Naravist

The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 38

Ezekiel 38: Gog of the land of Magog comes against Israel

General context

The prophet is told to set his face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. The Lord God is against Gog and will turn him back, put hooks in his jaws and bring him out with his whole army, horses and horsemen in armour with bucklers, shields and swords, together with Persia, Ethiopia and Libya, Gomer and the house of Togarmah of the north quarters. After many days, in the latter years, he will come into the land brought back from the sword and gathered from many peoples, against the mountains of Israel, whose people now dwell safely; he will come like a storm and a cloud covering the land. At that time an evil thought will come to him: to go up against unwalled villages, a people at rest without bars or gates, to take spoil and cattle and goods. Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask whether he has come to take a spoil. In the day his people dwell safely, the Lord says, Gog will come from the north parts with a mighty army, and the Lord himself will bring him against the land so that the heathen may know him. He asks whether Gog is the one spoken of in old time by the prophets of Israel. When Gog comes, the Lord's fury will rise: a great shaking in the land of Israel, every creature and all men shaking at his presence, mountains thrown down and every wall falling. He will call for a sword against Gog, every man's sword against his brother, and plead against him with pestilence, blood, overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone, so magnifying and sanctifying himself before many nations.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel 38:4, Ezekiel 38:5, Ezekiel 38:6, Ezekiel 38:7, Ezekiel 38:8, Ezekiel 38:9, Ezekiel 38:10, Ezekiel 38:11, Ezekiel 38:12, Ezekiel 38:13, Ezekiel 38:15, Ezekiel 38:16, Ezekiel 38:17, Ezekiel 38:18, Ezekiel 38:19, Ezekiel 38:20, Ezekiel 38:21, Ezekiel 38:22, Ezekiel 38:23

Ezekiel 38 (KJV)

1And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

8After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

10Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

11And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

13Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

15And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

16And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.

19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

20So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

21And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

Gog is described only in the terms the chapter gives: "the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal", coming "out of the north parts" with named allies. The text does not identify him further, and nothing in it supports attaching the name to any people or ruler outside the passage. Meshech and Tubal were among Tyrus's merchants in 27:13 and among the nations in the pit in 32:26; Togarmah traded horses in 27:14; Persia, Ethiopia and Libya appear in earlier oracles. The setting is a land "brought back from the sword" whose people "dwell safely", which assumes the gathering promised in the preceding chapters. The time is given only as "after many days", "in the latter years" and "in the latter days". The Lord states both that he is against Gog and that he will bring Gog against the land; the text holds both. The question whether Gog is the one spoken of by earlier prophets is asked and left without a named prophecy. The chapter has no date heading.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel 38:15, Ezekiel 27:13, Ezekiel 32:26, Ezekiel 27:14, Ezekiel 30:5, Ezekiel 38:8, Ezekiel 38:3, Ezekiel 38:16, Ezekiel 38:17, Ezekiel 38:1

Literary context

The oracle reuses images from the book's earlier judgments and turns them on a new figure. Hooks in the jaws were used of Pharaoh in 29:4; the cloud covering the land was used of Egypt's day in 30:18; here both describe Gog. The chapter sets Gog's own inner speech, quoted by the Lord ("I will go up to the land of unwalled villages"), beside the merchants' question, so that the invader's motive is set out as plain greed for spoil, cattle and goods. The contrast between the invader's "mighty army" and the defenceless villages "having neither bars nor gates" is built up before any response is given. The response, when it comes, escalates in a list: shaking, mountains thrown down, walls fallen, sword, pestilence, blood, rain, hail, fire and brimstone. The purpose is stated repeatedly in terms of knowing: "that the heathen may know me", "I will be known in the eyes of many nations", "they shall know that I am the Lord". The chapter ends before Gog falls; the next chapter completes the sentence.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 38:4, Ezekiel 29:4, Ezekiel 38:16, Ezekiel 30:18, Ezekiel 38:11, Ezekiel 38:13, Ezekiel 38:15, Ezekiel 38:20, Ezekiel 38:23, Ezekiel 39:1

Key moments

  1. Face set against Gog (Ezekiel 38:2). The prophet is told to prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
  2. Hooks in Gog's jaws (Ezekiel 38:4). The Lord says he will turn Gog back and bring him out with his whole army.
  3. In the latter years (Ezekiel 38:8). Gog is to come against a land gathered from many peoples whose inhabitants dwell safely.
  4. An evil thought (Ezekiel 38:11). Gog plans to attack unwalled villages and a people at rest to take spoil.
  5. Art thou come to take a spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13). Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish question Gog's purpose.
  6. A great shaking in the land (Ezekiel 38:19). The Lord's fury brings a shaking felt by every creature and throws down mountains.
  7. Hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:22). The Lord pleads against Gog with pestilence, blood, rain, hail, fire and brimstone.

For reflection

The Lord says both "I am against thee, O Gog" and "I will bring thee against my land". How does a reader hold together an enemy who is opposed and an enemy who is summoned?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here: