Ezekiel 38

King James Version

Full text for Ezekiel Chapter 38

1¶ And 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?

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 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The prophet Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. The Lord declares He will bring Gog and a vast coalition of nations against the land of Israel in the latter years, when Israel dwells safely. Gog's intent is to take a great spoil from the restored people, but God will intervene with overwhelming judgment, including a great shaking, pestilence, fire, and brimstone, to magnify and sanctify Himself before all nations.

Medium Summary

The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, instructing him to set his face against Gog, identified as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal from the land of Magog. God declares His intention to bring Gog forth with a mighty army, including Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah, to attack the land of Israel. This invasion is prophesied to occur in the latter years, when the people of Israel, gathered from many nations, dwell safely in unwalled villages. Gog conceives an evil thought to plunder Israel's wealth, but the Lord reveals that He is orchestrating this event. When Gog invades, God's fury will be kindled, leading to a massive earthquake, internal strife among Gog's forces, and divine judgment through pestilence, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Through this decisive defeat, the Lord intends to magnify and sanctify Himself, ensuring that many nations will know Him.

Long Summary

The chapter opens with the Lord instructing Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, from the land of Magog. God declares His intention to supernaturally draw Gog and his immense military coalition, comprising nations like Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah, to invade the land of Israel. This event is foretold to take place in the 'latter years,' when the people of Israel have been gathered back from among the nations, are dwelling safely, and inhabit unwalled villages without fortifications. Gog, driven by an 'evil thought,' plans to ascend against this peaceful, prosperous people to take a great spoil and prey, seizing their cattle and goods. Other nations, such as Sheba, Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, question Gog's predatory motives. However, the Lord reveals that He is the one bringing Gog against His land, with the ultimate purpose of being sanctified and known by the heathen. When Gog's invasion commences, the Lord's fury will be aroused, causing a great shaking in the land of Israel that will affect all living creatures and geographical features. God will then call for a sword against Gog, leading to internal conflict among his forces, and will further judge him with pestilence, blood, overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Through this overwhelming divine intervention and judgment, the Lord declares He will magnify and sanctify Himself, ensuring that many nations will recognize and know Him as the LORD.

Core Concepts

  • Gog and MagogGog is identified as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, from the land of Magog. He is presented as the leader of a vast confederacy of nations destined to invade Israel in the latter days.
  • The Latter YearsThis phrase denotes the specific time frame for Gog's invasion, indicating a future period when Israel has been restored and dwells securely in their land.
  • Israel's Restoration and SecurityThe prophecy describes Israel as a people gathered from many nations, dwelling safely in unwalled villages, having acquired cattle and goods. This state of peace and prosperity makes them a target for Gog's covetousness.
  • Divine OrchestrationDespite Gog's evil intentions to take spoil, the Lord explicitly states that He is bringing Gog against Israel. This demonstrates God's sovereign control over the nations and their actions, even their wicked schemes.
  • God's Fury and JudgmentUpon Gog's invasion, God's wrath is kindled, leading to a series of devastating judgments. These include a great earthquake, internal strife among Gog's forces, pestilence, blood, overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
  • God's Self-GlorificationThe ultimate purpose of this entire event, from Gog's rise to his defeat, is for the Lord to magnify and sanctify Himself. Through His powerful intervention, many nations will come to know Him as the LORD.