Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 47:21

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Boundaries of the land (47:13-23)

In restored Israel the land was to be divided equally among the nation’s twelve tribes. Levi had no tribal allotment, but Joseph, who received the firstborn’s blessing, had two, Ephraim and Manasseh (13-14; cf. Genesis 48:5; 1 Chronicles 5:1; 1 Chronicles 5:1).

The overall boundaries of the land are given. The northern boundary went from a point near Tyre on the coast to the Jordan headwaters. The eastern boundary followed the Jordan to the southern end of the Dead Sea. The southern boundary went from there to the Wadi (or Brook) of Egypt, which it then followed to the coast. The western boundary was the Mediterranean coast (15-20).
In the matter of land allocation, foreigners who lived among the Israelites had equal rights with them. They were to be given land in the territory of the tribe in which they lived (21-23).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"And he brought me back 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 was toward the east); and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: This shall be the border, whereby ye shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another; for I sware to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. And this shall be the border of the land: On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, unto the entrance of Zedad; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazer-hatticon, which is by the border of Hauran. And the border from the sea, shall be Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus; and on the north northward is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. And the east side, between Hauran and Damascus and Gilead, and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the north border, unto the east sea shall ye measure. This is the east side. And the south side southward shall be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meriboth-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt, unto the great sea. This is the south side southward. And the west side shall be the great sea, from the south border as far as over against the entrance of Hamath. This is the west side. So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 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, who shall beget children among you; and they shall be unto you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord Jehovah."

Here is the vision of the great river flowing from beneath the Temple itself toward the east, a river expanding and broadening, ever deeper and deeper, all the way through the desert even to the sea; and whithersoever the waters of that mighty river shall come, "Everything that liveth, which moveth, shall live; and there shall be a great multitude of fish." (Ezekiel 47:9). The location and boundaries of the Holy Land into which the Twelve Tribes will be located are given.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 47

Now in chapter 47 we find this river that comes forth from this east gate.

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, the 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 the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar ( Ezekiel 47:1 ).

Now here from the house of God this temple house, a spring of water bubbles out and begins to flow toward the east. This is also described or spoken of in Zechariah and it certainly has its counterpart in Revelation chapter 22, that stream in heaven of which many of the aspects of this are similar to the one there. Now it comes out from the throne there of the temple from the south part of the east side. And he took him out the north gate because the east gate was only for the prince.

and he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the water; and it was ankle deep. So he measured another thousand, and he brought me through the water; and the water was up to my knees. And again he measured a thousand cubits; and he brought me through the waters; and they were to my loins. And after he measured another thousand; it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were so high they were waters to swim in, a river that you could not just walk across ( Ezekiel 47:3-5 ).

So here is an interesting thing, this river that begins here at the temple and begins to flow eastward from the temple towards the Jordan valley. It increases as it goes. So at a thousand cubit, or two thousand feet away approximately, it's only ankle deep. By the time you get almost two-thirds of a mile away, three-quarters of a mile away, it's knee deep. You go another two thousand feet and it's waist deep. Go another thousand feet and it's over your head. And so this great river coming forth from the area of Jerusalem originating there at the temple, but yet picking up from other sources begins to flow probably through the valley that is created when the Mount of Olives splits in the middle. And flows on down to the Jordan plain.

And he said to me, Son of man, did you see that? And then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, the bank of the river there were very many trees on either side. And he said unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, they go down to the desert, and they go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that lives, which moves, 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 water comes. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; and they shall be a place to spread forth the nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, all of the kinds of the fish, even as you find in the Mediterranean, just a great variety of fish ( Ezekiel 47:6-10 ).

So the interesting thing about this new river that will flow into the Dead Sea originating there at the temple in Jerusalem will bring a healing to the waters of the Dead Sea so that the Dead Sea will no longer be a dead sea, but the waters will support all kinds of fish and it'll be a great fishing spa. So you might want to go down there and open up a worm stand or something and you can be a successful man in the Kingdom Age. Because they'll be fishing all the way from Engedi on down to Eneglaim.

Now, there are certain portions of the miry areas and the marshes of the Dead Sea that will remain salty. But for the main body of the Dead Sea, the waters will be healed.

And on these trees, their fruit shall be for the meat of the people, their leaf will not fade, neither will the fruit thereof [run out or] 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 will be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine ( Ezekiel 47:12 ).

So these will be very interesting trees that each month will have a different kind of a fruit. They'll bear fruit year round, which will be a very life-sustaining type of a food. It'll be a very helpful fruit, sustain your life. Good protein, it'll be for meat. But the leaves will be used for healing, for their medicinal value. So these trees...

Now, in Revelation, you get the river that flows from the throne of God there, and again you find the trees on either side bringing forth the fruit. And so there, you know... of course, God is able, you say, "Well, I don't know of any tree like that." Of course you don't. God hasn't developed it yet. But He will develop it there in the Kingdom Age, and what's so hard for God to create an interesting fruit tree that has very nutritious fruit and bears all year long? Man, you'll want some of those in your garden. And the leaves will be good for medicinal purposes and the same things are described as along this river in heaven that is pure as crystal flowing from the throne of God in heaven. So read this along with Revelation 22:0 and you'll find the correlations that are there.

Now, even as the tabernacle in the wilderness was built as a model in heaven, so this probably again is a model of the heavenly things. And this river is more or less a model of that river flowing from the throne of God in heaven described in Revelation 22 .

"

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The boundaries of Israel’s Promised Land inheritance 47:13-23

Note the similarities between Ezekiel and Moses in this section that describes the division of the Promised Land. This is another part of the new constitution for the reconstituted nation of Israel that Ezekiel revealed.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The Israelites were to divide the land in this way for the tribes of Israel by lot (cf. Ezekiel 45:1). It was not to be for Israelites alone, however. Aliens who permanently lived among them could dwell in this region too. Under the Mosaic economy, resident aliens were non-Israelites who had adopted the religion and laws of the Hebrews; they had become converts to Yahweh worship. The Israelites were to regard these alien peoples as equals with themselves concerning their rights within the land. The reference to these aliens bearing children marks them as having mortal bodies in contrast to believers with immortal (resurrected) bodies who will also have access to the millennial earth (cf. Matthew 22:30; Revelation 20:4). These aliens were to inherit portions of land in the tribal allotments just like the Israelites who lived there (cf. Ezekiel 14:7; Ezekiel 22:7; Leviticus 19:34; Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:29; Isaiah 56:3-8).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

So shall ye divide this land unto you,.... As thus bounded, east, west, north, and south:

according to the tribes of Israel; :-.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      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.   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.   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;   16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.   17 And 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.   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.   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.   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.   21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.   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.   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.

      We are now to pass from the affairs of the sanctuary to those of the state, from the city to the country. 1. The Land of Canaan is here secured to them for an inheritance (Ezekiel 47:14; Ezekiel 47:14): I lifted up my hand to give it unto your fathers, that is, promised it upon oath to them and their posterity. Though the possession had been a great while discontinued, yet God had not forgotten his oath which he swore to their fathers. Though God's providences may for a time seem to contradict his promises, yet the promise will certainly take place at last, for God will be ever mindful of his covenant. I lifted up my hand to give it, and therefore it shall without fail fall to you for an inheritance. Thus the heavenly Canaan is sure to all the seed, because it is what God, who cannot lie, has promised. 2. It is here circumscribed, and the bounds and limits of it are fixed, which they must not pass over to encroach upon their neighbours and which their neighbours shall not break through to encroach upon them. We had such a draught of the borders of Canaan when Joshua was to put the people in possession of it, Numbers 34:1, c. That begins with the salt sea in the south, goes round and ends there. This begins with Hamath about Damascus in the north, and so goes round and ends there, Ezekiel 47:20; Ezekiel 47:20. Note, It is God that appoints the bounds of our habitation; and his Israel shall always have cause to say that the lines have fallen to them in pleasant places. The lake of Sodom is here called the east sea, for it, being healed by the waters of the sanctuary, it is no more to be called a salt sea, as it was in Numbers. 3. It is here ordered to be divided among the tribes of Israel, reckoning Joseph for two tribes, to make up the number of twelve, when Levi was taken out to attend the sanctuary, and had his lot adjoining to that (Ezekiel 47:13; Ezekiel 47:21): You shall inherit it, one as well as another,Ezekiel 47:14; Ezekiel 47:14. The tribes shall have an equal share, one as much as another. As the tribes returned out of Babylon, this seems unequal, because some tribes were much more numerous than the other, and indeed the most were of Judah and Benjamin and very few of the other ten tribes; but as the twelve tribes stand, in type and vision, for the gospel-church, the Israel of God, it was very equal, because we find in another vision an equal number of each of the twelve tribes sealed for the living God, just 12,000 of each, Revelation 7:5, c. And to those sealed ones these allotments did belong. It intimates likewise that all the subjects of Christ's kingdom have obtained like precious faith. Male and female, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, are all alike welcome to Christ and made partakers of him. 4. The strangers who sojourn among them, who shall beget children and be built up into families, and so help to people their country, shall have inheritance among the tribes, as if they had been native Israelites (Ezekiel 47:22; Ezekiel 47:23), which was by no means allowed in Joshua's division of the land. This is an act for a general naturalization, which would teach the Jews who was their neighbour, not those only of their own nation and religion, but those, whoever they were, that they had an opportunity of showing kindness to, because from them they would be willing to receive kindness. It would likewise invite strangers to come and settle among them, and put themselves under the wings of the divine Majesty. But it certainly looks at gospel-times, when the partition-wall between Jew and Gentile was taken down, and both one in Christ, in whom there is no difference,Romans 10:12. This land was a type of the heavenly Canaan, that better country (Hebrews 11:16), in which believing Gentiles shall have a blessed lot, as well as believing Jews, Isaiah 56:3.