Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
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 (PiiN 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 Chroniifec, 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 high Boundiiig 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 Crimforensic 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,"
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Ver. 1-29. Continuation of the Prophecy against Gog. 1. Repeated from ch. 38. 3, to Impress the prophecy more on the mind. 3. leave but the sixth part of thee Margin, "strike thee with six plagues" (viz., pestilence, t. e., in the times just before the coming of Messiah, viz., under Antlochus, before His first coming; under Antichrist, before His second coming, the mountains of Israel . . . always waste— i. e., waste during the long period of the captivity, the earnest of the much longer period of Judea's present desolation (to which the language "always waste" more fully applies). This marks the impious ati oclty of the act, to assail God's people, who bad only begun to recover from their protracted calamiblood, overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, brimstone, ch.
38. 22) ; or, "draw thee back with an hook of six teeth" (ch.
3S. 4), the six teeth being those six plagues. Rather, " lead thee about" [LuDOVicus de Dieu and LXX.], as Antlochus was led (to his ruin) to leave Egypt for an expedition against Palestine; so shall the last great enemy of God be. north parts—from the extreme north. [Faikties, but It Is brought . . . and they shall dwell—rather, "And they (the Israelites) were brought . . . dwelt safely." [FAlitBAiRN.] English Version means, "Against Israel, which has been waste, but which (i. e., whose people) is now (at tlie time of the invasion) brought forth out of the nations where they were dispersed, and shall be found by liAiRN.] 3. bow—in which the Scythians were most ex-
I)ert. 4, 5. (Cf. v. 17-20. ) upon the mountains of Israel— the .scene of Israel's preservation shall be that of the ungodly foe's destruction. 6. carelessly—in self-confident security, the isles-those dwelling in maritime regions, wlio had helped Gog with fleets and troops, shall be visited with the fire of God's wrath in their own lands. 7. not tlie Invader dwelling securely, so as to seem an easy prey to him." 9. cloud . . . cover the land—with the multitude of tliy forces. 10. an evil thoughtas to attacking God's people in their defenceless state. 11. dwell safely let tlicm pollute my holy name—by their sins bringing down Judgments wiiich made the heathen think that I was unable or unwilling to save my people. 8. it is come
—i. f., securely, without fear of danger (cf. Esther 9. 19). Antioohus, t he type of Antichrist, took Jerusalem witliout. . . it is done — the prediction of the salvation of my people, and the ruin of their enemy. Is come to pass—Is done: expressing that the event foretold Is as certain as a l)low. 1>J. midst of the InnA—lit., the navel ot the land (Ju Iges 9. 37, Margin). So, in ch. 5. 5, Israel is said to if It were already accomplished. 9, 10. The burning of be set "In the midst of the nations;" not physically, but the foe's weapons implies that nothing belonging to thero morally, a central position for being a blessing to the