Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 47:6
And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen [this]? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
6. to the brink ] Perhaps: along the brink. River is brook or wady as Eze 47:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He said, i.e. the man with measuring line in hand.
Seen this; observed and considered this; hast thou well seen this?
Caused me to return: it is not said whether he was gone from the bank, though it be said he returned to the brink, or perhaps it is, he caused me to return along by the brink of the river.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said unto me, son of man, hast thou seen this? c]. That is, the man that measured the waters said to the prophet, hast thou carefully observed all this from whence the waters flowed? from what small beginnings they rose, and gradually increased? how they first issued forth, as out of a vial and now, in the space of about two or three miles, are become a deep river, and impassable? it is right and profitable to observe the rise and progress of the Gospel; what a spread it has had in the world, and what it will have:
then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river; there to stand and observe the nature of the waters, and the course of them; the multitude of fish in them; and the trees which grew upon the banks of them; of all which some account is given in the following verses.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) To return to the brink.The angel, having called the prophets attention to this marvellous increase, now causes him to return along the bank to observe other things. The word brink in this verse and bank in the next are the same in the original. The prophet does not return to the brink, for he had not left it, but is told to pass along it.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘Then he brought me and caused me to return to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.’
This verse is a death thrust to a literalist interpretation. It refers to Ezekiel being returned to the bank of the river, and then describes the trees that have miraculously and instantaneously grown along the bank of the river. It is quite clear that this is not intended just to be a picture of the scenery but the consequence of this now great and flowing river. The eastern side of the mountains was well known for its aridity. Here is the God of creation at work indeed.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 47:6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen [this]? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
Ver. 6. Son of man, hast thou seen this? ] And art thou soundly sensible thereof? It is very fit thou shouldst, that God may have the glory of his great goodness and power in propagating the gospel, and bringing forward the work of his grace in the hearts of his people, maugre the malice of earth and of hell. The Reformation wrought in Germany, from how small beginnings grew it! The establishing of that among us, how imperfect soever, to be done by so weak and simple means, yea, by casual and cross means, against the force of so potent and political an adversary, this is to be looked upon as a just miracle.
To the brink of the river.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Son of man. See note on Eze 2:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hast thou: Eze 8:17, Eze 40:4, Eze 44:5, Jer 1:11-13, Zec 4:2, Zec 5:2, Mat 13:51
Reciprocal: Psa 107:35 – turneth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 47:6. This paragraph is a pause in the procedure to call special attention of the prophet to the scene, also to conduct him to the bank of the river just described.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 47:6-7. And he said, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Hast thou considered, or taken notice of, this vision now showed unto thee? To see, often signifies to take notice of what we see: on the contrary, they are said to have eyes and see not, who do not observe what is placed before their eyes. This is an intimation to us, that it is our indispensable duty to consider well what is signified by these waters, and by their increase and effects: namely, to mark well the progress of the gospel in the world, and the process of the work of grace in the heart; to follow and carefully observe these waters, as Ezekiel here did; to attend to the motions and drawings of the blessed Spirit, and walk after them under a divine conduct. It is good to be often searching into the things of God, and trying to discover the depth of them; not only to look on the surface of the waters, but to go as far as we can toward the bottom of them; to be often digging, often diving into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, as those who covet to be intimately acquainted with them. If we carefully consider the things of God, we shall find some of them very plain, and easy to be understood, like the waters that came only up to the ankles; others more difficult, and which require a deeper search, as the waters which rose to the knees, or the loins; and some quite beyond our reach, which we can neither fathom nor penetrate into, but, despairing to find their bottom, or measure their depth must be content, with St. Paul, to sit down on the brink, and adore it, crying out with him, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Rom 11:33.
Then he caused me to return by the brink of the river He made me go along by the river side. Behold, on the bank of the river were very many trees The words allude to the trees planted in paradise, and designed for mans food in the state of innocence; and especially to the tree of life which grew there. The reader will observe, that many of the ideas in this chapter are taken from the terrestrial paradise; see Eze 47:12, and compare Rev 22:1-2, where the same ideas are carried to the celestial paradise by St. John.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The guide made sure Ezekiel saw this. Then he brought him back to the edge of the river. Many trees were growing on both sides of the riverbank. Rivers, by their nature, give life.