remaining in corruption. Salt symbolizes judgment, sterilit...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The marishes thereof shall not be healed.—**The picture of the life-giving waters would be imperfect without this exception to their effects. The Dead Sea at the southern end is very shallow, and beyond there is an extensive tract of very low land. In the season of the flood of the Jordan this is overflowed to a considerable distance, and as the river subsides, is again left bare and encrus...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. given his hand--**in ratification of the oath (2Ki 10:15; Ezr 10:19), and also in token of subjection to Nebuchadnezzar (1Ch 29:24, Margin; 2Ch 30:8, Margin; La 5:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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. shall grow: Heb. shall come up new: or, principal for medicine: or, for bruises and sores
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KJV Study Commentary
Describing trees along the river's banks: '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: therefore the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Be consumed.—**Better, *fail.* The fruit is to be eaten, but shall not fail to grow as it is wanted. These trees with their supernatural virtues are represented as produced by the waters because “they issued out of the sanctuary,” thus presenting a most effective image of the life-giving power of those spiritual influences which come from God upon men.
It has been objected to the spiritual ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. mine oath--**The "covenant" being sworn in God's name was really His covenant; a new instance in relation to man of the treacherous spirit which had been so often betrayed in relation to God. God Himself must therefore avenge the violation of His covenant "on the head" of the perjurer (compare Psa 7:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →The Boundaries of the Land
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Land division: גְּבוּל (gĕbûl, 'border/boundary') for שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (shĕnê ʿāśār shivṭê yiśrāʾēl, 'twelve tribes of Israel'). יוֹסֵף חֲבָלִים (yôsēph ḥăbālîm, 'Joseph [receives] two portions').<br><br>Jose...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **According to the twelve tribes of Israel.—**In the ideal land of the restoration, not Judah and Benjamin only, but all the twelve tribes are to have their portions. Yet Levi is otherwise provided for in the “oblation,” and therefore Joseph, in accordance with Genesis 48:5; Genesis 48:22, and with the whole history of the nation, is to have two portions. The Hebrew is simply “Joseph portions...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. my net--**(Eze 12:13; 32:3). God entraps him as he had tried to entrap others (Psa 7:15). This was spoken at least upwards of three years before the fall of Jerusalem (compare Eze 8:1, with Eze 20:1).
**plead with him--**by judgments on him (Eze 20. 36).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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: or, swore
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—אִישׁ כְּאָחִיו (ʾîsh kĕʾāḥîw, 'each like his brother')—equal inheritance. God נָשָׂאתִי אֶת־יָדִי (nāśāʾtî ʾet-yādî, 'lifted my hand'—swore an oath) to אֲבֹתֵיכֶם (ʾăbōtêkhem, 'your fathers')—Abraham, Isaac, Ja...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **One as well as another.—**This is the ordinary expression for equality. Unlike the former division of the laud, the territory is to be arranged in twelve equal portions. This is generally understood to mean that the strips of territory assigned to each tribe shall be of equal width, and such is undoubtedly the prophet’s meaning, since the vision throughout makes little account of the natura...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. all his fugitives--**the soldiers that accompany him in his flight.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Northern boundary: מִן־הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל (min-hayyām haggādôl, 'from the great sea'—Mediterranean), דֶּרֶךְ חֶתְלֹן (derekh ḥetlōn, 'the way of Hethlon'), לְבוֹא צְדָדָה (lĕbôʾ ṣĕdādāh, 'toward Zedad').<br><br>These geographical markers define Israel's northern...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **This shall be the border of the land.—**The boundaries are essentially the same as those given in Numbers 34:1-15, only that there the southern boundary is given first to the Israelites coming up from Egypt, while here the northern is first described for the people supposed to be returning from Babylon. There is also more detail given in Numbers, and as the points mentioned here are the sam...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22. When the state of Israel shall seem past recovery, Messiah, Jehovah Himself, will unexpectedly appear on the scene as Redeemer of His people (Is 63:5).
**I ... also--**God opposes Himself to Nebuchadnezzar: "He took of the seed of the land and planted it (Eze 17:3, 5), so will I, but with better success than he had. The branch he plucked (Zedekiah) and planted, flourished but for a time, to ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. Hazarhatticon: or, the middle village
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran</strong>—Specific cities marking boundaries: חֲמָת (Ḥămāt, Hamath), בֵּרוֹתָה (Bêrôtāh, Berothah), סִבְרַיִם (Sibrāyim, Sibraim), גְּבוּל דַּמֶּשֶׂק (gĕbûl Dammeśeq, 'border of Damascus'), חֲמָת (Ḥămāt, Hamath again), חָצֵר הַתִּיכוֹן (Ḥāṣēr hattîkhôn,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Hamath** is not to be understood of the city of Hamath on the Orontes (which was much too far to the north), but of the boundary of the district of Hamath; this cannot be now precisely fixed, but certainly came as far south as the “entrance of Hamath” (Numbers 34:8), or the defile between the Lebanon and Antilebanon Mountains which leads to Hamath. This defile, however, is many miles in len...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. under it ... all fowl--**the Gospel "mustard tree," small at first, but at length receiving all under its covert (Mt 13:32); the antithesis to Antichrist, symbolized by Assyria, of which the same is said (Eze 31:6), and Babylon (Da 4:12). Antichrist assumes in mimicry the universal power really belonging to Christ.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Northern boundary summarized: מִן־הַיָּם (min-hayyām, 'from the sea') to חֲצַר עֵינוֹן (Ḥăṣar ʿÊnôn, Hazar-enan), גְּבוּל דַּמֶּשֶׂק (gĕbûl Dammeśeq, 'border of Damascus'), וְצָפוֹן צָפוֹנָה (wĕṣāphôn ṣāphônāh, 'and north northward')...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **The border** **from the** **sea shall be Hazarenan.**—Comparing this with Numbers 34:9, it is plain that the sense is, “The (north) boundary which started from the sea shall terminate at Hazar-enan, where it meets the boundaries of Damascus.” Hazar-enan means “the village of springs,” and is mentioned in Ezekiel 48:1, and in Numbers 34:9-10, as the end of the north and beginning of the east...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. I ... brought down the high--**the very attribute given to God by the virgin mother of Him, under whom this was to be accomplished.
**high ... low tree--**that is, princes elevated ... depressed. All the empires of the world, represented by Babylon, once flourishing ("green"), shall be brought low before the once depressed ("dry"), but then exalted, kingdom of Messiah and His people, the h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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 (Hauran, Damascus, Gilead, the land): Heb. from between
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Eastern boundary: from חַוְרָן (Ḥawrān, Hauran), דַּמֶּשֶׂק (Dammeśeq, Damascus), גִּלְעָד (Gilʿād, Gilead), and אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל (ʾereṣ Yiśrāʾēl, 'land of Israel') by הַיַּרְדֵּן (hayyardēn, 'the Jo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **From Hauran, and from Damascus.**—The eastern boundary is also the same as that given in Numbers 34:10-12, although more particularly described there. In both cases it excludes the territory of the trans- Jordanic tribes, which was not included in Palestine proper, even after its conquest by Moses, and in which the two and a half tribes were allowed to settle with some reluctance (Numbers 3...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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. strife: or, Meribah river: or, valley is the south side southward: or, is the south side toward Teman
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Southern boundary: מִתָּמָר (mittāmār, 'from Tamar') to מֵי מְרִיבַת קָדֵשׁ (mê mĕrîbat Qādēsh, 'waters of Meribah-Kadesh'), then נַחֲלָה (naḥălāh, 'the river/wadi') to הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל (hayyām haggādôl, 'the great sea'—Mediterranean). ו...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **From Tamar even to the waters of strife.—**The southern border, as given in Numbers 34:3-5, is identical with that described here, as far as the two can be compared. Tamar has been identified with Kurnub, a ruined village some twenty-five miles west of the southern end of the Dead Sea; but as the old boundary certainly went far to the south of this and as the next place mentioned is Kadesh,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side</strong>—Western boundary: פְּאַת־יָם (pĕʾat-yām, 'the west side') הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל (hayyām haggādôl, 'the great sea'—Mediterranean) from מִגְּבוּל (miggĕbûl, 'from the border') עַד־נֹכַח לְבוֹא חֲמָת (ʿad-nōkaḥ lĕbôʾ Ḥămāt, 'until opposite the entrance of Hamath'). זֹאת פְ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Over against Hamath.—**The western boundary, as in Numbers 34:6, is the Mediterranean, and continues to the starting-point, Hamath being here, as in Ezekiel 47:16-17, the district of Hamath.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 Eze 18:1-32. The Parable of the Sour Grapes Reproved.
