47 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple towards the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me round on the outside to the outer gate that faces towards the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.
3 Going on eastwards with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
We come with this passage to the beginning of the final part of Ezekiel's prophecy, which deals with 'the land and the temple'. It divides readily into two parts, the first, 47:1-12, with the vision of the life-giving waters, and the second, 47:13-48:35, which gives us the division of the land among the twelve tribes. Even a cursory reading of today's verses, which speak of the healing properties of the waters of the river and the leaves of the trees, brings to mind other parts of Scripture, as for example, Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:4-9, and also, most particularly, Revelation 22:1ff, whose marvellous picture owes a great deal, as we can immediately see, to Ezekiel's language. This vision of the final glory unfolded by the prophet also stands in parallel with the biblical story of creation. In Genesis 2:10 we read that paradise was watered by the four-streamed river, and here, in the vision of the new creation, the river of God brings fertility, blessing and fruitfulness wherever it goes. We have also seen that Ezekiel's prophecy begins with a vision of God, and ends with a vision of God - Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there - so that in a double sense the final message of Ezekiel is a message of restoration, and of the restitution of all things. This is the key to an understanding of the passage, and its basic message. The climax of Ezekiel's ministry is the assurance that in the latter days - whatever that phrase may mean - God will return to His people. We shall seek to open up the meaning and significance of this in the Notes which follow.