Ezekiel 47:9

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.

Hebrew Names Version
It shall happen, that every living creature which swarms, in every place where the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come there, and [the waters of the sea] shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

New American Standard Bible
"And it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

New Century Version
Everywhere the river goes, there will be many fish. Wherever this water goes the Dead Sea will become fresh, and so where the river goes there will be many living things.

Amplified Bible
"It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be a very great number of fish, because these waters go there so that the waters of the sea are healed and become fresh; so everything will live wherever the river goes.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And euery thing that liueth, which moueth, wheresoeuer the riuers shal come, shal liue, and there shalbe a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be wholesome, and euery thing shall liue whither the riuer commeth.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that every living creature, which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the other waters are healed; so everything will live where the river goes.

Berean Standard Bible
Wherever 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.

Contemporary English Version
Wherever this water flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish, because it will bring life and fresh water to the Dead Sea.

Complete Jewish Bible
When this happens, swarms of all kinds of living creatures will be able to live in it wherever the streams flow; so that there will be a vast number of fish; for this water is flowing there, so that, wherever the river goes, everything will be restored and able to live.

Darby Translation
And it shall come to pass that every living thing which moveth, whithersoever the double river shall come, shall live. And there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters shall come thither, and [the waters of the sea] shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh.

Easy-to-Read Version
This water flows into the Dead Sea so that the water in that sea becomes fresh and clean. There are many fish in this water, and all kinds of animals live where this river goes.

George Lamsa Translation
And it shall come to pass that every living creature that swarms wheresoever the torrent shall flow shall live; and there shall be many fish because of the waters that flow there and make the water fresh.

Good News Translation
Wherever the stream flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish. The stream will make the water of the Dead Sea fresh, and wherever it flows, it will bring life.

Lexham English Bible
And then every living creature with which it teems, to every place the waters come it will live; and very many fish will live because these waters came there, and so the water will be healed and everything will be alive everywhere that the stream will come.

Literal Translation
And it shall be, every soul that lives, which swarms in every place , there where the two torrents go, that soul shall live. And there shall be very many fish, because these waters shallcome there. And they shall be healed. Andall shall live there where the torrent goes.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee all that liue and moue, where vnto this ryuer commeth, shal recouer. And where this water cometh, there shalbe many fysh. For all that commeth to this water, shall be lusty and whole.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
And it will come about that every living and moving thing, wherever their streams come, will have life; and there will be very much fish because these waters have come there and have been made sweet: and everything wherever the river comes will have life.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall come to pass, that every living creature wherewith it swarmeth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, that all things be healed and may live whithersoever the river cometh.

King James Version (1611)
And it shall come to passe, that euery thing that liueth, which mooueth, whithersoeuer the riuers shall come, shall liue, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed, and euery thing shall liue whither the riuer commeth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea, all that liue and moue, whereunto this riuer commeth, shall liue: and there shalbe a very great multitude of fishe, because these waters shal come thither, for they shalbe holsome: and euery thing shall liue whyther the riuer commeth.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass, that every animal of living and moving creatures, all on which the river shall come, shall live: and there shall be there very many fish; for this water shall go thither, and it shall heal them, and they shall live: everything on which the river shall come shall live.

English Revised Version
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 every thing shall live whithersoever the river cometh.

World English Bible
It shall happen, that every living creature which swarms, in every place where the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come there, and [the waters of the sea] shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ech lyuynge beeste that creepith, schal lyue, whidur euere the stronde schal come; and fischis many ynow schulen be, aftir that these watris comen thidur, and schulen be heelid, and schulen lyue; alle thingis to whiche the stronde schal come, schulen lyue.

Update Bible Version
And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarms, in every place where the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters have come there, and [the waters of the sea] shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

New English Translation
Every living creature which swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river flows.

New King James Version
And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

New Living Translation
There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.

New Life Bible
Every living thing that gathers where the river goes will live. There will be very many fish, because these waters go there and make the salt water clean. So everything will live where the river goes.

New Revised Standard
Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall come to pass that every living soul that swarmeth whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live, and the fish shall become a very great multitude; for these waters have come thither, that they may be healed so shall everything live whithersoever the river cometh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come, shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come.

Revised Standard Version
And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath come to pass, every living creature that teemeth, whithersoever the streams come, doth live: and there hath been great abundance of fish, for these waters have come thither, and they are healed; and every thing whither the stream cometh hath lived.

Contextual Overview

¹Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple. ³He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through. ⁶He said, "Son of man, have you had a good look?" Then he took me back to the riverbank. While sitting on the bank, I noticed a lot of trees on both sides of the river. ⁸He told me, "This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish—great schools of fish—because the river is turning the salt sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life abounds. Fishermen will stand shoulder to shoulder along the shore from En-gedi all the way north to En-eglaim, casting their nets. The sea will teem with fish of all kinds, like the fish of the Great Mediterranean. ¹¹ "The swamps and marshes won't become fresh. They'll stay salty. ¹² "But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won't wither, the fruit won't fail. Every month they'll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

every thing: John 3:16, John 11:26

rivers: Heb. two rivers, Psalms 78:16

shall live: John 5:25, John 6:63, John 11:25, John 14:6, John 14:19, Romans 8:2, 1 Corinthians 15:45, Ephesians 2:1-5

a very great: Isaiah 49:12, Isaiah 60:3-10, Zechariah 2:11, Zechariah 8:21-23, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47, Acts 4:4, Acts 5:14, Acts 6:7, Acts 21:20, Greek

for they: Exodus 15:26, Psalms 103:3, Isaiah 30:26

Reciprocal: Matthew 4:19 - I will Luke 5:10 - from

Cross-References

Genesis 47:7
Next Joseph brought his father Jacob in and introduced him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How old are you?"