Vindication of God's moral government as to His retributive righteousness from the Jewish imputation of injustice, as if they were suffering, not for their own sin, but for that of their fathers. As in the seventeenth chapter he foretold Messiah's happy reign in Jerusalem, so now he warns them that its blessings can be theirs only ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel</strong>—After boundaries established (vv. 13-20), division instructions: וְחִלַּקְתֶּם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לָכֶם לְשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (wĕḥillaqqtem ʾet-hāʾāreṣ hazzōʾt lākhem lĕshivṭê yiśrāʾēl, 'and you shall divide this land to yourselves according to tribes of Israel').<br><br>Land division by tribe maintains patri...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb--**because I will let it be seen by the whole world in the very fact that you are not righteous, as ye fancy yourselves, but wicked, and that you suffer only the just penalty of your guilt; while the elect righteous remnant alone escapes.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Land distribution: הִפִּילוּ אוֹתָהּ בְּנַחֲלָה (hippîlû ʾôtāh bĕnaḥălāh, 'cast it by lot for inheritance') to לָכֶם וּלְהַגֵּרִים (lākhem ûlĕhaggērîm, 'to you and to the sojourners/foreigners') who הַגָּרִים בְּתו...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **By lot.—**See Note on Ezekiel 45:1.
**To the strangers.**—An entirely new feature is here added to the Mosaic law. According to Leviticus 19:34, strangers were to be treated with kindness, but the entire territory was to be divided among the Israelites, and strangers could therefore acquire no land except in so far as they might purchase a temporary right between the years of Jubilee. Now, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. all souls are mine--**Therefore I can deal with all, being My own creation, as I please (Jr 18:6). As the Creator of all alike I can have no reason, but the principle of equity, according to men's works, to make any difference, so as to punish some, and to save others (Ge 18:25). "The soul that sinneth it shall die." The curse descending from father to son assumes guilt shared in by the son; ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong>—Resident aliens treated כְּאֶזְרָח (kĕʾezrāḥ, 'as native-born') among בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (bĕnê yiśrāʾēl, 'children of Israel'). וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְנַחֲלָה בְּתוֹךְ שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (wĕhāyû lākhem lĕnaḥălāh bĕtôkh shivṭê yiśrāʾēl, 'and they ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. Here begins the illustration of God's impartiality in a series of supposed cases. The first case is given in Eze 18:5-9, the just man. The excellencies are selected in reference to the prevailing sins of the age, from which such a one stood aloof; hence arises the omission of some features of righteousness, which, under different circumstances, would have been desirable to be enumerated. Each a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 47
The calamities of the Philistines.
The Philistines had always been enemies to Israel; but the Chaldean army shall overflow their land like a deluge. Those whom God will spoil, must be spoiled. For when the Lord intends to destroy the wicked, he will cut off every helper. So deplorable are the desolations of war, that the blessings of peace are most desirable. But we must submit to...
Read full commentary →