CHAP. XLVII. V. 1-5. This part of the vision must be understood figuratively ; which is important, in forming a determination concerning the import of the whole vision.Doubtless both Solomon's temple and the second temple were well supplied with water, conveyed thither in order to wash the sacrifices, and for similar purposes; and to preserve every thing clean and wholesome: but these waters flowed originally from the temple, not as a common sewer, but as a delightful fertilizing river. The prophet had before surveyed the
4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters † to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
6 And he said unto me, Son of man,
d 40:3. Zech. 2:1. Rev. 11: 1. 21:15.
e Luke 24:49. Acts 2:4,33. 10: 45,46. 11:16-18.
* Heb. of the ancles.
f Acts 19:10-20. Rom. 15:19.
Col. 1:6.
5 Dan. 2:34,35. Hab. 2:14. Matt. 13:31,32. Rev. 7.9. 11: 15. 20:2-4.
† Heb. of swimming.
doors of the house: but he now for the first time discovered a very small stream of waters, (so the word signifies,) springing forth from under the threshold of the house eastward, at his right hand, and at the south-side of the altar. These waters no doubt were an emblem of the "gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven" to render it effectual; and conveying with it all spiritual blessings to the souls of believers, and to the nations of the earth. ( Marg .
Ref . b.- Note , Rev. 22:1.) '-The gradual rise of the waters represented represented in this vision, denotes the large effusion of the 'Spirit, which was very remarkable at the first 'publication of the gospel, and its wonderful increase from small beginnings; and will be 'so again, when God shall "pour the Spirit of 'grace" upon the Jews, in order to their con'version. (Zech. 12:10.) The supplies of 'grace are often represented, in the holy wri'ters, under the metaphor of a river, and 'streams watering the dry and thirsty earth, 'both cleansing and making fruitful the ground 'where they pass.
The metaphor is probably taken from the river that watered paradise.' Lowth . ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . cf. Note , Gen. 2:10-14.)-When the prophet had been shewn the source of these waters, he was led by his conductor to observe the progress and increase of them: and, as the east-gate was shut, he was brought out from the temple northward.
When his conductor, with the line in his hand, had measured the length of a thousand cubits from the source, he led the prophet across the waters, which only reached to his ancles: but continuing to try their depth every thousand cubits, he found them grow still deeper every time, till they could no longer be were become a river impassable, except by swimming.
This was an emblem of the progress of Christianity, from small beginnings to an immense increase: and the latter part of the representation may relate to the times, when the gospel shall fill the earth, and produce the most extensive and important good effects on the state of mankind in every nation. Thus the river signifies the same as the "stone, cut out without hands, and becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth;" and the grain of mustard seed becoming a large plant, like a tree in which the fowls of the air make their nests. ( Marg . and Marg .
Ref.g. - Notes , Is . 2:2-5. 9:5,6. Dan . 2:34,35,44,
hast thou seen this ? Then he brought me, || and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side, and on the other.
8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, 1 the waters shall be healed.
9 And it shall come to pass that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, mshall 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.
h 8:17. 40:4. 44:5. Jer. 1:11-12 Kings 2:19-22. Is. 11:6-9. 13. Zech. 4:2. 5:2. Matt. 13: 51.
Mal. 1:11. Matt. 13:15.
† Heb. two rivers. Ps. 78:16.
45. Matt . 13:31,32.) The passage may also be accommodated to the progressive growth in knowledge and holiness of true Christians: and it is often applied to the holy scriptures, in which are some things plain to the meanest capacity, and others incomprehensible to the most exalted created understanding; and only to be apprehended by faith, as a river that cannot be forded.
V. 7. Trees, &c.] Marg . and Marg . Ref . -Note , 12.
10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishes shall stand upon it, from Engedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
11. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof 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 shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for ** medicine.
ed: till at length the most hopeless and benighted nations would be abundantly filled with the light and holiness of true religion. ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . — Joel 3:18—21, ν . 18. Matt 4:18-22, υ . 19. 13:47–50. Luke 5 : 1-11 , v . 10.)
