Ezekiel 47:11
But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights that not everything will be instantly healed by God's life-giving power; some places and people, like the salty marshes, are destined to remain barren and unchanged. This isn't a failure of God's stream, but a stark reminder that not all will embrace its life-giving flow, and some will be left to their incurable state.
Ezekiel has been given a vision of a river flowing from God's temple, bringing life and healing to the barren land, even making the Dead Sea fresh. This verse, however, notes an exception: the swamps and marshes, particularly those bordering the Dead Sea, will remain salty and infertile. This highlights that the divine healing water has limits, only reaching where it flows, and leaving some areas irrecoverably barren, signifying places and people resistant to God's life-giving presence.
Ezekiel's vision paints a beautiful picture of life-giving waters flowing from the temple. But what happens where those waters don't go?
The vision of the healing river in Ezekiel is powerful, showing God's life-restoring power flowing out to make barren lands fruitful. Yet, the prophecy makes a crucial exception: "its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt."
The Exception Explained
This isn't a failure of God's power, but a deliberate boundary. The salt marshes, by their very nature, are places where the pure river's influence stops. They represent areas that, by their inherent condition or location, are not reached by this specific source of healing.
Symbolism of Salt
In Scripture, salt often symbolizes barrenness, judgment, or a permanent state of desolation. When the prophet says these places "are to be left for salt," it means they remain permanently infertile, a stark contrast to the land that is healed by the river. This highlights that while God's power is immense, its application has specific channels and conditions.
Why would a vision of God's healing power include a note about places left barren and salty?
The prophet Ezekiel isn't just describing geography; he's painting a theological picture. The "swamps and marshes" that remain salty serve as a divine sign.
A Sign of Judgment
When the prophet declares these places "shall not be healed; they are to be left for salt," it's a clear indicator of divine judgment. These are not simply undeveloped areas, but places set apart for a permanent state of unfruitfulness, mirroring the fate of those who persistently reject God's life-giving presence.
The Gospel's Reach
This concept extends to the application of the Gospel. While the "river" of God's salvation has the power to heal and restore, it requires openness to receive that healing. Places or individuals who remain resistant, clinging to their "swampy" condition, are ultimately left to their barrenness. The salt is a reminder that while God offers life, He also upholds His justice against persistent rebellion.
Understand the original words
biṣṣāh · Hebrew Noun
Low-lying, water-logged ground often characterized by stagnant water and decay, serving here as a metaphor for places resistant to the life-giving, transforming power of God's Spirit.
melaḥ · Hebrew Noun
A mineral substance used in the ancient world for flavoring, preservation, and as a symbol of judgment, barrenness, or a covenant that cannot be broken (the 'covenant of salt').
The prophecy of a life-giving river flowing from God's presence offers immense hope, but the deliberate exclusion of the salt marshes highlights that not all areas will experience this healing – a powerful reminder that God's redemptive work has limits, and some remain unreceptive to His life-giving power.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Jehoiachin and thousands of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon following a siege of Jerusalem. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple, exiling more Judeans. This catastrophic event deeply impacts the exiles' understanding of God's presence and covenant.
c. 570 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Temple Vision Begins
Ezekiel receives a complex vision of a new Temple and a life-giving river flowing from its sanctuary. This vision, recorded in chapters 40-48, offers hope for restoration amidst exile.
c. 570 BC
Vision of the Healing River
The vision details a river flowing east from the Temple, growing in depth and life-giving power as it travels towards the Dead Sea.
This passage directly parallels the idea that the wicked, like turbulent seas, are restless and cannot find peace, mirroring Ezekiel's imagery of unhealed, salty marshes.
Deuteronomy 29:23This verse describes a land laid waste and sown with salt as divine judgment, echoing Ezekiel's 'given to salt' as a symbol of incurable barrenness and judgment.
Luke 13:24Jesus' call to 'strive to enter through the narrow door' highlights the effort required for salvation, contrasting with the passive spiritual sterility of those left 'for salt' in Ezekiel.
Hebrews 10:26This passage warns against deliberately continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of truth, which leads to judgment, similar to how the unhealed marshes in Ezekiel are left to their barrenness.
1 Corinthians 1:18Paul contrasts the 'message of the cross,' which is salvation to believers, with the 'perishing,' showing how the same divine message leads to life for some and judgment (akin to being 'given to salt') for others.
clarkeEzekiel 47:11: "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt."
The miry places - "Point out," says Calmet, "the schismatics and heretics who do not live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, but separate from his Church; and the evil Christians who dishonor that Church, of which they are corrupt members." A description applicable to the Roman Catholic Church, that is both schismatic and heretic from the Church of Jesus Christ, which is built on…
barnesEzekiel 47:11: "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt."
The exception, which reserves for sterility places to which the living water does not reach, probably indicates that the life and health are solely due to the stream which proceeds from beneath the throne of God. Compare Isaiah 57:20-21 .
This verse highlights that not everything will be instantly healed by God's life-giving power; some places and people, like the salty marshes, are destined to remain barren and unchanged. This isn't a failure of God's stream, but a stark reminder that not all will embrace its life-giving flow, and some will be left to their incurable state.
Ezekiel has been given a vision of a river flowing from God's temple, bringing life and healing to the barren land, even making the Dead Sea fresh. This verse, however, notes an exception: the swamps and marshes, particularly those bordering the Dead Sea, will remain salty and infertile. This highlights that the divine healing water has limits, only reaching where it flows, and leaving some areas irrecoverably barren, signifying places and people resistant to God's life-giving presence.
Ezekiel has been given a vision of a river flowing from God's temple, bringing life and healing to the barren land, even making the Dead Sea fresh. This verse, however, notes an exception: the swamps and marshes, particularly those bordering the Dead Sea, will remain salty and infertile. This highlights that the divine healing water has limits, only reaching where it flows, and leaving some areas irrecoverably barren, signifying places and people resistant to God's life-giving presence.
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c. 570 BC
The River Reaches the Dead Sea
The vision describes the river's waters healing the Dead Sea, bringing life to its waters and surrounding land, with abundant fish and vegetation.
c. 570 BC
Exception for Swamps and Marshes
The vision explicitly states that the swamps and marshes, particularly those near the Dead Sea, will not be healed but will remain salty and barren.
"But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt." — This verse highlights that not everything will be instantly healed by God's life-giving power; some places and people, like the salty marshes, are destined to remain barren and unchanged. This isn't…
