Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text emphasizes a dramatic, supernatural increase in the water's depth; it rises from ankle-deep to an uncrossable, swimming depth within a very short distance. This isn't a gentle, natural flow, but a powerful, miraculous surge, pointing to something far beyond ordinary human experience.
Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this vision, Ezekiel is being shown a river flowing from the temple, and with each measurement, the water deepens significantly. This shows a powerful, miraculous increase that moves from a shallow stream to a river too deep to cross, indicating a growing presence that is overwhelming and transformative. The prophet's inability to cross signifies a new level of immersion and the immeasurable spread of God's life-giving power.
Imagine measuring a thousand cubits, and then another thousand. What started as a small stream has become something you can't even step into anymore. What does this dramatic increase reveal?
In Ezekiel's vision, the river's growth is astounding. It begins as a gentle stream (verse 3), then deepens to ankle-deep (verse 4), and by the fifth measurement of a thousand cubits, it's an uncrossable river, deep enough to swim in. This isn't a normal river; it swells miraculously without any tributaries. This sudden, unexplainable increase points to God's work – a power that operates outside our usual understanding of nature. It’s a picture of His kingdom and His grace expanding in ways that defy logic, growing from a small beginning into something vast and powerful.
This river becomes so deep that you can't simply walk across it. It requires a different kind of engagement. What does this impenetrable depth signify for our understanding of God?
The river in Ezekiel's vision ultimately becomes too deep to cross by walking. It's a 'river of swimming.' This represents truths and realities of God's kingdom that are beyond human comprehension and reason. While the earlier stages (ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep) might represent aspects of God's work we can grasp, this final depth signifies the 'deep things of God' (as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 2:9). These are mysteries like the Trinity, the incarnation, or the vastness of God's love, which we cannot fully fathom with our minds. They can only be embraced through faith, by 'swimming' in them with trust, even if we can't touch the bottom.
Understand the original words
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nahar · Hebrew Noun
A body of flowing water. In biblical imagery, a river often represents the source of life, spiritual refreshment, divine provision, and the transformative power of God's grace flowing out from His sanctuary to restore creation.
Ezekiel's vision of the river, which grows from a trickle to an impassable, life-giving torrent, dramatically illustrates God's promise of future restoration and the expansive, transformative power of His presence and kingdom, a hope that begins to be realized after the exile and finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's First Vision of the Temple
Ezekiel receives a complex vision of a new temple and city, a divine blueprint for Israel's future hope during the Babylonian exile.
c. 587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple, and deport many of the remaining Jewish population, intensifying the crisis Ezekiel's prophecies address.
c. 571 BC
Ezekiel's Prophecies Conclude
Ezekiel's prophetic book ends with visions of restoration, including the detailed temple vision and the life-giving river, offering hope amidst desolation.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
The Persian king Cyrus the Great allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking the first stage of national restoration.
c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem is dedicated, a physical symbol of God's presence returning to His people, though different from the glory of Solomon's or Ezekiel's visionary temple.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus Preaches the Kingdom of God
Jesus announces the imminent arrival of God's kingdom, a spiritual reality that grows from humble beginnings, mirroring the river's initial trickle. His ministry begins to bring healing and life.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus' death and resurrection are the pivotal events from which the 'living waters' of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel flow abundantly, empowering the spread of God's kingdom.
This passage describes a river of the water of life flowing from God's throne, similar to Ezekiel's vision of life-giving waters emanating from the temple, emphasizing a source of divine abundance.
John 7:37-39Jesus' declaration about rivers of living water flowing from believers echoes Ezekiel's vision, highlighting that the source of this spiritual life is the Holy Spirit who would be given after Jesus' glorification.
Isaiah 11:9This prophecy speaks of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, a powerful image that parallels the ever-increasing and life-sustaining nature of the river in Ezekiel's vision.
Psalm 46:4The imagery of a river making glad the city of God speaks to the life-giving and joyful impact of divine presence, aligning with the transformational power depicted in Ezekiel's vision of the river flowing from the sanctuary.
barnesEzekiel 47:5: "Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."
The rivers in Palestine were for the most part mere watercourses, dry in summer, in winter carrying the water along the wadys to the sea. The river of the vision is to have a continuous flow. Waters to swim in - When under Constantine the Roman empire had become Christian, the Church may be contemplated as the full…
pulpitEzekiel 47:5: "Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."
Verse 5. - After a fourth distance of a thousand cubits, the waters had risen, or, lifted themselves up (comp. Job 8:11, in which the verb is used of a plant growing up), and become waters to swim in - literally, waters of swimming (שָׂחוּ occurs only here; the noun צְפָה only in Ezekiel 32:6) - a river that could n…
The text emphasizes a dramatic, supernatural increase in the water's depth; it rises from ankle-deep to an uncrossable, swimming depth within a very short distance. This isn't a gentle, natural flow, but a powerful, miraculous surge, pointing to something far beyond ordinary human experience.
In this vision, Ezekiel is being shown a river flowing from the temple, and with each measurement, the water deepens significantly. This shows a powerful, miraculous increase that moves from a shallow stream to a river too deep to cross, indicating a growing presence that is overwhelming and transformative. The prophet's inability to cross signifies a new level of immersion and the immeasurable spread of God's life-giving power.
In this vision, Ezekiel is being shown a river flowing from the temple, and with each measurement, the water deepens significantly. This shows a powerful, miraculous increase that moves from a shallow stream to a river too deep to cross, indicating a growing presence that is overwhelming and transformative. The prophet's inability to cross signifies a new level of immersion and the immeasurable spread of God's life-giving power.
"Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through." — The text emphasizes a dramatic, supernatural increase in the water's depth; it rises from ankle-deep to an uncrossable, swimming depth within a very short distance. This isn't a gentle, natural flow,…
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Last reviewed October 2026