Ezekiel 47:9
in Ezekiel 47Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
⋯
This verse in Ezekiel 47
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The rivers - literally, as in the margin. Perhaps with reference to the circumstance that this “brook or river” is to come into the Dead Sea through the same plain as the Jordan. The one river (Jordan) always flowed, but now, when another river comes in, and “two rivers” flow into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
This site's exposition
flows out to the eastern region
on Ezekiel 47:8-9
The water “flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah”, and where it enters the Sea, “the water there becomes fresh”. The river brings it “swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish”. Henry notes the repetition as the text's own emphasis.
This site's exposition
makes the waters fresh
Albert Barnes notes that the Hebrew reads two rivers, and suggests the stream joins the Jordan in bringing life to the Dead Sea. Matthew Henry applies the verse to grace, which makes dead sinners alive. The healing reverses the barren salt of Deuteronomy 29:23.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 8-10) And he said to me: These waters that go out to the hills of the East (or Oriental), and go down to the plains of the desert (or this water that goes out into Galilee, which turns to the East, and goes down to Arabia), shall enter the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed. And every living creature (or animal) that crawls (or of crawling creatures), wherever the torrent (or river) shall come, shall live; and there shall be very many fish, after these waters come there; and they shall be healed, and all things to which the torrent (or river) shall come shall live. And the fishermen shall stand upon its banks from Engaddi even to Engallim; it shall be a place to spread their nets. The fish of it shall be of very many kinds, like the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. And the leading guide and teacher, the prophet, teaches and says: These waters that come out, either into the Galilee of the Gentiles, according to the Septuagint, or (as it is more accurately contained in Hebrew) into the hills of the eastern sand, and they descend to the plains of the desert, or to Arabia, they will enter the sea, or to the ends of the sea, and the waters will be healed. We previously said that waters either signify the grace of baptism or the Evangelical doctrine. If these waters leave the threshold of the Lord's temple and hold fast to the Apostolic discipline, they make the previously barren and infertile hills fruitful and turn everything flat and deserted into a well-watered land, so that they embody the sacrament of the Jordan River. This river, which Elisha cured with Evangelical and Apostolic salt, transformed barrenness and death into abundance and life. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Christ came, that we might have life and for that end he sends his gospel. Every thing shall live whither the river comes. The grace of God makes dead sinners alive and living saints lively; everything is made fruitful and flourishing by it.
), shall come on and prosper, shall be the best of the kind, and shall increase greatly; so that there shall be a very great multitude of fish, according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceedingly many. There shall be as great plenty of the river fish, and as vast shoals of them, as there is of salt-water fish,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
For they - The poisonous waters of the Dead- sea shall be made wholesome for fish. Shall live - Thrive, and multiply in the virtue of the healing streams. Thus is the fruitfulness of the grace of God in the church set forth.
And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
An appointment of the borders of the land of Canaan, which was to be divided by lot to the tribes of Israel and the strangers that sojourned among them,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
rivers--in Hebrew, "two rivers." Hence Hebrew expositors think that the waters from the temple were divided into two branches, the one emptying itself into the eastern or Dead Sea, the other into the western or Mediterranean. However, though this probably is covertly implied in the Hebrew dual, the flowing of the waters into the Dead Sea only is expressed.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Every thing - whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live - Life and salvation shall continually accompany the preaching of the Gospel; the death of sin being removed, the life of righteousness shall be brought in. There shall be a very great multitude of fish - On the above plan this must refer to genuine converts to the Christian faith; true believers, who have got life and salvation by the streams of God’s grace. The apostles were fishers of men; converts were the fish caught. See below. As the waters flow into the Dead Sea, where no fish, it is said, can live, its waters must be healed, that is, made capable of preserving life; and so its nature be thus far most surprisingly altered.
The words behind it
29 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֣ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | creature | H5315 → | 754 times |
| חַיָּ֣ה׀ | chaiyah | living | H2416 → | 498 times |
| אֲֽשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִשְׁרֹ֡ץ | yishrotz | it swarms | H8317 → | |
| אֶ֣ל | ʾel | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | ʾasher | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָב֨וֹא | yavo' | it will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| שָׁ֤ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| נַחֲלַ֙יִם֙ | nachalayim | two rivers | H5158 → | 141 times |
| יִֽחְיֶ֔ה | yichyeh | it will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| וְהָיָ֥ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הַדָּגָ֖ה | hadagah | the fish | H1710 → | 15 times |
| רַבָּ֣ה | rabah | many | H7227 → | 454 times |
| מְאֹ֑ד | meod | very | H3966 → | 300 times |
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בָ֨אוּ | vau | they have gone | H935 → | 2568 times |
| שָׁ֜מָּה | shamah | there towards | H8033 → | 834 times |
| הַמַּ֣יִם | hamayim | the waters | H4325 → | 581 times |
| הָאֵ֗לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וְיֵרָֽפְאוּ֙ | veyerafeu | so they may be healed | H7495 → | 67 times |
| וָחָ֔י | vachai | and it will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| כֹּ֛ל | kol | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָ֥בוֹא | yavo' | it will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| שָׁ֖מָּה | shamah | there towards | H8033 → | 834 times |
| הַנָּֽחַל׃ | hanachal | the river | H5158 → | 141 times |
וְהָיָ֣הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
כָל־every
khol-H3605 →5413 times
נֶ֣פֶשׁcreature
nefeshH5315 →754 times
חַיָּ֣ה׀living
chaiyahH2416 →498 times
אֲֽשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יִשְׁרֹ֡ץit swarms
yishrotzH8317 →
אֶ֣לto
ʾelH413 →5510 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר֩where
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יָב֨וֹאit will go
yavo'H935 →2568 times
שָׁ֤םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
נַחֲלַ֙יִם֙two rivers
nachalayimH5158 →141 times
יִֽחְיֶ֔הit will live
yichyehH2421 →282 times
וְהָיָ֥הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
הַדָּגָ֖הthe fish
hadagahH1710 →15 times
רַבָּ֣הmany
rabahH7227 →454 times
מְאֹ֑דvery
meodH3966 →300 times
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
בָ֨אוּthey have gone
vauH935 →2568 times
שָׁ֜מָּהthere towards
shamahH8033 →834 times
הַמַּ֣יִםthe waters
hamayimH4325 →581 times
הָאֵ֗לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וְיֵרָֽפְאוּ֙so they may be healed
veyerafeuH7495 →67 times
וָחָ֔יand it will live
vachaiH2421 →282 times
כֹּ֛לevery
kolH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר־where
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יָ֥בוֹאit will go
yavo'H935 →2568 times
שָׁ֖מָּהthere towards
shamahH8033 →834 times
הַנָּֽחַל׃the river
hanachalH5158 →141 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 4:14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
it leads to
- John 7:38–39
Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
- John 6:35
Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
- John 7:38–39
Through
Isaiah 55:1“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
it leads to
- John 7:37–38
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
- Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
- Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.
- John 7:37–38
Through
John 6:63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
it leads to
- Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.
- Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Psalms 119:93
I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me.
- Galatians 5:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
