1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
1 Therefore, thou son H1121 of man, H120 prophesy H5012 against Gog, H1463 and say, H559 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, H1463 the chief H7218 prince H5387 of Meshech H4902 and Tubal: H8422
2 And I will turn thee back, H7725 and leave but the sixth part H8338 of thee, and will cause thee to come up H5927 from the north H6828 parts, H3411 and will bring H935 thee upon the mountains H2022 of Israel: H3478
3 And I will smite H5221 thy bow H7198 out of thy left H8040 hand, H3027 and will cause thine arrows H2671 to fall H5307 out of thy right H3225 hand. H3027
4 Thou shalt fall H5307 upon the mountains H2022 of Israel, H3478 thou, and all thy bands, H102 and the people H5971 that is with thee: I will give H5414 thee unto the ravenous H5861 birds H6833 of every sort, H3671 and to the beasts H2416 of the field H7704 to be devoured. H402
5 Thou shalt fall H5307 upon the open H6440 field: H7704 for I have spoken H1696 it, saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
6 And I will send H7971 a fire H784 on Magog, H4031 and among them that dwell H3427 carelessly H983 in the isles: H339 and they shall know H3045 that I am the LORD. H3068
7 So will I make my holy H6944 name H8034 known H3045 in the midst H8432 of my people H5971 Israel; H3478 and I will not let them pollute H2490 my holy H6944 name H8034 any more: and the heathen H1471 shall know H3045 that I am the LORD, H3068 the Holy One H6918 in Israel. H3478
8 Behold, it is come, H935 and it is done, H1961 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 this is the day H3117 whereof I have spoken. H1696
1 And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:
2 and I will turn thee about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel;
3 and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
7 And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
1 And thou, son of man, prophesy concerning Gog, and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I `am' against thee, O Gog, Prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal,
2 And have turned thee back, and enticed thee, And caused thee to come up from the sides of the north, And brought thee in against mountains of Israel,
3 And have smitten thy bow out of thy left hand, Yea, thine arrows out of thy right I cause to fall.
4 On mountains of Israel thou fallest, Thou, and all thy bands, and the peoples who `are' with thee, To ravenous fowl -- a bird of every wing, And `to' a beast of the field, I have given thee for food.
5 On the face of the field thou fallest, for I have spoken, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
6 And I have sent a fire against Magog, And against the confident inhabitants of the isles, And they have known that I `am' Jehovah.
7 And My holy name I make known in the midst of My people Israel, And I pollute not My holy name any more, And known have the nations that I, Jehovah, the Holy One, `am' in Israel.
8 Lo, it hath come, and it hath been done, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, It `is' the day of which I spake.
1 And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;
2 and I will turn thee back, and lead thee, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost north, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the peoples that are with thee: I have given thee to be meat for the birds of prey of every wing, and to the beasts of the field.
5 Thou shalt fall on the open field; for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord Jehovah.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell at ease in the isles: and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.
7 And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I [am] Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it cometh, and shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah. This is the day whereof I have spoken.
1 You, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:
2 and I will turn you about, and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring you on the mountains of Israel;
3 and I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
4 You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you, and all your hordes, and the peoples who are with you: I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the animals of the field to be devoured.
5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken it, says the Lord Yahweh.
6 I will send a fire on Magog, and on those who dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
7 My holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I allow my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Yahweh; this is the day about which I have spoken.
1 And you, son of man, be a prophet against Gog, and say, These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, O Gog, ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:
2 And turning you round, I will be your guide, and make you come up from the inmost parts of the north; I will make you come on to the mountains of Israel:
3 And with a blow I will send your bow out of your left hand and your arrows falling from your right hand.
4 On the mountains of Israel you will come down, you and all your forces and the peoples who are with you: I will give you to cruel birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be their food.
5 You will come down in the open field: for I have said it, says the Lord.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and on those who are living in the sea-lands without fear: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.
7 And I will make clear my holy name among my people Israel; I will no longer let my holy name be made unclean: and the nations will be certain that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.
8 See, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord; this is the day of which I have given word.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 39
Commentary on Ezekiel 39 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 39
Eze 39:1-29. Continuation of the Prophecy against Gog.
1. Repeated from Eze 38:3, to impress the prophecy more on the mind.
2. leave but the sixth part of thee—Margin, "strike thee with six plagues" (namely, pestilence, blood, overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, brimstone, Eze 38:22); or, "draw thee back with an hook of six teeth" (Eze 38:4), the six teeth being those six plagues. Rather, "lead thee about" [Ludovicus De Dieu and Septuagint]. As Antiochus was led (to his ruin) to leave Egypt for an expedition against Palestine, so shall the last great enemy of God be.
north parts—from the extreme north [Fairbairn].
3. bow—in which the Scythians were most expert.
4, 5. (Compare Eze 39:17-20).
upon the mountains of Israel—The scene of Israel's preservation shall be that of the ungodly foe's destruction.
