What is the meaning of Ezekiel 47:16? Berothah “Berothah…” • First in the list, Berothah marks the extreme northern point in Ezekiel’s restored‐land outline (Ezekiel 47:15). • Earlier, David took bronze from a “Berothai” after defeating Hadadezer (2 Samuel 8:8), reminding readers that God can reclaim what once belonged to Israel. • The placement echoes Numbers 34:7–9, where God set the northern line of the Promised Land. • The Lord is declaring, “My covenant borders still stand; I am restoring them.” Sibraim on the border between Damascus and Hamath “…and Sibraim (which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath)…” • By naming two well-known Gentile cities—Damascus (Isaiah 17:1) and Hamath (Jeremiah 49:23)—the verse fixes Israel’s frontier right up against foreign powers yet keeps them outside. • This mirrors Solomon’s reign when Israel’s influence stretched “from Tiphsah to Gaza” (1 Kings 4:24). • God’s people live secure, but God also signals His sovereignty over neighboring nations (Amos 1:3; 6:14). • The parentheses in the text feel like a tour guide’s aside, helping readers visualize the map. Hazer-hatticon “…as far as Hazer-hatticon…” • Literally “the middle Hazar,” it serves as a midpoint marker on the northern line, linking the western Mediterranean coast to the eastern desert plain. • Joshua 11:1 and 19:36 mention other Hazor sites, tying this landmark to earlier conquest language—Israel takes the land and keeps it. • God is precise: every boundary stone is accounted for; no promise is vague or symbolic (Genesis 15:18). Border of Hauran “…which is on the border of Hauran.” • Hauran lies southeast of Damascus, a fertile basalt plain reaching toward Bashan (Ezekiel 47:18). • Connecting the northern boundary to Hauran shows the line sweeping down the Jordan headwaters, then east. It completes the rectangle God sketches in 47:15-17. • Compare Deuteronomy 3:8–10, where Moses recalled conquering Og of Bashan—another signal that God keeps covenant promises down to geography. summary Ezekiel 47:16 strings together familiar border towns to draw the northern edge of Israel’s millennial inheritance. Each name—Berothah, Sibraim, Hazer-hatticon, Hauran—reminds readers that God’s restoration is concrete, measurable, and rooted in earlier covenants. The verse reassures us that when the Lord says His people will dwell in the land, He means real soil, real cities, and secure frontiers, just as surely as He once drew the borders for Moses, Joshua, and David. |
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