Ezekiel 39
The Attack and God’s Response to the Attack - Part Two
1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. (Ezekiel 39:1, ESV)
Using similar language to the first three verses of chapter 38, God is calling Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog by telling him that YHWH says that He (God) is against him (Gog), the chief prince of Mesech and Tubal. This verse begins the third call for Ezekiel to prophesy regarding Gog (see Ezekiel 38:14, 17), and the second time to prophesy against him. This chapter is not introducing a new event but adds detail to the same invasion. Much of the information will be more personal for both the “attackers” and those “living in the land.”
2 And I will turn you about and drive you forward, and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 39:2, ESV)
Again, God tells Gog He will turn him around and drive him forward bringing him from the north and lead him to the mountains of Israel. Since many connect Magog, Meshech, and Tubal to being affiliated with Russia and that the country has been at war with Ukraine, that the location Gog will be turned around from is Ukraine (but that country would not be classified as being from the “uttermost parts of the north” like Russia or Moscow could be called).
3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. (Ezekiel 39:3, ESV)
God tells Gog that He will knock the bows out of his warrior’s hands and make them drop their arrows. Knowing this event is yet future, and possibly near future, some commentators like to “update” the weapons described in these chapters. For example bows become missile launchers and the arrows are the missiles, which may be true, as fighting a modern war with bows and arrows seems unlikely. It would be dramatic to watch a flying missile being knocked out of the sky or simply fall before reaching its target!
4 You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:4–5, ESV)
Gog, and all of his army, will fall and die on the mountains of Israel. God will then give the bodies over to the various birds of prey and wild animals to be eaten by them. God clarifies that they will fall and die in the open fields. He then assures them (and all readers) that this will indeed occur, as He is the Lord GOD, He cannot lie (click here to read more regarding that fact).
6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 39:6, ESV)
Gog and his army will not be the only casualties, God will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands. There is much speculation as to the potential identification of these coastlands. Some believe that they are the islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the shore of Israel. Others believe that it is a reference to islands on the earth’s rim. Then there are some that squeeze the United States into that description. In scenarios like this we need to remember Peter’s words, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21, ESV, emphasis added) Only one interpretation counts, and since we are not given any more information, we need to simply say, “We just don’t know!” The verse seems to be implying that through the fire from God destroying Magog and those who dwell securely in the coastlands, will know that He is God.
It should be reported that this verse in the Septuagint reads very differently. We find, “And I will send fire upon Gog, and the islands will be inhabited in peace, and they will know that I am the Lord.”[1] (Ezekiel 39:6, LXX) The last half of the verse states that some unidentified islands will be inhabited in peace and that they will know that God is real and that He is Lord of all.
7 “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7, ESV)
This verse stands out above the rest as it makes two powerful statements, that God’s holy name will be made known among His people Israel (no longer any doubt, that the God of Israel truly does exist), and that He will not let His holy name be profaned (Hebrew ’ǎ·ḥēl’, has three meanings: to pierce or wound; to play the pipe; or to profane or defile), meaning God’s name will no longer be disrespected, be the punchline of a bad joke, something uttered when a finger is smashed, nor yelled in a stream of profanity! People from around the world will see that God exists and He is LORD over all, and that He is indeed the Holy One of Israel!
8 Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken. (Ezekiel 39:8, ESV)
Whenever we read words that state “God has spoken,” those words are like a seal, that what was stated will indeed come true regardless of anyone’s influence or situation. Here God is saying, “Yes, it is coming, and it will happen.” (Ezekiel 39:8a, CSB) This event will occur as prophesied.
9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, 10 so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:9-10, ESV)
After the invasion is supernaturally stopped and the invaders are all dead, the people of Israel will come out from their cities and begin a clean up operation. They begin to burn the weapons and we’re told that the inventory includes shields (Hebrew mā·ḡēn’, refering to some form of protection, literally or figuratively), bucklers (Hebrew ṣin·nāh’, a hook used to lead prisoners, but can also refer to a small shield), bows (Hebrew qě’·šěṯ, a bow), arrows (Hebrew ḥiṣ·ṣîm’, an arrow or other projectile), clubs (Hebrew mǎq·qēl, a rod or stick, combined with the Hebrew yāḏ, a hand, or by hand, written together can refer to a stick or club wielded by hand, perhaps a javelin), and spears (Hebrew rō·mǎḥ, a weapon of war with a long shaft with a sharp end, can be a spear or javelin). The fires from these weapons will burn for seven years. Which negated the need for the people of Israel to cut down trees for wood to warm themselves. They will also take from those who came to plunder and take from them everything of value. That includes personal items as well as weapons and any battle technology and equipment.
God declares these things, again a reminder that this prophecy is from God and that it will occur, just as He said it would.
Since the weapons described above would not typically sustain a fire for seven years, that fact again raises questions and speculation. Many suggest that some of the weapons and ammunition (possibly made from depleted Uranium) are nuclear, which is likely, as verses 14-16 describe a procedure that appear to follow protocols that are very close to current-day procedures for handling radioactive materials.