The rivers, &c. (9) 'The word "rivers and 'river," are promiscuously used in this verse: 'though some of the Jewish writers are of 'opinion, that these waters divide themselves, 'and some flow eastward, and others west'ward; which opinion they ground... chiefly 'upon the words of Zechariah. 14:8.' Lowth. ( Note , Zech . 14:6-9, v. 8.) The dual ( marg .) seems to mark out two rivers; but as the word rendered "country" (8) is Galilee , it perhaps implies that one river flowed into the sea of Galilee, though that which flowed into the dead sea be principally noticed.
V. 11. There would, however, still remain some marshes, creeks, or swamps, into which these healing waters could not find an entrance; and these would be left incurably steril and worthless. This represents the case of those, who reject, neglect, or pervert the gospel; or those countries, which exclude it from among them. In short it is the only healing medicine for the distempers of our fallen race; and they will be given up as reprobate to final ruin who are not healed by it. ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . Notes , Heb . 6:4-8. 2 Pet . 2: 20— 22.)
V. 8-10. These waters ran eastward into the desert, and then into the sea; which is supposed to mean the dead sea, or the lake of Sodom, that lay east of Jerusalem. In this sea it is said no living creature is found; at least it is evident, that it does not abound with fish, as other seas do.
But the prophet was informed by his conductor, that when the waters from the sanctuary should enter the sea, its waters also would become wholesome, and fit for the production and habitation of fishes, and of every living thing found in other seas; for to every place whither they flowed they would communicate life abundantly: so that fishers would spread their nets from one side of this lake of Sodom to another, (for En-gedi lay on one side, and En-eglaim on the other side, of the lake,) and take exceedingly great quantities of all those kinds of fish, which they had been used to catch in the Mediterranean sea.
'Mystically denoting the healing virtue 'of God's grace to cure the vices and corrupV. 12. St. John has almost transcribed this 'tions of wicked men.' Lowth .
This repre- part of the vision, and applied it to the salvasented the efficacy of the gospel, when attend- tion of Christ, as perfected in the felicity of ed by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, to heaven. ( Note , Rev. 22:2-5, v . 2.) In his viscommunicate spiritual life to the most atro-ion, the trees, on each side of the river of the cious sinners, like those of Sodom; to render water of Life, seem to signify the several parts the Gentile nations productive of numerous of the mediatorial work of Christ, and the sufconverts; checking the progress of iniquity, ficiency of his salvation to supply all the variundermining the foundations of idolatry, re-ous wants of believers, and to complete their forming cities and countries, and bringing uninterrupted felicity.
Many expostors inmen to know, worship, and serve the one liv- terpret this verse of believers, who are "trees ing and true God, where his name had not of righteousness" planted on the banks of this before been known. So that the ministers of river in great abundance. Yet the plenteous Christ would meet with abundant encourage-|| provisions of the gospel, the precious promisment to labor, and to preach the gospel, where es of the sacred word, and the privileges of before none ever thought of being so employ-believers, as communicated to their souls by
13 Thus saith the Lord GoD; "This || & from Gilead, and from the land of Israel shall be the border whereby ye shall in- by Jordan, from the border unto the east herit the land, according to the twelve sea. 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 a Hethlon, as men go to bZedad;
Hamath, dBerothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus, and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, 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
u Num. 34:2-12.
48:5,6. Gen. 48:5. 1 Chr. 5:1. Jer. 3:18. 31:1.
*Or, swore. 20:5,6,28,42. Gen. 12:7. 13:15. 15:7. 17:8. 26:3. 28:13. Num. 14:16,30. y 13:29. Prov. 16:33. z 17-20.
a 48:1.
b Num. 34:8.
c Num. 13:21. 1 Kings 8:65. Am. 6:14. Zech. 9:2.
d 2 Sam. 2:8. Berothai.
e Gen. 14:15. 1 Chr. 18:5. Acts 9:2.
