Ezekiel 38:11

Eze 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

Ver. 11. I will go up to the land of unwalled villages.] That care not to fortify their towns, but commit themselves to God, and think to escape us, but we shall soon show them their folly therein. The Hebrews have one and the same word for folly ( כסל) and confidence. (Psa 49:14 Ecc 7:25 Psa 78:7 Job 31:24) See on Job 4:6 But "in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children," though their towns be unwalled, "have a place of refuge." {Pro 14:26}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Meaning, Israel, which had now been destroyed, and was not yet built again: declaring hereby the simplicity of the godly, who seek not so much to fortify themselves by outward force, as to depend on the providence and goodness of God.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

dwell safely--that is, securely, without fear of danger (compare Est 9:19). Antiochus, the type of Antichrist, took Jerusalem without a blow.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(11) The land of unwalled villages.—Again, omit the definite article before land, as in Eze_38:8. The description of a people living in prosperity and security looks quite beyond anything hitherto realised in the history of the Jews, and points to such a state of things as is described in Zec_2:4-5. The description of the attack of Gog and Magog in Rev_20:9 corresponds to this.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. Cf. Deu_3:5; 1Sa_6:18; Jdg_18:27. “Safely,” i.e. in confidence, Eze_38:8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To take a spoil, and to take a prey,.... These are the words of Gog continued; suggesting that he should have no occasion to fight; should have nothing else to do but to seize upon the goods and plunder the substance of these people:

to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited: such as were before desolate, and had lain long so, but now peopled and cultivated; these he would attack and demolish, and make a spoil and prey of:

and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations; a description of the Jews, as before; Eze 38:8.

which have gotten cattle and goods; so that it should seem that Gog or the Turks will not immediately attack the Jews upon their possession of the land of Judea; but some time after, when they have settled in it, and have acquired much wealth and riches in cattle and goods, and then think to have a fine booty of them:

that dwell in the midst of the land; or, "the navel of the land" (p); which may design Jerusalem, situated in the midst of the land of Israel, and so called the navel of it, as that is in the midst of the body; as Enna is said by Cicero to be the navel of Sicily: or, as Kimchi thinks, the land of Israel itself is meant; which is in the midst of the world, and so the navel of it; though the former seems best.

(p) , Sept.; "in vel super umbilico terrae", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Starckius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Unwalled villages - Compare Zec 2:4-5.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Thou shalt say; thou wilt resolve in thyself, and declare it to thy council.

Go up; invade with all thy puissance.

Of unwalled villages; weak, and without any considerable defences: a scattered people, that dwell in villages, can make little if any resistance.

That are at rest; who would willingly be quiet.

That dwell safely; suspecting as little evil from others, as they intend little against others, and trusting in the protection of their God, who hath promised they shall dwell safely.

Without walls that may resist and be too strong for my forces and engines; though they have walls, bars, and gates, yet Gog accounts as none against his mighty armies.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vers. 11, 12 give voice to the things that should come into Gog"s mind and incite him to his enterprise against Israel. The spectacle of Israel dwelling safely, i.e. securely and confidently, in a land of un-walled villages literally, a land of open places, as opposed to fortified citiesi.e. of towns without walls, and having neither bars nor gates (comp Zec_2:4, Zec_2:5; Deu_3:5; 1Sa_6:18) because of being no more apprehensive of invasion, should excite within his bosom the thought that Israel would fall an easy prey to his assault; and this thought again should kindle in his bosom the lust of conquest which should finally impel him to the sinful project described, viz. to take a spoil and to take a prey; literally, to spoil the spoil (comp. Eze_29:19; and (Isa_10:6) to prey the prey. (Isa_33:23) In execution of this he would fall upon the once desolate but then inhabited places, upon the once scattered but then collected population, upon the previously poor but then wealthy inhabitants, who should then have gotten cattle and goods (cattle and chattel best renders the Hebrew parouomasia, mikneh vekinyan), as the patriarchs of their nation had once done, (Gen_34:23 Gen_36:6) and who should then be dwelling in the midst of the land; literally, in the height, or, navel (LXX, Vulgate), of the earth, (comp. Jud_1:9:37) the Hebrews generally regarding Palestine as the Greeks did Delphi, both as the middle (Eze_5:5) and perhaps therefore if not as the highest (Gesenius), at least as the fairest and most fertile portion of the earth.

Spiritual security.

We may treat this subject in two ways, We may have regard to

I NATIONAL SECURITY. Unfortunately, it is only too typical of our race that a great power should say, "I will go up to the land of unwalled villages," etc. Taking men and nations as they are, we have to reckon upon:

1. N ational unscrupulousness. It has been enough that one country has been strong and another weak, one covetous and another wealthy, one well armed and another defenseless, for the military enterprise to be undertaken, the attack to be delivered, and the disaster to be sustained. Then there has to be:

2. Some means and method of national defense. And we may find a country:

(1) Pitiably helpless. Such is the case with Israel (in the text); it has not yet recovered from its past defeats and despoilments; it has not had the opportunity of strengthening itself against attack.

(2) Culpably negligent. It may be so intent on enrichment or enjoyment that it has not given the needful time and strength to make itself secure against assault from without.

(3) Secured by international covenant; as Switzerland.

(4) Wisely regardful of its chief source of safety. This is found, not in regiments and in ships, not in fortresses and in magazines though these may not be disregarded but in the manliness and temperance of its citizens, and in the favor of Almighty God.

II INDIVIDUAL SECURITY. Every man has to guard the sanctity of his own heart and character, the honor of his own name; his most sacred and bounden duty is to see that it is not invaded and defiled. That it may be preserved in its purity and integrity it becomes him:

1. To recognize the strength of the enemy. To remember and to realize that the adversaries of his soul are many, subtle, and strong; they are such as these covetousness, passion, pride, intemperance, worldliness, unbelief.

2. To raise the strongest defenses he can secure. And these are

(1) good principles, the love of that which is true and pure and sound, the hatred of that which is base and shameful and degrading;

(2) good habits, the habits, well cultivated and constantly sustained, of self-command, of temperance, of purity, of through investigation before acceptance and utterance, of devotion. There are "the walls, the bars, and the gates" of the soul, which the adversary must take before he succeeds in his attack, within which the soul should be safely entrenched.

3. To secure the guardianship of God. By simplicity and uprightness of heart, by prayerfulness of attitude and engagement, to secure that gracious and mighty power against which all the devices and all the assaults of evil will not be able to succeed. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Unwalled - Weak, and without any considerable defenses.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

upon a land of open cities [Heb. פְּרָזוֹת,] dwellers in villages without a wall, who trust in their might and are not [so] afraid as to gather into fortified cities.

פְּרָזוֹת is like (Deut. 3:5): “in addition to the very many open cities (עָרֵי הַפְרָזִי),” without a wall.

I shall come to the tranquil ones and see what they trust in.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.