6. carelessly—in self-confident security.
the isles—Those dwelling in maritime regions, who had helped Gog with fleets and troops, shall be visited with the fire of God's wrath in their own lands.
7. not let them pollute my holy name—by their sins bringing down judgments which made the heathen think that I was unable or unwilling to save My people.
8. it is come … it is done—The prediction of the salvation of My people, and the ruin of their enemy, is come to pass—is done: expressing that the event foretold is as certain as if it were already accomplished.
9, 10. The burning of the foe's weapons implies that nothing belonging to them should be left to pollute the land. The seven years (seven being the sacred number) spent on this work, implies the completeness of the cleansing, and the people's zeal for purity. How different from the ancient Israelites, who left not merely the arms, but the heathen themselves, to remain among them [Fairbairn], (Jud 1:27, 28; 2:2, 3; Ps 106:34-36). The desolation by Antiochus began in the one hundred and forty-first year of the Seleucidæ. From this date to 148, a period of six years and four months ("2300 days," Da 8:14), when the temple-worship was restored (1 Maccabees 4:52), God vouchsafed many triumphs to His people; from this time to the death of Antiochus, early in 149, a period of seven months, the Jews had rest from Antiochus, and purified their land, and on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month celebrated the Encænia, or feast of dedication (Joh 10:22) and purification of the temple. The whole period, in round numbers, was seven years. Mattathias was the patriotic Jewish leader, and his third son, Judas, the military commander under whom the Syrian generals were defeated. He retook Jerusalem and purified the temple. Simon and Jonathan, his brothers, succeeded him: the independence of the Jews was secured, and the crown vested in the Asmonean family, in which it continued till Herod the Great.
11. place … of graves—Gog found only a grave where he had expected the spoils of conquest.
valley—So vast were to be the masses that nothing but a deep valley would suffice for their corpses.
the passengers on the east of the sea—those travelling on the high road, east of the Dead Sea, from Syria to Petra and Egypt. The publicity of the road would cause many to observe God's judgments, as the stench (as English Version translates) or the multitude of graves (as Henderson translates, "it shall stop the passengers") would arrest the attention of passers-by. Their grave would be close to that of their ancient prototypes, Sodom and Gomorrah in the Dead Sea, both alike being signal instances of God's judgments.
13. I … glorified—in destroying the foe (Eze 28:22).
14. with the passengers—The men employed continually in the burying were to be helped by those happening to pass by; all were to combine.
after the end of seven months shall they search—to see if the work was complete [Munster].
15. First "all the people of the land" engaged in the burying for seven months; then special men were employed, at the end of the seven months, to search for any still left unburied. The passers-by helped them by setting up a mark near any such bones, in order to keep others from being defiled by casually touching them, and that the buriers might come and remove them. Denoting the minute care to put away every relic of heathen pollution from the Holy Land.
16. A city in the neighborhood was to receive the name Hamonah, "multitude," to commemorate the overthrow of the multitudes of the foe [Henderson]. The multitude of the slain shall give a name to the city of Jerusalem after the land shall have been cleansed [Grotius]. Jerusalem shall be famed as the conqueror of multitudes.
17. (Re 19:17).
sacrifice—Anciently worshippers feasted on the sacrifices. The birds and beasts of prey are invited to the sacrificial feast provided by God (compare Isa 18:6; 34:6; Zep 1:7; Mr 9:49). Here this sacrifice holds only a subordinate place in the picture, and so is put last. Not only shall their bones lie long unburied, but they shall be stripped of the flesh by beasts and birds of prey.
18. rams … lambs … goats—By these various animal victims used in sacrifices are meant various ranks of men, princes, generals, and soldiers (compare Isa 34:6).
fatlings of Bashan—ungodly men of might (Ps 22:12). Bashan, beyond Jordan, was famed for its fat cattle. Fat implies prosperity which often makes men refractory towards God (De 32:14, 15).
20. my table—the field of battle on the mountains of Israel (Eze 38:8, 20).
chariots—that is, charioteers.
22. So the house of Israel shall know … Lord—by My interposition for them. So, too, the heathen shall be led to fear the name of the Lord (Ps 102:15).
23. hid I my face—(De 31:17; Isa 59:2).
25. bring again the captivity—restore from calamity to prosperity.
the whole house of Israel—so "all Israel" (Ro 11:26). The restorations of Israel heretofore have been partial; there must be one yet future that is to be universal (Ho 1:11).
26. After that they have borne their shame—the punishment of their sin: after they have become sensible of their guilt, and ashamed of it (Eze 20:43; 36:31).
27. sanctified in them—vindicated as holy in My dealings with them.
28. The Jews, having no dominion, settled country, or fixed property to detain them, may return at any time without difficulty (compare Ho 3:4, 5).
29. poured out my Spirit upon … Israel—the sure forerunner of their conversion (Joe 2:28; Zec 12:10). The pouring out of His Spirit is a pledge that He will hide His face no more (2Co 1:22; Eph 1:14; Php 1:6).