Ezekiel 47
Summary for Ezek 47:1-12: 47:1-12 a Once the Temple was restored to its central place among God’s people, its beneficial influence, pictured here as a river, would spread outward, transforming death to life. 47:1 b The source of the stream was within the Temple.• to the right of the altar on its south side: This location in Solomon’s Temple was occupied by the Sea, a massive bronze pool that provided the water needed for cleansing (1 Kgs 7:23 c, 39 d). It also symbolized the subjugation of the forces of chaos (often represented by the sea) in the ordered cosmos of the Temple. In Ezekiel’s vision, the static Sea had been transformed into a dynamic, life-giving river (cp. Gen 2:10-14 e; Ps 46 f).
Summary for Ezek 47:3-5: 47:3-5 g At first, the stream was a mere trickle coming out from the gate of the Temple, but as it flowed out it became deeper and deeper until it was too deep to walk through. The exiles needed to be reminded that God often works from small beginnings that miraculously blossom into full flower.
Summary for Ezek 47:6-9: 47:6-9 h The river grew as it went, bringing life to everything it touched, even the salty waters of the Dead Sea.
47:10 i From En-gedi, a town on the west side of the Dead Sea, to En-eglaim, a town on the east side, the Dead Sea would be brought from death to life. This water, so full of salt and other minerals that it is devoid of life, would teem with enough fish to support a major fishing industry.
47:11 j The useful salt deposits previously gathered from the Dead Sea area would not be lost—the marshes and swamps would still be salty.
47:12 k Alongside this river of life, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Like the righteous of Ps 1 l, their leaves will not wither, and they will bear their fruit in season. They will be so full of life that they will bear a new crop every month, and the leaves will be medicinal. The river’s fertility brings concrete blessings to all of God’s people. Wherever the waters of this river flow, there will be life.
Summary for Ezek 47:13-48:35: 47:13–48:35 m The book of Ezekiel’s final section charts the boundaries and the distribution of the land. Theology is expressed here through geography; issues of space, access, and position relative to the Temple are of crucial significance.
Summary for Ezek 47:15-20: 47:15-20 n The boundaries of the new Promised Land were approximately those assigned in Num 34:1-12 o, from Lebo-hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south, and from the Mediterranean in the west to the Jordan River in the east. The people would now possess the entirety of this promised land, something they had never before done. Absent from this land was Transjordan, the area east of the Jordan River, which was the historic home of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh. It lay outside the boundaries promised to Moses and was therefore not part of the original promise, although historically many Israelites had lived there.
Summary for Ezek 47:21-23: 47:21-23 p The land within these boundaries was to be divided among the tribes of Israel. Instead of the divided preexilic kingdoms, the future would see a single kingdom formed from the diverse unity of the twelve tribes and incorporating even resident foreigners and their families, provided that they had joined Israel as converts. These people were to receive an allotment, just like the native-born Israelites, and they could pass this inheritance on to their children. In view of the significance of the land to Ezekiel, this was a high privilege.
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