Having completed his survey of the sacrificial kitchens in the outer court (Ezekiel 46:19-24), the prophet was once more conducted by his guide to the door of the house, or of the temple in the strict sense, i.
e. of the sanctuary. There he perceived that waters issued (literally, and behold waters issuing) from under the threshold of the house, i.e. of the temple porch (see Ezekiel 40:48, Ezekiel 40:49; and comp.
Ezekiel 9:3), eastward, the direction having been determined by the fact that the forefront of the house stood or was toward the east. He also noticed that the waters came down (or, descended)—the temple having been situated on higher ground than the inner court—from under the threshold, from the right side of the house—literally, from the shoulder (comp.
Ezekiel 40:18, Ezekiel 40:40, Ezekiel 40:41; Ezekiel 41:2, Ezekiel 41:26; Ezekiel 46:1-24:29) of the house, the right. The two clauses are not to be conjoined as by Hengstenberg, Ewald, and Smend, as if they meant, from underneath the right side of the house; but kept distinct, to indicate the different features which entered into the prophet's picture.
The first was that the waters issued forth from under the threshold of the house; the second, that they proceeded from the right side or shoulder of the house, i.e. from the corner where the south wall of the porch and the east wall of the temple joined (see Ezekiel 41:1); the third, that the stream flowed on the south side of the altar, which stood exactly in front of the temple perch (see Ezekiel 40:47), and would have obstructed the course of the waters had they issued forth from the perch doorway instead of from the comer above described.