Ezekiel 47:11 — Word Study
WLCבִּצֹּאתָ֧יו וּגְבָאָ֛יו וְלֹ֥א יֵרָפְא֖וּ לְמֶ֥לַח נִתָּֽנוּ׃
BSABut the swampsbitstsâh [miry places, fen] and marshesgebeʼ [cisterns, pools] will notlôʼ become freshrâphâʼ▸ [healed, wholesome] they will be leftnâthan■ [given up, set aside] for saltmelach [to make salt, as a salt pit]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בִּצֹּאתָ֧יו | swamps its | Noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| וּגְבָאָ֛יו | and marshes its | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וְלֹ֥א | and not | Conjunction, particle |
| יֵרָפְא֖וּ | they will be healed | Verb, Niphal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| לְמֶ֥לַח | to salt | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| נִתָּֽנוּ׃ | they will be given | Verb, Niphal, perfect third person common plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. |
| KJV | But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. |
| ASV | But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. |
| YLT | Its miry and its marshy places — they are not healed; to salt they have been given up. |
| WEB | But its swamps and marshes will not be healed. They will be given up to salt. |
| BBE | The wet places and the pools will not be made sweet; they will be given up to salt. |
The translations agree on the meaning of יֵרָפְא֖וּ as related to healing or becoming fresh.
The sentence has a main clause followed by negation and two subordinate phrases, clearly outlining the message of the verse.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbרָפָא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Ezekiel 47:11
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Vision of the Rivergenerated
Ezekiel 47:11 presents a vision of a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to the surrounding areas. However, it notes that certain areas, specifically swamps and marshes, will not experience this transformation and will remain as they are, designated for salt. This imagery contrasts the life-giving properties of the river with the stagnant nature of the marshes, emphasizing the selective nature of healing and restoration.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hebrews 6:4–8 | It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, |
| 2 | Hebrews 10:26–31 | If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, |
| 3 | 2 Peter 2:19–22 | They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. |
| 4 | Revelation 21:8 | But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” |
| 5 | Revelation 22:11 | Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יֵרָפְא֖וּ, ye.ra.fe.'Ugenerated
The verb רָפָא (rapha') means 'to heal' or 'to mend.' It is used here in the Niphal form, indicating a passive voice where the subject is acted upon. The context suggests that the swamps and marshes will not experience healing or restoration, emphasizing their unchanged state.
This word can refer to physical healing, as well as emotional or spiritual restoration. In this verse, it highlights the absence of healing for the swamps, contrasting with the healing properties of the river described earlier in the chapter.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is governed by two main verbs: יֵרָפְא֖וּ (they will be healed) and נִתָּֽנוּ (they will be given). The first verb indicates what will not happen to the swamps and marshes, while the second verb describes their designated purpose.
The sentence is straightforward, with a clear negation introduced by וְלֹ֥א (and not), emphasizing the certainty that these areas will not be healed.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יֵרָפְא֖וּ as ὑγιάσωσιν, which means 'they will be made healthy.' This choice indicates a broader interpretation of healing, suggesting a restoration to a state of health rather than merely a physical change.
The LXX's rendering shows a focus on the concept of health and wholeness, which aligns with the idea of transformation present in the vision of the river.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezekiel 47:11 states that the swamps and marshes will not be healed or made fresh; instead, they will be set aside for salt. This highlights a contrast between the life-giving river and the stagnant areas that will remain unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It indicates that these areas will remain unchanged and will not experience the life-giving transformation brought by the river.
This suggests they have a different purpose, as salt was valuable in ancient times for preservation and seasoning.
It contrasts the healing and life-giving properties of the river with the stagnant nature of the swamps, emphasizing selective restoration.
Salt can symbolize preservation and the idea that some areas may serve a different purpose than others in God's plan.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel stagnant, like the swamps and marshes?
- How can I seek healing and restoration in my own life?
- What does it mean to me that some places are designated for a different purpose?
- How can I apply the lessons from this verse about transformation and purpose in my daily life?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezekiel 47:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBut the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof,.... That is, of the sea; the waters of which were healed, by the waters of the sanctuary coming into them: but the ditches and lakes, the miry
Read John Gill on Ezekiel 47 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBut the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. The marishes ... shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt - "marishes," marshes.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezekiel 47 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleMiry places; unsound, rotten parts, that are neither sea nor yet sound ground, a proper emblem of hypocrites. The marishes; low land, sopped with the overflowings of unhealthful waters, neither fit to breed fish as the sea, nor bear trees as the land. Shall not be healed; these waters find them and leave them corrupt and noxious. Given to salt; left to their barrenness, or used as salt to season, by being made examples to others.
Read Matthew Poole on Ezekiel 47 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsEzekiel 47:11 But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.Ver. 11. But the miry places thereof and the marishes, shall not be healed.] Sensual souls are seldom wrought upon by the word. Behemoth (the devil) lieth in those fens and quagmires. They are void of the Spirit. They say unto God, "Depart from us," we had rather dance to the timbrel and harp; whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away their hearts. He who had married a wife, or rather was married to her, sent word flat and plain he could not come; others excused themselves more mannerly. Such persons choose to remain in the sordes filth of their sins, and so are miserable by…
Read John Trapp on Ezekiel 47 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(11) The marishes thereof shall not be healed.—The picture of the life-giving waters would be imperfect without this exception to their effects. The Dead Sea at the southern end is very shallow, and beyond there is an extensive tract of very low land. In the season of the flood of the Jordan this is overflowed to a considerable distance, and as the river subsides, is again left bare and encrusted with salt from the evaporation of the water. This allusion, therefore, shows plainly that the prophet did not have in mind a flowing on of the river through the Arabah, or valley leading from the Dead to the Red Sea, and that the effect of the life-giving waters should cease where the waters…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Ezekiel 47 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 11. The miry places] "Point out," says Calmet, "the schismatics and hereties who do not live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, but separate from his Church; and the evil Christians who dishonour 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 the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; for the Church of Rome, leaving this foundation, is now built on the foundation of councils and traditions, and lying miracles; the popes in their succession being its only corner stones.
Read AdamClarke on Ezekiel 47 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges11. The marshes around the sea shall not be sweetened, but left as beds for digging salt. The saltness of the Dead Sea is due to the strata of salt rocks which surround it.
Read Cambridge on Ezekiel 47 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe 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.
Read Albert Barnes on Ezekiel 47 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.
But its swamps and marshes will not be healed. They will be given up to salt.
But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.
But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty.
Tyndale line
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt.
But the miry places thereof, and the marishes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt.
But its miry places and its marshes shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
But the myrie places thereof, and the marises thereof shall not be wholesome: they shalbe made salt pittes.
Strictly literal
But its marshes and its pools shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt.
Its miry and its marshy places — they are not healed; to salt they have been given up.
Its miry and its marshy places—they are not healed; they have been given up to salt.
But its swamps and its lagoons shall not be healed, for [the production of] salt are they destined.
But the Salt Sea's swamps and marshes will not be made fresh; they will be for providing salt.
From the Latin
But on the shore thereof, and in the fenny places they shall not be healed, because they shall be turned into saltpits.
Simplified
However, the marshes and swampy areas won't become fresh; they will remain salty.
The wet places and the pools will not be made sweet; they will be given up to salt.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with a complete match of the six words. This indicates a strong consistency in the transmission of this text across different traditions.
בִּצֹּאתָ֧יו וּגְבָאָ֛יו וְלֹ֥א יֵרָפְא֖וּ לְמֶ֥לַח נִתָּֽנוּ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Ezekiel 47:11
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
בִּצָּה (bitstsah) refers to a swamp or marsh. It is derived from a root meaning 'to be muddy' and is characterized as an intensive form. The entries consistently describe it as a wet, muddy place, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
בִּצָּה n.f. swamp
base
H1207 בִּצָּה
1207 bitstsah bits-tsaw'
intensive from 1206; a swamp:--fen, mire(-ry place).
see HEBREW for 01206
בִּצָּה (bits.tsah) — swamp.
swamp, marsh
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHNcfpc/Sp3ms
גֶּ֫בֶא (gebe) refers to a cistern or pool, with the possibility of also meaning a marsh. It is derived from an unused root that suggests the idea of collecting water. The term appears in contexts related to reservoirs and water storage.
גֶּ֫בֶא n.m. cistern, pool
cistern
pool, marsh
base
H1360 גֶּ֫בֶא cistern, pool . cistern
. pool, marsh
1360 gebe geh'-beh
from an unused root meaning probably to collect; a reservoir;
by analogy, a marsh:--marish, pit.
גֶּ֫בֶא (ge.ve) — cistern.
1) cistern, pool
1a) cistern
1b) pool, marsh
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particleHC/Tn
רָפָא (rapha') is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to heal' or 'to mend.' It covers various forms, including healing by God, physicians, and figurative healing of nations or individuals. The verb has different stems indicating active healing, being healed, and healing in order to be healed. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.
רָפָא vb. heal
Qal heal
Niph. be healed
Pi. have healed, heal
Hithp. in order to get healed
base
H7495 רָפָא heal
7495 rapha' raw-faw'
or raphah {raw-faw'}; a primitive root; properly, to mend (by
stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure:--cure, (cause to)
heal, physician, repair, X thoroughly, make whole. See 7503.
see HEBREW for 07503
רָפָא (ra.pah) — to heal.
1) to heal, make healthful
1a) (Qal) to heal
1a1) of God
1a2) healer, physician (of men)
1a3) of hurts of nations involving restored favour (fig)
1a4) of individual distresses (fig)
1b) (Niphal) to be healed
1b1) literal (of persons)
1b2) of water, pottery
1b3) of national hurts (fig)
1b4) of personal distress (fig)
1c) (Piel) to heal
1c1) literal
1c2) of national defects or hurts (fig)
1d) (Hithpael) in order to get healed (infinitive)
V-Niphal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVNi3mp
מֶ֫לַח (melach) means 'salt' and is derived from a root meaning 'powder.' It specifically refers to salt in various contexts, including geographical references like the 'Valley of Salt.' The entries consistently define it as salt without significant disagreement.
מֶ֫לַח n.m. salt
base
H4417 מֶ֫לַח salt
4417 melach meh'-lakh
from 4414; properly, powder, i.e. (specifically) salt (as
easily pulverized and dissolved:--salt((-pit)).
see HEBREW for 04414
מֶ֫לַח (me.lach) — Salt (Sea).
salt
Also named: a.ra.vah (עֲרָבָה "(Sea of the )Arabah" H6160K)
מֶ֫לַח (me.lach) — (Valley of) Salt.
Combined with gay (גַּיְא " Valley" H1516J)
§ salt
מֶ֫לַח (me.lach) — salt.
salt
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
solt (melach; halas, hals): Common salt is considered by most authorities as an essential ingredient of our food. Most people intentionally season their cooking with more or less salt for the sake of palatability. Others depend upon the small quantities which naturally exist in water and many foods to furnish the necessary amount of salt for the body. Either too much salt or the lack of it creates undesirable disturbance in the animal system. Men and animals alike instinctively seek for this substance to supplement or improve their regular diet. The ancients appreciated the value of salt for seasoning food (Job 6:6). So necessary was it that they dignified it by making it a requisite part of sacrifices (Le 2:13; Ezr 6:9; 7:22;
Salt
Used to season food (Job 6:6), and mixed with the fodder of cattle (Isa. 30:24, “clean;” in marg. of R.V. “salted”). All meat-offerings were seasoned with salt (Lev. 2:13). To eat salt with one is to partake of his hospitality, to derive subsistence from him; and hence he who did so was bound to look after his host’s interests (Ezra 4:14, “We have maintenance from the king’s palace;” A.V. marg., “We are salted with the salt of the palace;” R.V., “We eat the salt of the palace”).
A “covenant of salt” (Num. 18:19; 2 Chr. 13:5) was a covenant…
Indispensable as salt is to ourselves, it was even more so to the Hebrews, being to them not only an appetizing condiment in the food both of man, (Job 11:6) and beset, (Isaiah 30:24) see margin, and a valuable antidote to the effects of the heat of the climate on animal food, but also entering largely into the religious services of the Jews as an accompaniment to the various offerings presented on the altar. (Leviticus 2:13) They possessed an inexhaustible and ready supply of it on the southern shores of the Dead Sea. [SEA, THE SALT, THE SALT] There is one mountain here called Jebel Usdum, seven miles long and several hundred feet high, which is composed almost entirely of salt. The Jews appear to have distinguished between rock-salt and that which was gained by evaporation as…
Was procured by the Jews from the Dead Sea, wither from the immense hill or ridge of pure rock salt at its southwest extremity, or from that deposited on the shore by the natural evaporation. The Arabs obtain it in large cakes, two or three inches thick, and sell it in considerable quantities throughout Syria. It well-known preservative qualities, and its importance as a seasoning for food, Job 6:6, are implied in most of the passages where it is mentioned in Scripture: as in the miraculous healing of a fountain, 2Ki 2:21; in the sprinkling of salt over the sacrifices consumed on God’s altar, Le 2:13 Eze 43:24 Mr 9:49…
The Hebrew word נָתַן (natan) means 'to give' and encompasses a wide range of applications such as putting, setting, and making. It can also indicate actions like bestowing, delivering, and assigning. The entries describe its use in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hophal, but do not present any significant disagreements among lexicons.
נָתַן 2007 vb. give, put, set
Qal 1917
give
Put, set
Make, constitute
Niph.
82be given
Be put, set
Hoph.
be given, bestowed
= be given to one for wife
be put upon
base
H5414 נָתַן give, put, set .. give
. Put, set
. Make, constitute
. . be given
. Be put, set
. . . be given, bestowed
. = be given to one for wife
. be put upon
5414 nathan naw-than'
a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of
application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe,
assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth,
hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, +
cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X
without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up),
grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up),
(give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that,
occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X
pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send
(out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander,
strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade,
turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to)
God, yield.
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: give.
: give/deliver/send/produce
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend
1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate
1a3) to make, constitute
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned
1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted
1c) (Hophal)
1c1) to be given, be bestowed, be given up, be delivered up
1c2) to be put upon
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: put.
: put/set/apppoint
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
V-Niphal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Niphal · perfect third person common pluralHVNp3cp