Ezekiel39
World English Bible · Public Domain
1“You, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.
2I will turn you around, will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring you onto the mountains of Israel.
3I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
4You will 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.
5You will 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 islands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.
7“‘“I will make my holy name known among my people Israel. I won’t allow my holy name to be profaned any more. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.
8Behold, it comes, and it will be done,” says the Lord Yahweh. “This is the day about which I have spoken.
9“‘“Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and will make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the war clubs and the spears, and they will make fires with them for seven years;
10so that they will take no wood out of the field, and not cut down any out of the forests; for they will make fires with the weapons. They will plunder those who plundered them, and rob those who robbed them,” says the Lord Yahweh.
11“‘“It will happen in that day, that I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east of the sea; and it will stop those who pass through. They will bury Gog and all his multitude there, and they will call it ‘The valley of Hamon Gog’.
12“‘“The house of Israel will be burying them for seven months, that they may cleanse the land.
13Yes, all the people of the land will bury them; and they will become famous in the day that I will be glorified,” says the Lord Yahweh.
14“‘“They will set apart men of continual employment who will pass through the land. Those who pass through will go with those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it. After the end of seven months they will search.
15Those who search through the land will pass through; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, then he will set up a sign by it, until the undertakers have buried it in the valley of Hamon Gog.
16Hamonah will also be the name of a city. Thus they will cleanse the land.”’
17“You, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Speak to the birds of every sort, and to every animal of the field, “Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat meat and drink blood.
18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19You shall eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20You shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men, and with all men of war,” says the Lord Yahweh.’
21“I will set my glory among the nations. Then all the nations will see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them.
22So the house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God, from that day and forward.
23The nations will know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they trespassed against me, and I hid my face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword.
24I did to them according to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions. I hid my face from them.
25“Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Now I will reverse the captivity of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. I will be jealous for my holy name.
26They will forget their shame and all their trespasses by which they have trespassed against me, when they dwell securely in their land. No one will make them afraid
27when I have brought them back from the peoples, gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am shown holy among them in the sight of many nations.
28They will know that I am Yahweh their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them to their own land. Then I will leave none of them captive any more.
29I won’t hide my face from them any more, for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 39.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The destruction of Gog. (1-10). Its extent. (11-22). Israel again favoured. (23-29).
vv1-10
The Lord will make the most careless and hardened transgressors know his holy name, either by his righteous anger, or by the riches of his mercy and grace. The weapons formed against Zion shall not prosper. Though this prophecy is to be fulfilled in the latter days, it is certain. From the language used, it seems that the army of Gog will be destroyed by miracle.
vv11-22
How numerous the enemies which God destroyed for the defence of his people Israel! Times of great deliverances should be times of reformation. Every one should help the utmost he can, toward cleansing the land from reproach. Sin is an enemy every man should strive against. Those engaged in public work, especially of cleansing and reforming a land, ought to be men who will go through with what they undertake, who will be always employed. When good work is to be done, every one should further it. Having received special favours from God, let us cleanse ourselves from all evil. It is a work which will require persevering diligence, that search may be made into the secret recesses of sin. The judgments of the Lord, brought upon sin and sinners, are a sacrifice to the justice of God, and a feast to the faith and hope of God's people. See how evil pursues sinners, even after death. After all that ambitious and covetous men do and look for, "a place of graves" is all the Lord gives them on earth, while their guilty souls are doomed to misery in another world.
vv23-29
When the Lord shall have mercy on the whole house of Israel, by converting them to Christianity, and when they shall have borne the shame of being cast off for their sins, then the nations shall learn to know, worship, and serve him. Then Israel also shall know the Lord, as revealed in and by Christ. Past events do not answer to these predictions. The pouring out of the Spirit is a pledge that God's favour will continue. He will hide his face no more from those on whom he has poured out his Spirit. When we pray that God would never cast us from his presence, we must as earnestly pray that, in order thereto, he would never take his Holy Spirit from us.
Key Words
אַתָּה: thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
נָבָא: to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse)
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
גּוֹג: Gog, the name of an Israelite, also of some nothern nation
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
כֹּה: properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
אֲדֹנָי: the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)
הִנֵּה: lo!
Cross References
Ezekiel 39John's invitation to birds of prey to consume kings and captains directly echoes Ezekiel's sacrificial feast.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Direct reiteration of the divine indictment and titles of Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel theme of God making wars to cease by breaking and burning the weapons of war.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Identifies the divine plagues of destruction sent against Gog's hosts.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Similar judgment of being cast onto the open fields and given to ravenous beasts.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Confirms this judgment is the great day of recompense spoken of by former prophets.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The solemn declaration 'it is done' matches the seventh bowl judgment in Revelation.
Supported by JFB
Eschatological development of the ultimate gathering of Gog and Magog for final defeat.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The sovereign pouring out of God's Spirit as the guarantee of covenant restoration.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels God's turning back of the northern invader as with hooks in jaws.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Verifies that Gog's armies originate from the extreme recesses of the north parts.
Supported by Matthew Poole
God acts to preserve His holy name from being polluted among the heathen.
Supported by Matthew Poole
God's holy jealousy to vindicate His name, which had been profaned by His people's exile.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Mosaic requirement to bury the dead promptly so that the land is not defiled.
Supported by JFB
The legal ritual context for cleansing the land from defilement caused by human bones.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic parallel of a great slaughter framed as a sacrificial feast for wild creatures.
Supported by JFB
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice and invited his guests to consume the wicked.
Supported by JFB
Textual cross-connection within the chapter locating the massive burial site at Hamon-gog.
Supported by JFB
The stouthearted are spoiled and the men of might cannot find their hands.
Supported by Matthew Poole
God walking contrary to Israel and hiding His face due to their persistent uncleanness.
Supported by Matthew Poole