The Meaning of Ezekiel 47:12 Explained

Ezekiel 47:12

KJV: 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.

YLT: And by the stream there cometh up on its edge, on this side and on that side, every kind of fruit-tree whose leaf fadeth not, and not consumed is its fruit, according to its months it yieldeth first-fruits, because its waters from the sanctuary are coming forth; and its fruits hath been for food, and its leaf for medicine.

Darby: And by the river, upon its bank, on the one side and on the other, shall grow all trees for food, whose leaf shall not fade, nor their fruit fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, for its waters issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

ASV: And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 47:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Fruit trees would grow all around the Dead Sea. They do not do so now. They would remain continually healthy and productive. These trees would be so fruitful that they would bear fruit every month of the year. People would eat their fruit and use their leaves for medicinal purposes. This formerly desert region would blossom like a rose (cf. Ezekiel 36:35; Isaiah 35:1-2; Isaiah 35:6-7; Joel 3:18; Romans 8:19-22).
This river is similar to two other rivers in the Bible: the river that flowed out of the Garden of Eden ( Genesis 2:10) and the river that will flow in the New Jerusalem during the eternal state ( Revelation 22:1-2; cf. Psalm 46:4; Psalm 65:9; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8). Like the river in Revelation the one in Ezekiel will flow from the throne of God; He is the source of both rivers. However, there will be a temple in the millennial earth, but there will not be one in the eternal state ( Revelation 21:22). The river in Revelation also flowed down the street of the city, but Ezekiel mentioned no city to the east of the temple, just one to its south ( Ezekiel 45:6). It seems that Ezekiel and John saw two different rivers, but the purpose of both rivers was the same. God will be the source of fertility, blessing, and health in the Millennium and throughout eternity.
The river that Ezekiel saw was a real river with life-giving and healing properties. But like the rivers in Genesis 2and Revelation 22it also has symbolic significance. Many interpreters spiritualize the entire passage and see no literal fulfillment in the future. [1] It represents the spiritual life and healing that flow to humanity from the throne of God (cf. John 4:14; John 7:37-38). [2]
"The river is like the blood of the Messiah from the cross of Calvary that began as a trickle ( John 19:34). Finally, the blood, like the river, became a flood of redemption for all people ( Revelation 1:5). So the flow from Calvary became a fountain of redemption for all people including Israel (see Zechariah 13:1-6; Revelation 1:5-6). Just Song of Solomon , the water of life that the prophet saw coming from the threshold came forth gently, then began to flow, and finally became a mighty river of life healing all in its wake." [3]
"All blessings, material and spiritual, will emanate from the presence of the Lord with His people." [4]
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow!" [5]
The boundaries and principles of allotment of the land47:13-48:35
"There are two special areas of attention in this passage: (1) the concern that God"s people occupy their full boundaries, and (2) the concern that Gentiles will have an inheritance." [6]

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 47:12 mean?

And of the river will grow Along the bank on this [side] and on this [side] all [kinds] [of] trees [used] for food not will wither their leaves and not will fail Their fruit every month they will bear fruit because their water from the sanctuary is flowing - will be their fruit for food and their leaves for medicine -
וְעַל־ הַנַּ֣חַל יַעֲלֶ֣ה עַל־ שְׂפָת֣וֹ מִזֶּ֣ה ׀ וּמִזֶּ֣ה ׀ כָּל־ עֵֽץ־ מַ֠אֲכָל לֹא־ יִבּ֨וֹל עָלֵ֜הוּ וְלֹֽא־ יִתֹּ֣ם פִּרְי֗וֹ לָֽחֳדָשָׁיו֙ יְבַכֵּ֔ר כִּ֣י מֵימָ֔יו מִן־ הַמִּקְדָּ֖שׁ הֵ֣מָּה יֽוֹצְאִ֑ים [והיו] (וְהָיָ֤ה) פִרְיוֹ֙ לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל וְעָלֵ֖הוּ לִתְרוּפָֽה ס

הַנַּ֣חַל  of  the  river 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
יַעֲלֶ֣ה  will  grow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עַל־  Along 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
שְׂפָת֣וֹ  the  bank 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
מִזֶּ֣ה ׀  on  this  [side] 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וּמִזֶּ֣ה ׀  and  on  this  [side] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
כָּל־  all  [kinds]  [of] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֵֽץ־  trees 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
מַ֠אֲכָל  [used]  for  food 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַאֲכָל  
Sense: food, fruit, meat.
יִבּ֨וֹל  will  wither 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבֵל 
Sense: to be senseless, be foolish.
עָלֵ֜הוּ  their  leaves 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָלֶה  
Sense: leaf, leafage.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִתֹּ֣ם  will  fail 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּמַם  
Sense: to be complete, be finished, be at an end.
פִּרְי֗וֹ  Their  fruit 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פְּרִי  
Sense: fruit.
לָֽחֳדָשָׁיו֙  every  month 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
יְבַכֵּ֔ר  they  will  bear  fruit 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּכַר  
Sense: to be born first.
כִּ֣י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מֵימָ֔יו  their  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
הַמִּקְדָּ֖שׁ  the  sanctuary 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִקְדָּשׁ  
Sense: sacred place, sanctuary, holy place.
יֽוֹצְאִ֑ים  flowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
[והיו]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
(וְהָיָ֤ה)  will  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
פִרְיוֹ֙  their  fruit 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פְּרִי  
Sense: fruit.
לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל  for  food 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַאֲכָל  
Sense: food, fruit, meat.
וְעָלֵ֖הוּ  and  their  leaves 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָלֶה  
Sense: leaf, leafage.
לִתְרוּפָֽה  for  medicine 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּרוּפָה  
Sense: healing.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation