Chapter XXXVIII
Ver. 1-23. The Assault of Gog, and God's Judgment ON HIM. The ol)jections to a literal interpretation of the prophecy are— I. The ideal nature of the name Gog, wliich
is the root of Magog, the only kindred name found in Scripture or history. 2. The nations congregated are selected from places most distant from Israel, and from one another, and therefore most unlikely to act in concert, Persians and Libyans, &c. 3. The whole spoil of Israel could not have given a handful to a tithe of their number, or maintained the myriads of invaders a single day (ch. 38. 12, 13). 4. The wood of their invaders' weapons was to serve for fuel to Israel for seven years! And aJi Israel were to take seven months in burying the dead! Supposing a million of Israelites to bury each two corpses a day, the aggregate buried in the 180 working days of the seven months would be 3G0 millions of corpses! Then the pestilential vapours from such masses of victims before they were all buried ! Wliat Israelite could live In such an atmosphere? 5. The scene of tlie Lord's controversy here is different from that in Isaiah 34. 6, Edom, which creates a discrepancy. [But probably a different judgment is alluded to.] 6. The gro.ss carnality of the representation of God's dealings with His adversaries is inconsistent with Messianic times; it therelbre requires a non-literal interpretation. The prophetical delineations of the Divine principles of government are thrown into the familiar forms of Old Testament relations. Tlie final triumpli of Messiah's truth over the most distant and barbarous nations is represented as a literal contlict on a gigantic scale, Israel being tlie battle-field, ending in the complete triumph of Israel's anointed King, tlie Saviour of the world. It is a prophetical paralile. [FAiRBArKN.] However, though the details are not literal, the distinctiveness in this picture, characterizing also parallel descriptions in writers less ideally picturesque than Ezekiel, gives probability to a more defliiite and generally
i. e., Judah, and, besides Benjamin and Levi, those who had joined tliemselves to him of Ephraira, Manasseh, Simeon, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, as having the temple and lawful priestliood in his borders (2 Chronicles 11.12,
13, 16; 15. 9; 30. 11, 18). The latter became identified with Judah after the carrying away of the ten tribes, and returned with Judah from Babylon, and so shall be associated with that tril)e at the future restoration. For Joseph, the stick of Ephralm—Ephraim's posterity took the lead, not only of the other descendants of Joseph (cf.
I'. 19), l>ut of the ten tribes of Israel. For 400 years, during the period of the judges, with Manasseh and Benjamin,
its dependent tribes, It had formerly taken the lead: Hhiloh was its religious capital; Shechem, its civil capital. God had transferred the birth-right from Reuben, for dishonouring his fatlier's bed, to Joseph, whose representa-
tive, Ephraim, though the younger, was made (Genesis
48. 19; 1 Chronicles 5. 1). From its pre-eminence "Israel"
is attached to it as "companions." The "all" in this case, not in that of Judah, which has only attached as "companions" " the children of Israel" (i. e., some of them, viz., tliose who followed the fortunes of Judah), implies that the hulk of the ten tribes did not return at the restoration from Bal)ylon, but Is distinct from Judah, until the coming union with it at tlie restoration. 18. God does not explain the symbolical prophec.y, until the Jews have been stimulated by the type to consult the prophet. 19. The union effected at the restoration from Babylon emliraced l)ut comparatively few of Israel ; a future complete fulfilment must therefore be looked for. stick of Joseph ... in the hand of Kphraim—Ephraim, of tiie descendants of Joseph, had exercised the rule among the ten tribes : that rule, symbolized by the "stick," was now
literal interpretation. Tlie awful desolations caused in Judea by Antioclius Epiphanes, of Syria (1 Maccabees; and Porphyry, quoted by Jerome on Ezekiel), his defilement of Jehovah's temple by sacrificing swine and .spri nlcling the altar with the broth, and setting up the altar of Jupiter Olympius, seem to be an earnest of the final desolations to be cau.sed by Antichrist in Israel, previous to His overthrow by the Lord Himself, coming to reign (ot 611
EZEKIEL XXXIX.
God's Judgment ayainst Oog.
Further Prophecy against him.
Daniel 8. 10-2(5; 11. 21-45; 12. 1; Zecharlah 13. 9; 14. 2, 3). Gkotios explains Gog as a name taken from Gj'ges, king of Lydia; and Magog as Syria, in which was a city called Magog (Pi^iN Y 5. 28). What Ezekiel stated more generally, Revelalion 20. 7-9 states more definitely as to the Anticluistliin confederacy which Is to assail the beloved city.