Genesis 47:9
Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourning are 130—a short and hard life and not nearly as long as my ancestors were given." Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left.

Genesis 47:16
Joseph said, "Bring your livestock. I'll trade you food for livestock since your money's run out." So they brought Joseph their livestock. He traded them food for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year in exchange for all their livestock.

Genesis 47:25
They said, "You've saved our lives! Master, we're grateful and glad to be slaves to Pharaoh."

Genesis 50:26
Joseph died at the age of 110 years. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

Deuteronomy 34:7
Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight was sharp; he still walked with a spring in his step. The People of Israel wept for Moses in the Plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

Joshua 24:29
After all this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of God , died. He was 110 years old. They buried him in the land of his inheritance at Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Job 14:1
"We're all adrift in the same boat: too few days, too many troubles. We spring up like wildflowers in the desert and then wilt, transient as the shadow of a cloud. Do you occupy your time with such fragile wisps? Why even bother hauling me into court? There's nothing much to us to start with; how do you expect us to amount to anything? Mortals have a limited life span. You've already decided how long we'll live— you set the boundary and no one can cross it. So why not give us a break? Ease up! Even ditchdiggers get occasional days off. For a tree there is always hope. Chop it down and it still has a chance— its roots can put out fresh sprouts. Even if its roots are old and gnarled, its stump long dormant, At the first whiff of water it comes to life, buds and grows like a sapling. But men and women? They die and stay dead. They breathe their last, and that's it. Like lakes and rivers that have dried up, parched reminders of what once was, So mortals lie down and never get up, never wake up again—never. Why don't you just bury me alive, get me out of the way until your anger cools? But don't leave me there! Set a date when you'll see me again. If we humans die, will we live again? That's my question. All through these difficult days I keep hoping, waiting for the final change—for resurrection! Homesick with longing for the creature you made, you'll call—and I'll answer! You'll watch over every step I take, but you won't keep track of my missteps. My sins will be stuffed in a sack and thrown into the sea—sunk in deep ocean.

Psalms 39:12
"Ah, God , listen to my prayer, my cry—open your ears. Don't be callous; just look at these tears of mine. I'm a stranger here. I don't know my way— a migrant like my whole family. Give me a break, cut me some slack before it's too late and I'm out of here."

2 Corinthians 5:6
That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth,.... That is, every living man; everyone that lives naturally or corporeally, that lives, moves, and has his being in God, as all men have, Acts 17:28,

whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; or, "the two rivers" i; the waters divided as before, east and west; not the two Testaments, Old and New; nor the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper; but the Gospel, which, wherever it shall come with power, and to whomsoever it so comes, they shall live spiritually; not to whomsoever it is preached, for to some it is not profitable; see

Ezekiel 47:11, but is the savour of death unto death; but to all to whom it is accompanied by the Spirit of God it is the savour of life unto life; the Spirit that gives life, and is the means of it: indeed, the love of God is the river of water of life, Revelation 21:1, it is the spring of spiritual life to dead sinners, and what revives drooping saints, quickens their graces, faith, hope, and love; enlivens and cheers their spirits, and greatly influences true religion and godliness, and very much promotes the life and power of it: and so the grace of the Spirit is living water, by which dead sinners are quickened; the work of grace in saints is revived, and which always continues and issues in eternal life, John 4:10, but the Gospel, and its doctrines, are rather intended; which are the means of quickening those who are dead in trespasses and sins; serve greatly to invigorate the graces of the Spirit in the hearts of God's people; to influence their lives and conversations; to support them under afflictions, and to nourish them up to everlasting life; and point out the way to eternal life, and give a true account of it.

And there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither; that is, a multitude of fish in the Dead sea, where none lived before, and owing to those waters coming thither: it signifies the great number of living Christians, true believers, who shall appear wherever the Gospel is truly, purely, and powerfully preached; of these see more in the next verse:

for they shall be healed; John 4:10- ::

and everything shall live whither the river cometh; not only shall live as before, but continue to live, shall never die; their graces shall not die, nor shall they themselves die the second death, but shall have eternal life; because of the purpose of God, who has ordained them to it; and the promise of God, who is faithful to it; and because of the security of their life in Christ, to whom they are united; and because of the indwelling of the Spirit of life in them. So the Targum,

"they shall remain in every place where the waters of the river come.''

i נחלים "duo torrentes", Pagninus, Montanus; "geminus torrens", Tigurine version, Cocceius; "fluvius geminus", Starckius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 47:9. 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.