In the first twelve verses of chapter 47 Ezekiel is shown water coming out of the temple’s south side. From there it flows for four thousand cubits through a desert and eventually empties into the Dead Sea. For this to happen, God must perform a geophysical miracle by making the temple site in Jerusalem a source of freshwater. A celestial man leads the prophet on a tour of this river. At one thousand cubits it is ankle-deep. At another one thousand cubits it is knee-deep. At another one thousand cubits it is an unfordable river, deep enough to swim in. It is not explained how the river gets deeper as it flows farther. There is no mention of any tributaries that might explain the greater depth.

What makes this river so interesting is not only its increasing depth but the positive effects …