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Ezekiel 38

God brings Gog’s planned invasion under his rule and judges the attackers so that the nations will know his holiness.

God commands Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog of Magog, a ruler who leads a vast coalition against Israel. The people have been gathered from the nations and live in unwalled settlements, where Gog sees a chance for plunder. God declares that he will bring Gog against the land, then judge him through upheaval, infighting, and devastating storms. Gog’s precise identity and the timing remain uncertain; the prophecy ends with God making his holiness known before many nations.

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2“Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.
4I will turn you around, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, with all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords;
5Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
6Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes—even many peoples with you.
7“‘“Be prepared, yes, prepare yourself, you, and all your companies who are assembled to you, and be a guard to them.
8After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, on the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought out of the peoples and they will dwell securely, all of them.
9You will ascend. You will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.”
10“‘The Lord GOD says: “It will happen in that day that things will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
11You will say, ‘I will go up to the land of unwalled villages. I will go to those who are at rest, who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12to take the plunder and to take prey; to turn your hand against the waste places that are inhabited, and against the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten livestock and goods, who dwell in the middle of the earth.’
13Sheba, Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all its young lions, will ask you, ‘Have you come to take the plunder? Have you assembled your company to take the prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’
14“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and tell Gog, ‘The Lord GOD says: “In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, will you not know it?
15You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.
16You will come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It will happen in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me when I am sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.”
17“‘The Lord GOD says: “Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you against them?
18It will happen in that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that my wrath will come up into my nostrils.
19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath I have spoken. Surely in that day there will be a great shaking in the land of Israel,
20so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all creeping things who creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the surface of the earth will shake at my presence. Then the mountains will be thrown down, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground.
21I will call for a sword against him to all my mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.
22I will enter into judgment with him with pestilence and with blood. I will rain on him, on his hordes, and on the many peoples who are with him, torrential rains with great hailstones, fire, and sulfur.
23I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”’
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Ezekiel 38:23The closing declaration identifies the purpose of judgment: God will display his greatness and holiness before many nations.
Ezekiel 38:16God calls Israel his people and the land his own, asserting his rule even over Gog’s invasion.
Ezekiel 38:10Gog’s invasion takes shape as an evil plan within his own mind, exposing the intent behind his military strength.
Where this chapter reaches

Revelation shares the names Gog and Magog, the gathering of hostile nations, and fire as an instrument of divine judgment. Zechariah shares the picture of nations attacking God’s people and God answering with judgment that includes upheaval in the land.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about Gog’s desire for plunder when Israel’s people are described as living securely?

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How does God’s stated purpose in verse 23 shape your reading of the violence that precedes it?

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Questions people ask about Ezekiel 38

Who are Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38?

Gog is the ruler addressed by the prophecy, and Magog is the land associated with him. He leads a coalition against a restored Israel. The chapter names several allied peoples but does not provide enough information to identify Gog with a specific historical ruler or modern nation.

Why does God bring Gog against Israel and then punish him?

The chapter places God’s control alongside Gog’s own evil intent. God says he will bring Gog against the land, while Gog plans to seize its wealth. The text does not explain every part of that relationship. It states that God’s judgment will make his holiness known to the nations.

When does Ezekiel 38 take place?

The prophecy places the invasion after Israel has been gathered from many peoples and is living securely. It uses the phrases “After many days” and “in the latter days,” without supplying a date. Those descriptions establish the scene, but they do not identify a calendar year or a current event.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).