Ezekiel 38

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 585 BC – 573 BC · Exile in Babylon · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

23 verses · 696 words · ~3 min read · ~5 min listen

A Prophecy against Gog

Footnotes (5)
  1. a v2 Or of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal
  2. b v3 Or Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal
  3. c v5 That is, the upper Nile region
  4. d v13 Or young lions
  5. e v14 LXX will you not rouse yourself?

Study notes on this chapter · 1

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

Gog of Magog

Ezekiel 38–39 describes Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, from the land of Magog, who leads a great coalition against a restored Israel 'in the latter years' and is destroyed by God. Revelation 20 speaks of 'Gog and Magog' gathered for a last battle after the thousand years. Who Gog is, and when, has been disputed for millennia.

When: Ezekiel, c. 590–570 BC; proposed fulfillments range from the ancient world to the end of time.

Ways people read this (4)
  • A future invasion of Israel by a northern coalition before or at the end of the age, sometimes identified with modern powers (a common popular reading, which has produced many conflicting identifications).
  • A symbolic picture of the final assault of evil on the people of God, taken up in Revelation 20 (amillennial and idealist readings).
  • A prophecy of the ancient threats to postexilic Israel, such as the Scythians or the Seleucids.
  • An apocalyptic image that cannot be tied to one historical event.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

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