Ezekiel 39:18

Translations

Modern

You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan.

Traditional

Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

Literal

The flesh of the mighty ones you will eat, and the blood of the princes of the earth you will drink—rams, lambs, and goats, and bulls, fatlings of Bashan—all of them!

Latin

Carnes fortium comedetis, et sanguinem principum terræ bibetis: arietum, et agnorum, et hircorum, taurorumque et altilium, et pinguium omnium.

Original

Hebrew

English

You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan.

Notes

Ezekiel 39:18–20

In most sacrificial feasts, people eat animals that have been offered as sacrifices.

In this feast, the situation is reversed. Animals would eat the bodies of defeated enemies, as if they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls.

This scene is the opposite of the great banquet described in Isaiah 25:6. In that future feast, God’s people are invited to celebrate. Here, God’s enemies become the meal instead of the guests.

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

Psalm 22:12
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Revelation 19:17–18
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
Jeremiah 51:40
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.
Jeremiah 50:27
Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.
Ezekiel 29:5
I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.
Amos 4:1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
Revelation 19:21
And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Isaiah 34:7
And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat.
Ezekiel 34:17
This is what the Lord GOD says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats.
Psalm 68:30
Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations, until it submits, bringing bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
Ezekiel 34:8
‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
Jeremiah 50:11
“Because you rejoice, because you sing in triumph—you who plunder My inheritance—because you frolic like a heifer treading grain and neigh like stallions,

Places

Bashan: Region east of the Jordan, known for its fertility

Glossary

Bashan Book of Revelation Ezekiel (Person) Ezekiel, Book of Magog Palestine

Topics

Cattle: Bashan Suitable to the Raising of War: Evils of

Ezekiel 39:18

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