What does Ezechiel Chapter 38 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Gog’s coalition receives distinct edition interpretation. An evil design seeks spoil from secure inhabitants. The announced judgment magnifies the Lord before nations.

Chapter breakdown

Ezechiel 38 addresses Gog of Magog, prince of Mosoch and Thubal. The edition separately understands Gog as all persecutors of God's Church or a great persecutor such as Antichrist, explaining the name as hidden or covered. Its identification of Magog with Scythia or Tartary, and its reference to Turks and other enemies of the Church, belong to that edition's interpretation. They must not become the verse's uniquely certain named future attacker.

The Lord turns Gog with a bit and brings his army, horses and horsemen armed with mail, spears, shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, Thogorma from the north and many peoples accompany him. Preparation and command precede a visit after many days, at the end of years, to a land returned from the sword and gathered from nations. Israel's formerly wasted mountains now have secure inhabitants. The approaching army resembles a storm and cloud; neither an already completed campaign nor an independently calculated distant date is given.

An evil design proposes attack on unwalled land without bars or gates, taking spoils from people gathered in the earth's midst with goods and substance. Saba, Dedan, Tharsis and its lions question whether silver, gold and other spoils motivate the gathering. Gog's northern mounted multitude will come against Israel in the latter days, and the Lord's declared purpose is to be sanctified before nations so they know him. Earlier prophets had announced the coming attack.

Divine anger brings a great commotion. Fish, birds, beasts, creeping things and men are moved; mountains, hedges and walls fall. A sword is called against Gog, each man's sword against his brother. Pestilence, blood, rain, hail, fire and brimstone accompany judgment, magnifying the Lord before nations. Panic as the private cause of the brother-against-brother fighting and unprecedented worldwide seismic claims are not supplied.

The story inside

Opening: Gog’s coalition receives distinct edition interpretation. Development: An evil design seeks spoil from secure inhabitants. Conclusion: The announced judgment magnifies the Lord before nations.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Gog’s coalition receives distinct edition interpretation.
2
An evil design seeks spoil from secure inhabitants.
3
The announced judgment magnifies the Lord before nations.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 95461–95470
38:2. Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal: and prophesy of him, Gog.... This name, which signifies hidden or covered, is taken in this place, either for the persecutors of the church of God in general, or some arch-persecutor in particular: such as Antichrist shall be in the latter days. See Apoc. 20.8. And what is said of the punishment of Gog, is verified by the unhappy ends of persecutors.—Ibid. Magog.... Scythia or Tartary, from whence the Turks, and other enemies of the church of Christ, originally sprung.
Lines 95475–95484
38:4. And I will turn thee about, and I will put a bit in thy jaws: and I will bring thee forth, and all thy army, horses and horsemen all clothed with coats of mail, a great multitude, armed with spears and shields and swords. 38:5. The Persians, Ethiopians, and Libyans with them, all with shields and helmets. 38:6. Gomer, and all his bands, the house of Thogorma, the northern parts and all his strength, and many peoples with thee.
Lines 95489–95496
38:8. After many days thou shalt be visited: at the end of years thou shalt come to the land that is returned from the sword, and is gathered out of many nations, to the mountains of Israel which have been continually waste: but it hath been brought forth out of the nations, and they shall all of them dwell securely in it. 38:9. And thou shalt go up and come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy bands and many people with thee.
Lines 95498–95513
38:10. Thus saith the Lord God: In that day projects shall enter into thy heart, and thou shalt conceive a mischievous design. 38:11. And thou shalt say: I will go up to the land which is without a wall, I will come to them that are at rest, and dwell securely: all these dwell without a wall, they have no bars nor gates: 38:12. To take spoils, and lay hold on the prey, to lay thy hand upon them that had been wasted, and afterwards restored, and upon the people that is gathered together out of the nations, which hath begun to possess and to dwell in the midst of the earth. 38:13. Saba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tharsis, and all the lions thereof shall say to thee: Art thou come to take spoils? behold, thou hast gathered thy multitude to take a prey, to take silver, and gold, and to carry away goods and substance, and to take rich spoils.
Lines 95533–95544
38:18. And it shall come to pass in that day, in the day of the coming of Gog upon the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my indignation shall come up in my wrath. 38:19. And I have spoken in my zeal, and in the fire of my anger, that in that day there shall be a great commotion upon the land of Israel: 38:20. So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and all men that are upon the face of the earth, shall be moved at my presence: and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the hedges shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
Lines 95546–95556
38:21. And I will call in the sword against him in all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be pointed against his brother. 38:22. And I will judge him with pestilence, and with blood, and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many nations that are with him. 38:23. And I will be magnified, and I will be sanctified: and I will be known in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord.