Ezekiel 47:1 - Exposition

Having completed his survey of the sacrificial kitchens in the outer court ( Ezekiel 46:19-24 ), the prophet was once more conducted by his guide to the door of the house , or of the temple in the strict sense, i.e. of the sanctuary. There he perceived that waters issued (literally, and behold waters issuing ) from under the threshold of the house , i.e. of the temple porch (see Ezekiel 40:48 , Ezekiel 40:49 ; and comp. Ezekiel 9:3 ), eastward , the direction having been determined by the fact that the forefront of the house stood or was toward the east . He also noticed that the waters came down (or, descended )—the temple having been situated on higher ground than the inner court— from under the threshold , from the right side of the house —literally, from the shoulder (comp. Ezekiel 40:18 , Ezekiel 40:40 , Ezekiel 40:41 ; Ezekiel 41:2 , Ezekiel 41:26 ; Ezekiel 46:1-24 :29) of the house , the right . The two clauses are not to be conjoined as by Hengstenberg, Ewald, and Smend, as if they meant, from underneath the right side of the house ; but kept distinct, to indicate the different features which entered into the prophet's picture. The first was that the waters issued forth from under the threshold of the house; the second, that they proceeded from the right side or shoulder of the house , i.e. from the corner where the south wall of the porch and the east wall of the temple joined (see Ezekiel 41:1 ); the third, that the stream flowed on the south side of the altar , which stood exactly in front of the temple perch (see Ezekiel 40:47 ), and would have obstructed the course of the waters had they issued forth from the perch doorway instead of from the comer above described.