Ezekiel 39:1

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Ezekiel 39:1-2. Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy — Continue to prophesy; against Gog — That all these things concerning him may be remembered. The chief prince of Meshech, &c. — See note on Ezekiel 38:2. And I will turn thee back — See ibid. Ezekiel 39:4. I will lead thee and turn thee wheresoever I please: thou shalt not proceed any further than I shall permit thee, but shalt be driven back. And leave but a sixth part of thee — Or, as others render it, I will strike thee with six plagues, those mentioned Ezekiel 38:22. And I will cause thee to come up, &c. — The words may be better rendered, After I have caused thee to come up from the north parts, and have brought thee upon the mountains of Israel — See a like construction Ezekiel 38:4.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

39:1-10 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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The present chapter describes the defeat of Evil and the triumph of God and His people. As the prophet predicted the advance of Evil under the figure of the invasion of an actual army; so he declares the overthrow of Evil by the figure of a host routed and slain, and the consequent purification of a land, partially overrun and disturbed. Some forgetting that this is a figure, have searched history to find out some campaign in the land of Israel, some overthrow of invaders, on which to fix this prophecy, and have assigned localities to the burial-place "Hamon-Gog" Ezekiel 39:11.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 39

Eze 39:1-29. Continuation of the Prophecy against Gog.

1. Repeated from Eze 38:3, to impress the prophecy more on the mind.God’s judgment upon Gog, Ezekiel 39:1-7. The loss of the enemy denoted by the multitude of weapons burned by Israel, Ezekiel 39:8-10. Gog’s burial in Haman-gog, Ezekiel 39:11-16. The feast upon the slain proclaimed to the finals and beasts, Ezekiel 39:17-20. The heathen shall see God’s judgment, and know that he plagued Israel for their sins, Ezekiel 39:21-24; but he will gather them again with everlasting favour, Ezekiel 39:25-29.

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,.... As he had been ordered to do before, and must still continue to do it:

behold, I am against thee, O Gog; which is repeated for the confirmation of it, and to inject terror into him; for terrible it is to have God against any:

the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; See Gill on Ezekiel 38:2, the Septuagint version adds "Ros" here as there.

Geneva Study Bible

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1. Cf. Ezekiel 38:2-3.

chief prince] prince of Rosh, Meshech, &c., Ezekiel 38:2.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 1-20. - In the first main division Ezekiel repeats the substance of what has already been advanced concerning the defeat of Gog (vers. 1-8), after which he strives to represent its completeness (vers. 9-20), by setting forth

(1) the immense quantity of spoil Israel should obtain from the fallen foe (vers. 9, 10).

(2) the length of time it should take Israel to bury the dead and cleanse the land from defilement (vers. 11-16, and

(3) the horrible carnage which should ensue on Gog's destruction, symbolized by a vast sacrificial feast prepared by Jehovah for the beasts and birds (vers. 17-20). Verse 1. - The chief prime of Meshech and Tubal; or, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal (see on Ezekiel 38:2). Ezekiel 39:1

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Further Description of the Judgment to Fall upon Gog and his Hosts

Ezekiel 39:1-8. General announcement of his destruction. - Ezekiel 39:1. And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will deal with thee, Gog, thou prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Ezekiel 39:2. I will mislead thee, and conduct thee, and cause thee to come up from the uttermost north, and bring thee to the mountains of Israel; Ezekiel 39:3. And will smite thy bow from thy left hand, and cause thine arrows to fall from thy right hand. Ezekiel 39:4. Upon the mountains of Israel wilt thou fall, thou and all thy hosts, and the peoples which are with thee: I give thee for food to the birds of prey of every plumage, and to the beasts of the field. Ezekiel 39:5. Upon the open field shalt thou fall, for I have spoken it, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Ezekiel 39:6. And I will send fire in Magog, and among those who dwell in security upon the islands, that they may know that I am Jehovah. Ezekiel 39:7. I will make known my holy name in the midst of my people Israel, and will not let my holy name be profaned any more, that the nations may know that I am Jehovah, holy in Israel. Ezekiel 39:8. Behold, it comes and happens, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah; this is the day of which I spoke. - The further description of the judgment with which Gog and his hosts are threatened in Ezekiel 38:21-23, commences with a repetition of the command to the prophet to prophesy against Gog (Ezekiel 39:1, cf. Ezekiel 38:2-3). The principal contents of Ezekiel 38:4-15 are then briefly summed up in Ezekiel 39:2. שׁבבתּיך, as in Ezekiel 38:4, is strengthened by שׁשּׁתיך, שׁשׁא, ἁπαχ λεγ.., is not connected with שׁשׁ in the sense of "I leave a sixth part of thee remaining," or afflict thee with six punishments; but in the Ethiopic it signifies to proceed, or to climb, and here, accordingly, it is used in the sense of leading on (lxx καθοδηγήσω σε, or, according to another reading, κατάξω; Vulg. educam). For Ezekiel 39:2, compare Ezekiel 38:15 and Ezekiel 38:8. In the land of Israel, God will strike his weapons out of his hands, i.e., make him incapable of fighting (for the fact itself, compare the similar figures in Psalm 37:15; Psalm 46:10), and give him up with all his army as a prey to death. עיט, a beast of prey, is more precisely defined by צפּור, and still further strengthened by the genitive כּל־כּנף: birds of prey of every kind. The judgment will not be confined to the destruction of the army of Gog, which has invaded the land of Israel, but (Ezekiel 39:6) will also extend to the land of Gog, and to all the heathen nations that are dwelling in security. אשׁ, fire, primarily the fire of war; then, in a further sense, a figure denoting destruction inflicted directly by God, as in Ezekiel 38:22, which is therefore represented in Revelation 20:9 as fire falling from heaven. Magog is the population of the land of Magog (Ezekiel 38:2). With this the inhabitants of the distant coastlands of the west (the איּים) are associated, as representatives of the remotest heathen nations. Ezekiel 39:7, Ezekiel 39:8. By this judgment the Lord will make known His holy name in Israel, and show the heathen that He will not let it be blasphemed by them any more. For the fact itself, compare Ezekiel 36:20. For Ezekiel 39:8, compare Ezekiel 21:12, and for היּום, see Ezekiel 38:18-19.