11 “On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. (Ezekiel 39:11, ESV)
God will provide a location to bury Gog, and all those that followed him into battle are to be buried with him, He identifies the location as the “Valley of the Travelers.” The location of this valley is unknown. Since some translate “east of the sea” as being “east toward the sea” the sea can refer to either the Mediterranean Sea or the Dead Sea. Once the battle is over and the bodies buried, the location will be renamed, the “Valley of Hamon-gog” (meaning the multitudes of Gog).
12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:12-13, ESV)
In order to cleanse the land, every dead body needs to be buried for spiritual reasons (see Numbers 35:33-34; Deuteronomy 21:23). Due to the vast number of people who attacked and are now dead, it will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the them. This victory of Israel will be seen around the world, as it will be obvious to all that God intervened as His glory will be seen by all. Some believe that God’s glory was seen only after the land of Israel was cleansed.
14 They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search. 15 And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. 16 (Hamonah is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land. (Ezekiel 39:14-6, ESV)
This passage begins with men selected (or perhaps hired) to travel throughout the land and search for the dead bodies of those who invaded Israel. When they find a body part they are to place a sign near it and then call the “buriers” to come and pickup the body (or part) and bury it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. In doing so they are cleansing the land. Readers often point out that this procedure is similar to modern-day regulations for cleaning up after a nuclear event. There are existing NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) weapon clean up procedures that refer to teams that will search for ‘hotspots’ (using appropriate technology) and then call a hazardous-materials expert to dispose of properly. This would cleanse the land from radiation as well as spiritually cleansing the land.
Ezekiel adds that Hamonah is also the name of a city. The location of this city is also unknown.
17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. (Ezekiel 39:17, ESV)
God calls Ezekiel to speak to the birds and animals to assemble to the sacrificial feast that He is preparing for them. It will be a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel. They will eat flesh and drink blood. The use of the words “sacrificial feast” has raised a significant amount of debate, as the role of a Biblical sacrifice seems reversed. Instead of animal sacrifices for the benefit of humans, the birds and the animals will be invited to God’s “great sacrificial feast” for their benefit. A similar call for the birds to eat a “great supper of God” can be found in Revelation 19:17-21, but there is no mention of it being a sacrificial feast.
18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. (Ezekiel 39:18, ESV)
The description of the feast continues by including the eating the flesh of the mighty (Hebrew gib·bô·rîm’, strong, vigorous) and drinking the blood of the princes (Hebrew neśî·’ê’, something that is lifted up, can refer to a person being a leader like a prince) of the earth. But then God adds rams, lambs, he-goats, and bulls. Were these animals brought there by Gog and his army? What role do they play? The text does not answer those questions. Is it by coincidence that each of these animals were commonly sacrificed by the Israelites? Some think that these did belong to the people of Israel, but if this event is yet future we see that animal sacrifices are no longer offered as the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and was never rebuilt. Is that a clue that this event will occur after the Temple is rebuilt? Again, we are not given enough information to answer. But that does not slow down the amount of speculation!
19 And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. 20 And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:19-20, ESV)
God tells Ezekiel to relay to the birds and animals to eat fat until they are full, and to drink blood until they are drunk (Hebrew šik·kā·rôn’, intoxicated) at the sacrificial feast He will be preparing for them. God declares that they will be filled with horses, charioteers, mighty men, and other men of war. If God declares something will occur, it will occur.
21 “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. (Ezekiel 39:21, ESV)
As the judgment on Gog will have been seen by all the nations, God’s glory will be displayed through His might. God will no longer be a ‘belief’, being either thought to exist or not exist, He will, in that sense, be knowledge, an absolute, no more doubt. His hand of judgment will be remembered.
22 The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. (Ezekiel 39:22, ESV)
Not only will the world take notice of the God of Israel, the people of Israel themselves, who many have been mostly secular and disinterested in God, will come to know God, as their God!
23 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. (Ezekiel 39:23-24, ESV)
The nations will also realize that the people of Israel had indeed been dispersed throughout world due to their disobedience all while God hid His face from them and gave them into the hands of those that oppressed them. But then God removed the oppressors through battle. God notes that He dealt with each adversary according to their uncleanness and their sin, as He also hid His face from them as well.
25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. (Ezekiel 39:25, ESV)
At this time God will restore the fortunes (Hebrew šeḇûṯ, captives, the return of those that were dispersed) of Jacob (Israel’s original name) and will have mercy on the whole house of Israel (both the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel), and He will be jealous (Hebrew qin·nē(’)·ṯî’, envious, zealous) for His name sake (in other words it is not that they deserve being blessed in this manner, but that He promised restoration).
26 They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. (Ezekiel 39:26-27, ESV)
When the people of Israel are living in safety after being brought back to their land, being returned home they will forget about their shame regarding how they disobeyed God, pursued pagan deities, and heartlessly followed His procedures in the past.
28 Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 39:28-29, ESV)
The people of Israel will KNOW that YHWH is their God because He sent them into exile around the world and then brought them back to their own land. He further states that will not leave any of them among the other nations. When He pours out the Holy Spirit on them He promises that He will never hide His face from them again. The French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal was once asked by King Louis XIV for proof of God, he quickly responded with “Why the Jews, our Majesty, the Jews!” He pointed to the continued existence of the Jews as being an example of a miracle in the 17th century. Now being back in their own land and being miraculously saved, is even greater evidence that the God of Israel is real and alive!
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[1] Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I., eds. (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (Eze 39:6). Lexham Press.