Ezekiel 47:4

Eze 47:4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters [were] to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters [were] to the loins.

Ver. 4. Again he measured a thousand.] This is a number of perfection. The gospel is a perfect doctrine, and is "able to make the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished (or perfected) unto all good works." {2Ti 3:17}

The waters were to the knees.] Grace grows by degrees; and the Scriptures have their shallows wherein the lamb may wade, like as they have their profundities wherein the elephant himself may swim. Augustine {a} condemned the Holy Scriptures at first, as neither eloquent nor deep enough for the elevation of his wit. But afterwards, {b} when he was both a better and a wiser man, he saw his own shallowness, and admired the never enough adored depth of God’s holy oracles.

{a} Confess., lib. v. cap. 13.

{b} lbid., lib. vii. cap. 21.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 4. See Clarke on Eze 47:3.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4, 5. Successive measurements shewed a depth to the knees, the loins, and finally an impassable river. The word rendered “river” is the usual one for “brook” or wady, viz. a stream with its valley or gorge.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees,.... The man with his line measured another thousand cubits straight on from the first; and then bid the prophet cross and ford them again, and then they were knee deep:

again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins; a third time he measured a thousand cubits still onward, and ordered the prophet to wade through them, when they were risen so high as to reach his loins. The waters to the knees and loins may signify the greater knowledge of the Gospel, and the mysteries of it, the apostles had after the Spirit was poured forth; and the greater spread of it in the world, among Jews and Gentiles: or else may design those doctrines of the Gospel, and mysteries of grace, which are more sublime, and more difficult to understand; which require some pains to search into, and get the knowledge of; as concerning predestination, election, the covenant of grace, and the eternal transactions between the Father and the Son, &c. which are meat for strong men, who have their senses exercised to discern between good and evil.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The knees - The mission of Paul and Barnabas Act 13:1-4 is another marked epoch in the Church’s history; and the time of Paul’s martyrdom denotes an increase in the Gentile Church, which corresponds with the waters reaching the loins.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

At a second and a third distance of a thousand cubits the same process was repeated when the waters were found to be first waters to the knees, and secondly waters to (or, of) the loins. The unusual expression, rBi yme, as in the similar expressions before and after, may have been chosen, Keil suggests, in order to avoid resemblance to the phrase, in Isa_36:12 (Keri) not a likely explanation. Havernick describes it simply as an instance of bold emphasis. Schroder breaks it up into two clauses, thus: "waters, to the knees they reach." Smend changes into yme.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he measured one thousand another [one thousand cubits], and they deepened up to the knees, and another thousand, and they deepened up to the loins. From here on, it was a stream that I could not cross. From here we learn that one should not enter water from the loins and higher, lest the water over power him. As soon as he came to the water reaching the loins, he went out upon the bank of the river and measured another thousand before him, a stream that cannot be crossed, and his feet were standing on dry land. This is what is written (v. 6): “and he brought me back [upon] the bank of the stream,” i.e., near the bank of the stream that is where he had been standing.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.