The Meaning of Ezekiel 47:1 Explained

Ezekiel 47:1

KJV: Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

YLT: And he causeth me to turn back unto the opening of the house; and lo, water is coming forth from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the front of the house is eastward, and the water is coming down from beneath, from the right side of the house, from the south of the altar.

Darby: And he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the front of the house was eastward. And the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, south of the altar.

ASV: And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Afterward he brought me again  unto the door  of the house;  and, behold, waters  issued out  from under the threshold  of the house  eastward:  for the forefront  of the house  [stood toward] the east,  and the waters  came down  from under from the right  side  of the house,  at the south  [side] of the altar. 

What does Ezekiel 47:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Ezekiel"s guide, who appears to have been his original guide in this vision ( Ezekiel 47:3), brought him back to the main entrance to the temple proper. Ezekiel saw water flowing to the east from under the temple threshold. It apparently flowed to the south of the stairs on the right side of the temple as one faces east.
The Letter of Aristias, dated about100 B.C, contains reference to a spring on the temple mount inside the enclosure of the temple area. [1] There may already be a natural water source at this site.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 47

1  The vision of the holy waters
6  The virtue of them
13  The borders of the land
22  The division of it by lot

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 47:1 mean?

And he brought me back to the door of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east for the front of the temple [faced] east and the water was flowing under from under the side of the temple right south of the altar
וַיְשִׁבֵנִי֮ אֶל־ פֶּ֣תַח הַבַּיִת֒ וְהִנֵּה־ מַ֣יִם יֹצְאִ֗ים מִתַּ֨חַת מִפְתַּ֤ן הַבַּ֙יִת֙ קָדִ֔ימָה כִּֽי־ פְנֵ֥י הַבַּ֖יִת קָדִ֑ים וְהַמַּ֣יִם יֹרְדִ֗ים מִתַּ֜חַת מִכֶּ֤תֶף הַבַּ֙יִת֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית מִנֶּ֖גֶב לַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ

וַיְשִׁבֵנִי֮  And  he  brought  me  back 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
פֶּ֣תַח  the  door 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּתַח  
Sense: opening, doorway, entrance.
הַבַּיִת֒  of  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְהִנֵּה־  and  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מַ֣יִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
יֹצְאִ֗ים  flowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִתַּ֨חַת  from  under 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
מִפְתַּ֤ן  the  threshold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִפְתָּן  
Sense: threshold.
הַבַּ֙יִת֙  of  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
קָדִ֔ימָה  toward  the  east 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: קָדִים  
Sense: east, east wind.
פְנֵ֥י  the  front 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הַבַּ֖יִת  of  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
קָדִ֑ים  [faced]  east 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָדִים  
Sense: east, east wind.
וְהַמַּ֣יִם  and  the  water 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
יֹרְדִ֗ים  was  flowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
מִתַּ֜חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
מִכֶּ֤תֶף  from  under  the  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כָּתֵף  
Sense: shoulder, shoulder-blade, side, slope.
הַבַּ֙יִת֙  of  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַיְמָנִ֔ית  right 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: יְמָינִי 
Sense: right, right hand.
מִנֶּ֖גֶב  south 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶגֶב  
Sense: south-country, Nekeb, south.
לַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ  of  the  altar 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.