Ezekiel 38:12

Translations

Modern

…in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’

Traditional

To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Literal

…to draw out the plunder and to prey on the prey, to stretch out my hand against the desolate places now inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, having gained livestock and possessions, dwelling in the center of the land.’

Latin

…ut diripias spolia, et invadas prædam; ut inferas manum tuam super eos qui deserti fuerant, et postea restituti, et super populum qui est congregatus ex gentibus, qui possidere cœpit et esse habitator umbilici terræ.

Original

Hebrew

English

…in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’

Notes

Ezekiel 38:1–39:29

In Ezekiel 37, the nation is reunited and lives in peace in its own land. In Ezekiel 38–39, this peaceful picture changes. A new danger appears. These chapters describe the attack, defeat, and removal of the final enemy, called Gog.
Many readers have tried to identify Gog. Some have connected him with Gyges, king of Lydia, who ruled about 680 to 644 BC. However, the Gog described in the Bible goes beyond any one historical ruler. The text focuses less on who Gog is and more on the worldwide threat from the nations.
Even this powerful enemy would not truly threaten God’s restored people. God was now living among them. Because of his presence, they were secure.
These chapters use strong symbols. They are similar to psalms that speak about Zion’s safety (see, for example, Psalms 2, 46). The message is clear. If even a terrible enemy like Gog cannot defeat God’s people, then nothing in all creation can separate them from God’s protection.
Ezekiel’s description of Gog also includes features of apocalyptic literature (a style of writing that uses symbols and dramatic images to describe God’s final victory over evil; see “Apocalyptic Literature” Theme Note).

Theme notes and profiles

Apocalyptic Literature

Events

Prophecies of Ezekielc. 593 BC

Related verses

Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
Ezekiel 38:8
After a long time you will be summoned. In the latter years you will enter a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely.
Ezekiel 29:19
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seize its spoil, and remove its plunder. This will be the wages for his army.
Amos 1:8
I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.
Zechariah 1:12
Then the angel of the LORD said, “How long, O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these seventy years?”
Isaiah 1:24–25
Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies.
Jeremiah 32:43–44
And fields will be bought in this land about which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans.’
Zechariah 10:8–10
I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they once were.
Ezekiel 36:33–35
This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.
Jeremiah 33:12–13
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: In this desolate place, without man or beast, and in all its cities, there will once more be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.
Jeremiah 30:16
Nevertheless, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your adversaries—every one of them—will go off into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered, and all who raided you will be raided.
Zechariah 1:17
Proclaim further that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘My cities will again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’”

Glossary

Book of Revelation Ezekiel (Person) Ezekiel, Book of Gog Magog

Topics

Armies: Compared to Clouds

Ezekiel 38:12

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