1The army of Gog: 8his evil attempts in the latter years: 14God's judgment against him.
1AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
* While God in the previous chapters has done very great, physical and especially spiritual promises to the church of the Old and especially of the New Testament, in order that the Jews, after the deliverance out of Babel, and the christians after the coming of the Lord Christ, may not make themselves therefore the assumptions of a continual earthly rest and were not to become fainthearted in times of difficulties, thus He has foretold in these two following chapters the difficult warfare, the enmity and the battle, with which the Jewish church before and the catholic church after Christ’s coming would be treated, especially in the last days, with the glorious promises of His faithful assistance, in all things His Fatherly government, and a final, joyful deliverance.
2Son of man, 1set thy face against 2Gog,a3the land of Magog, the 4chief prince of 5Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
1 See Ezek. 6 on verse 2.
2 By this Gog may be understood first and partly the kings of Syria and Asia Minor, especially that famous tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes, who in the time of the Maccabees cruelly tyrannized the people of the Jews, and used all kinds of nations in his armies; the more, because the fierce Scythians (descended from Magog) or Tartarians, etc., not long before the time of these prophecies (Eusebius in Chron.), when Nebuchadnezzar was busy elsewhere (see Jer. 49 on verse 35), were entered right into Syria and into the land of Judah, and gave the name unto the city Scythopolis, that is, the city of the Scythians (Plinius, book 5, chapter 18), and unto the idolatrous city of Hierapolis the name of Magog (Plinius, book 5, chapter 23), after their forefather and native land (Gen. 10 on verse 2) and besides that, the name of king Gug or Gyg, that is, Gyges, agreeing with Gog, was well-known there, and Antiochus was in cruelty very like unto these his foreign predecessors. Secondly, and mainly, by Gog and Magog must further be understood all the enemies of the church of the New Testament, and especially the antichrist with all his adherents, who excels them all in Scythian cruelty and bloody persecutions of the church. Compare Rev. 20:8, etc. Some understand especially the Turk.
a Rev. 20:8.
3 Or, Gog of the land of Magog, or, out the land of Magog.
4 Other, prince and head, or, prince of the head, or, of the heads of, etc. It is as much as sovereign, monarch, great khan.
5 See of these two, Gen 10 on verse 2; Ezek. 27:13.
3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I 6am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
6 See Ezek. 13 on verse 8.
4And I will 7turn thee back, and put 8hooksb into thy jaws, and I will 9bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them 10clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
7 Turning every which way, as a horse is turned about with a bridle, and fishes with hooks and eyes.
8 See Ezek. 29 on verse 4.
b Ezek. 29:4; 39:2.
9 By My secret government I will be sure to meet with thee, that I may get glory upon thee. Compare verses 16 and 17.
10 Hebr. clothed or arrayed ones of perfection, that is, exceedingly well-armed and well provided of all things.
511Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
11 As Ezek. 27:10.
612Gomer, and all his bands; the house of 13Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
12 See Gen. 10 on verse 2.
13 See Gen. 10 on verse 3; Ezek. 27:14.
714Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a 15guard unto them.
14 This is a derision of Gog’s great preparation of war.
15 Be as their sentinel, wait upon them, do thy best to go courageously before them, and to protect them. It is spoken in an ironical way.
8¶After many days thou shalt be 16visited: in the 17latter years thou shalt come into the land 18that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but 19it is brought forth out of the nations, and 20they shall dwell safely all of them.
16 That is, be punished; see Gen. 21 on verse 1.
17 At the time that is foretold by My prophets, after the deliverance from Babel, and especially after the coming of the Messiah.
18 That is, whose inhabitants shall be brought back, etc., that is, be delivered out of Babel, also in the sequel; and especially all believers who shall be spiritually redeemed by the Messiah in the time of the New Testament, and shall dwell with spiritual confidence in the church of God (typified by the mountains of Israel) and shall be saved out of many persecutions.
19 That is, the inhabitants of the aforesaid land.
20 The inhabitants shall dwell without suspicion and in peace in their own land. Compare verse 11
9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloudc to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
c Ezek. 30:18.
10Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall 21things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
21 Hebr. words, things; but the Hebrew word is also elsewhere taken for counsels. See 1 Kings 1:7, with the annotation.
11And thou shalt 22say, I will go up to the 23land 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,
22 Within thyself, that is, think and purpose.
23 In which are no walled, fenced cities, as follows; where they live peaceably and quietly without any evil suspicion, as verse 8.
12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine 24hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have 25gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the 26midst of the land.
24 That is, to extend thy power; also 2 Sam. 8:3. See there.
25 Herb. properly: is making.
26 Or, upon the height. Hebr. the navel. See Judges 9:37.
1327Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of 28Tarshish, with all the young 29lions 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?
27 See of both Gen. 10 on verse 7. Likewise Ezek. 27:15, 20, 22.
28 As Ezek. 27:12, 25. See Gen. 10 on verse 4.
29 Understand the sharp and greedy merchants and traders, who long after prey as young lions, who shall accompany thee and follow thee to participate in the prey of Israel.
14¶Therefore, 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 30know it?
30 That is, to experience My wrath and punishment? By comparing verses 16 and 18. Yea, as if the Lord would say: assuredly thou shalt; thou shalt find out what it is to disturb My quiet and tranquil people.
15And thou 31shalt 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:
31 Or, And shalt thou not come? etc., by way of interrogation, as in the end of the previous verse; also in the sequel.
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 32sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
32 As Ezek. 28:22. Compare below verse 23; Ezek. 39:27, etc.
17Thus saith the Lord GOD; 33Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time 34by my servants the 35prophets of Israel, 36which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against 37them?
33 That is, thou art surely the same, and therefore thou shalt do so, and it shall at last be so with thee, as I have decreed and by My servants have prophesied under various names and titles given to the enemies of My church.
34 Hebr. by the hand.
35 As especially Ezekiel here, Daniel 8;11, and many others before, in the Old Testament. As was also done in conformity to them by the apostles Paul and John in the New Testament, etc. See Rev. 10:7.
36 Other, which prophesied in the days of those years.
37 Israel, My people.
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 38face.
38 Or, countenance, nose. It is spoken of God after the manner of men to express His jealousy and anger.
19For in my 39jealousydand in the fire of my wrath 40have I spoken, 41Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
39 Over and for My people, and against their enemies.
d Ezek. 36:5, 6.
40 Hebr. I will speak.
41 An abrupt speech, very usual in oaths. See Ezek. 34:8.
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 42face of the earth, shall shake at my 43presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep 44places shall fall, and every 45wall shall fall to the ground.
42 Or, men that are upon the earth. Hebr. face of the earth.
43 That is, dreadful presence, or wrath (see Psalm 21 on verse 9), which I will manifest by My judgments upon these enemies, whereby all creatures (to speak as such) shall be astonished and frightened what is there. It is a figurative speech.
44 Or, stairs, ascents, high towers.
45 Or, all walls. Hebr. wall shall, etc.
21And I will 46call for a sword against him 47throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: 48every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
46 That is, I will order war, murder and desolation upon Gog. See Jer. 25 on verse 29.
47 Or, for, that is, for the good of, or, for the sake of My mountains, that is, of My church.
48 Of the enemies. This refers to the enmity and wars, which have risen between the kings of Syria, whereby they destroyed and devoured one another; in like manner the ministers of the Antichrist have often done for the deliverance and rest of the church of God. Compare further the histories in Judges 7:22; 2 Chron. 20:23.
22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with 49blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing 50rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
49 That is, slaughter and murder.
50 See Psalm 11:6; Ezek. 13:11 with the annotation.
23Thus will I 51magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
51 That is, I will prove that I am the God of Israel, the only true, almighty, faithful and righteous God, Who indeed chastise and correct My people for their sins, but not forsake them, but at last deliver them, and vanquish and subdue all their enemies, and cause that they acknowledge and extol Me for it. Compare verse 16; Rev. 15:3, 4.