EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:1 Ezekiel addresses the mysterious Gog, ruler of the equally mysterious Magog (see note on 38:2). He pronounces judgment on Gog for attacking the renewed Israel (Ezekiel 38:1, Ezekiel 38:7). However, there is a power greater than Gog. The sovereign God of Israel reigns ove... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:2 GOG, OF THE LAND OF MAGOG. These two names have been the focus of extensive speculation in both Jewish and Christian literature, and there is no agreement on their meaning. Many interpreters understand Ezekiel 38:1 to be a prophecy concerning an attack against Israel in... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:5 Gog’s allies are described in terms similar to Tyre’s allies in Ezekiel 27:10. Together with Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel 38:6, this passage describes enemies coming against Israel from all sides: Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah from the north (vv. Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekie... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:6 THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE NORTH seems to refer to enemies that will come from regions far north of Israel, without specifically identifying these enemies. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:8 Locating this episode in the LATTER YEARS in the LAND THAT IS RESTORED puts this oracle into the future (see the “latter days” in v. Ezekiel 38:16). It is not necessarily the absolute end of time. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, le... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:10 It is clear that Gog remains firmly under God’s control and, in fact, acts at God’s direction (vv. Ezekiel 38:4, Ezekiel 38:16). But Gog will still be held responsible for his plans to PLUNDER the now-fertile land of restored Israel (THE QUIET PEOPLE WHO DWELL SECURELY)... [ Continue Reading ]
EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 38:16 LIKE A CLOUD. Huge numbers of Gog’s soldiers will come against Israel. This theme is repeated throughout these chapters. Once again, God is sovereign over Gog’s actions (I WILL BRING YOU). Gog is a tool used to defend God’s holiness. In this way, Gog is similar to Phara... [ Continue Reading ]