world : so (as the favoured or "beloved city," Revelation
20. 9) an object of envy. Gkotius translates, "In the height of the land" (so v. 8), " the mountains of Israel," Israel being morally elevated above the rest of the world. 13. Sheba, &c. — These mercantile peoples, though not taking an active part against the cause of God, are well pleased to see others do it. Worldliness makes them ready to deal in the ill-gotten spoil of the invaders of God's people. Gain is before godliness with them (1 Maccabees
2. Gog—the prince of the land of Magog. The title was probably a common one of the kings of the country, as "Pharaoh" in Egypt. Chakan was the name given by the Northern Asiatics to their king, and is still a title
3.41). young lions— daring princes and leaders. 14. Shalt thou not know ItJ—to thy cost, being visited with punishment, whilst Israel dwells safely. 16. I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me —so in Exodus 9. 16, God tells Pharaoh, " For this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power ; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." 17. thou he of whom I have spoken in old time—Gog,
of the Turkish sultan : " Gog" may be a contraction of
this. In Ezekiel's time a horde of Northern Asiatics, •ormcd by the Greeks "Scythians," and probably including the Moschi and Tlbareni, near the Caucasus, here ("Meshech . . . Tubal") undertook an expedition against Egypt (Herodotus, 1. 103-106). These names miglit be adopted by Ezekiel from the historical fact familiar to men at the time, as ideal titles for the great last Antichristian confederacy. Magog—(Genesis 10.2; 1 Chroni-
ifec, are liere identified with tlie enemies spoken of in other propliecies (Numbers 24. 17-24; Isaiah 27. 1 ; cf. Isaiah
cles.) The name of a land belonging to Japhet's posterity. Maha, in Sanscrit, means " land." Gog is the ideal polit-
26. 20, 21 ; Jeremiah 30. 23, 24 ; Joel 3. 1 ; Micah 5. 5, 6 ; Isaiah
14. 12-14; 59. 19). God is represented as addressing Gog at the time of his assault; therefore, the "old' time" Is the time long prior, when Ezekiel uttered these prophecies
ical head of the region. In Revelation 20. 8, Gog and Magog are two peoples, the chief priuce—rather, "prince of Rosh," or ''Hhos" [LXX.]. The Scythian Tauri in the Crimea were so called. The Araxes also was called
so, he also, as well as Daniel (11.), and Zechariah (14.), are included among "the prophets of Israel" here, many years — ago. 18. fury shall come up in my face — lit., nose; in Hebrew, the idiomatic expression for anger, as men in anger breathe strongly through the nostrils. Anthropopathy : God stooping to human modes of thought (Psalm 18. 8). 19. great shaking—an earthquake : physical agitations after accompanying social and moral revolu-
Rlios. The modern Russians may have hence assumed their name, as Moscow and Tobolsk from Meshech and Tubal, though tlieir proper ancient name was Slavi, or Wends. Hexgstenbekg supports English Version, as "Rosh" is not found in the Bible. "Magog was Gog's original kingdom, though he acquired also Meshech and Tubal, so as to be called their chief prince." 3. His highBoundiiig titles are repeated to imply the haughty selfconfidence of the invader as if invincible. 4. tai-n tJiee bacU—as a refractory wild beast, which thinks to take its own way, but is bent by a superior power to turn on a course which must end in its destruction. Satan shall be, by overrulihg Providence, permitted to deceive them to
tions. Foretold also in Joel 3. 16; cf. Haggal 2. 6, 7; Matthew 24. 7, 29; Revelation 16. 18. 20. flshcs—disturbed by the fleets which I will bring, fowls, <S;c.—frightened at the sight of so many men: an ideal picture, mountains i. e., the foi-tresses on the mountains, steep places—lit.," stairs" (Song of Solomon 2.14); steep terraces for vines on the sides of hills, to prevent the earth being washed down by the rains, every wall—of towns, ai. every man's sword
their ruin (Revelation 20. 7, 8). hooks Into thy jaws—(Ch.
29. 4; 2 Kings 19.28.) 5. Persia . . . Libya — Expressly
. . . against his brotlier—I will destroy them partly by my people's sword, partly by their swords being turned against one another (cf. 2 Chronicles '20. 23). 23. plead—
specified by Appia>- as supplying the ranks of Antiochus' army. 6. Gomer—the Celtic Cimmerians of Crim-
forensic term ; because God in His inflictions acts on the principles of His own immutable jxistice, not by arbitraryimpulse (Isaiah 66. 16; Jeremiah 25. 31). blood . . . hailstones . . . Are- (Revelation 8.7; 16.21.) The Imagery la taken from the destruction of Sodom and the plagues of Egypt (cf. Psalm 11. 6). Antlochus died by " pestilence" ('2 Maccabees 9. 5).
Tart.iry. Togarjiiah-The Armenians of the Caucasus, south of Iberia. 7. Irony. Prepare thee and all thine with
all needful accoutrements for war—that ye may perish together, be . . . a giiaril unto them i. e., if thou canst. 8. tl>on shnit be vUltcd—in wrath, by God (Isaiah 29. 6). Probably there Is allusion to Isaiah 24.21,22, "The host of tbe high ones . . . shall be gathered ... as prisoners ... in the pit, . . . and after many days shall they be visited." I therefore prefer English Version to Gkotius' rendering, "Thou Shalt get the command" of the expedition. The "after many days" Is defined by "in the latter years,"