↑ Or, the middle village. f 48:1. Num. 34:9.
Heb. from between.
the quickening Spirit, may be aptly thus represented.
These abound on each side of the river, wherever the gospel is successfully preached: they afford nourishment and delight to the souls of men; they never fade or wither, or are exhausted; they are various, according to the variety of circumstances and occasions, in the Christian's experience; as if a tree should yield a succession of different kinds of fruit in great abundance, through the months of the year: and even the leaves serve as medicines to their souls; the warnings and reproofs of the word, and the salutary corrections of their Father's rod, though generally less valued, and always less pleasant, than divine consolations, yet tend to heal the inaladies of their souls, and to restore them to holiness and happiness. ( Marg . and Marg .
Ref . -Notes, Gen. 2:8,9. 3:22-24. Prov. 3:18. Rev. 2:6,7.)-If believers are intended by these trees, the emblem shews that they are rendered flourishing and fruitful by the word and Spirit of God; that they become exceedingly useful; that they persevere in their fruitfulness and usefulness through the various changes of life; that they exercise various Christian graces in succession; and that their profession, doctrine, example, conversation, and endeavors, powerfully tend to instruct, reform, and benefit mankind. (7. Notes, Ps. 1:1-3, v. 3. 92:13-15. Jer. 17:5-8. John 15:2.)- Because
their waters , &c.] Notes , 1-5. Rev. 22:1–6. V. 13-23. The prophet here again returns to the division of the land, the account of which had been interrupted by intervening discoveries. (45:1-8.) As no such division of Canaan took place after the captivity, this must be understood of future events. Several names are here added, or changed for others: yet the boundaries of the land are nearly the same as were marked out by Moses; except,
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 k 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.
g Gen. 31:23,47. Galead. Num. Or, toward Teman. 32:1. Judg. 10:8.
h Gen. 13:10. Job 40:23. i 48:28.
Or, Meribah. Num. 20:13. Deut. 32:51. 33:8. Ps. 81:7. || Or, valley. Josh. 12:3.
k 13,14.
1 Is. 56.6,7. Acts 2:5-10. 11: 18. Eph. 2:19-22. 3:6. Rev. 7:9,10.
m Rom. 10:12. Gal. 3:28,29. Col. 3:11.
that it does not appear, whether any part, or what part, of the country east of Jordan, is included within the eastern boundary. ( Marg . and Marg . Ref . b-i.- Notes , Num . 34:1-15. Josh . 15:1-12. 16: 17: 18:1-10.) The ten tribes, as well as Judah and Benjamin, were to be admitted to a full share in the inheritance: and this seems to imply, that the future restoration of Israel to the promised land is predicted: while the circumstance of the strangers that sojourned in the land, being admitted to a share in the inheritance, as if native Israelites, plainly intimates the calling of the Gentiles into the church, and their joint inheritance with the Jews in the privileges of the gospel and in the heavenly felicity. ( Marg . Ref . 1, m.)- Joseph , &c. (13) Marg. Ref . xNotes, Gen. 48:5.1 Chr . 5:1,2.- I lifted up , &c. (14) Marg . and Ref .
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
The more carefully we examine the things of God and religion, the more interesting will be our discoveries concerning them. All our invaluable privileges and advantages are conveyed to us through the gospel; they el; they flow from Christ, our Temple, Altar, and Door of access to the Father; they all spring from the everlasting love and mercy of our God, through his atoning sacrifice, and by the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. No obstructions of men, or fallen angels, angels, can interrupt the communication of spiritual blessings from the fulness of Christ to the souls of his beloved people: and the course of the greatest rivers might far more easily be stopped, than the progress of his gospel, when God is pleased to prosper the labors of his servants. It has hitherto continued gradually to diffuse its influence; and it will still run wider and deeper in its energy and effects, till it shall fill, heal, and fructify
3 And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
4 And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.
5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for & Ephraim.
6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.
7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
e Gen. 30:7,8. Josh. 19:32-39. f Gen. 30.22-24. 41:51. 48:5, 14-20. Josh. 13:29-31, 17:1 -11.
g Josh. 16:17:8-10,14-18. h Gen. 29:32. 49:3,4. Josh. 13: 15-21.
i Gen. 29:35. Josh. 15: 19:9.
the whole earth.
We may rejoice in the as- sured hope of this happy event: and in the mean time we may be satisfied, that the water, which Christ gives his praying people, shall be 'in them a well of water springing up into ev- erlasting life." Whilst we wait for the com- pletion of our felicity, and are conflicting with various trials and temptations; let us attend to the sacred scriptures, beginning with the most obvious and practical truths, and proceeding gradually to those which are the most difficult; remembering that many things will be found incomprehensible to us, which we must appre- hend by faith and humbly adore, but not pre- sume to think that we can fathom, or judge of by our limited powers, or our proud reason- ings.
But we should chiefly mark the blessed effects, which the word and Spirit of God are every where represented as producing on the souls of men; that we may inquire whether they have wrought such a change in our judg- ment and affections, and character?
Into whatever place, or heart of man, these heal- ing waters flow, they communicate divine life and holiness; they counteract the various evil propensities of our fallen nature, and teach men to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." So that where they abound, knowledge, purity, piety, and equity, and every thing good and useful, abound like- wise.
How desirable then is it to be instru- mental in sending the word of God to those regions, which have hitherto been given up to idolatry, ignorance, impiety, and vice! and to see the preachers of the gospel encouraged to cast their nets, and to attend to their labo- rious work with patient hope and evident suc- cess, where sin and Satan before reigned with undisturbed sway!
The time is coming when they shall thus labor and prosper, in those dis- tant regions, which are now enveloped in Pa- gan or Mohammedan darkness, with as much encouragement, as the apostles did at Jerusa- lem, when numbers were "daily added to the church of such as should be saved:" and their converts shall be of the same excellent char- acter as those were, "when great grace was upon them all." Yet is this blessed gospel of salvation the savor of death to numbers in every age: and those who are not made holy by it, because they neglect, oppose, or abuse it, must die in their sins and perish without rem- edy.
As the Lord has so amply provided in Christ Jesus all the rich variety of spiritual blessings, which can conduce to our comfort ||13:15-22. 15:1-12. 16:1—10. 17:11—13.)
and holiness; and as those blessings lose no part of their beauty or excellency by the succession of ages: so Christians also should study to be useful and fruitful, the lights of the world and the healing of the people; that their whole conduct, and all their endeavors, may conduce to render men wiser, holier, and happier, on every side of them.
They should bring forth fruit suited to the seasons of adversity and prosperity, and to the various occasions and circumstances in which they are called to act: they should consider it their duty and their privilege to have their leaf unwithering and their fruit increasing: because they are watered from the sanctuary of God: and they should delight in proceeding with increasing zeal and usefulness to serve him to the end of their lives.
Surely none should deem themselves "branches of the living Vine," who do not in some measure bring forth such fruits as he did, when he went about doing good to the souls and bodies of men! And if all that bear the name of Christians and profess the doctrine of Christ, were of this character, his religion would appear to be most excellent and beneficial in the eyes of all beholders.
Such Christians need not doubt of their inheriting the good land, which Canaan typified, and which the Lord has sworn to give to the seed of Abraham: all the Gentiles, who believe in Christ, and are united to him by the supply of his sanctifying Spirit, are the children of Abraham and heirs according to promise, and will share the privileges of Israelites, without marring their inheritance: for there is room in the church and in heaven for all, who come for the blessings of that new covenant, of which Christ is the Surety and Mediator.
NOTES.