Ezekiel 38:3

Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

Ver. 3. Behold, I am against thee, O Gog.] Ecce ego ad re, Have at thee, Gog,

The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.] These two are thus conjoined to show, as some think, that Turks and Popelings shall at length join their forces to root out the true religion, and that, while they are tumultuating and endeavouring the Church’s downfall, Christ shall come upon them and confound them. See on Rev 16:14; Rev 16:16. The Jews hold that this whole prophecy shall be fulfilled at the coming of their long looked for Messiah, and while they take all things therein according to the letter, they run into many very great errors. Propheta omnia loquitur magnificis verbis per hyperbolas.

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.

His high-sounding titles are repeated to imply the haughty self-confidence of the invader as if invincible.

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

(3) The chief prince.—As in Eze_38:2, the prince of Rosh.

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

3. chief prince] Cf. on Eze_38:2.

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.

And say, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Which is repeated for the confirmation of it, that so it would certainly be; that the Lord, the mighty God, and King of kings, would in his providence frown upon him, and appear against him; and his titles are repeated also, to show that all his greatness, grandeur, and power, would not protect him from the vengeance of God.

And say, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Which is repeated for the confirmation of it, that so it would certainly be; that the Lord, the mighty God, and King of kings, would in his providence frown upon him, and appear against him; and his titles are repeated also, to show that all his greatness, grandeur, and power, would not protect him from the vengeance of God.

Ezekiel 38:4

eze 38:4

eze 38:4

eze 38:4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,.... Or, I will put hooks in thy jaws, and with them turn thee back; or rather, "turn thee about" (f); and lead thee where and as I please; for this is not to be understood of God's putting hooks into his jaws, and leading him back from his enterprise of invading the land of Judea; as he put a hook in the nose and a bridle in the lips of the king of Assyria, and brought him back from Jerusalem, Isa 37:29, but of his using him thus in his providence to draw him to the land of Israel, out of his own land, as fishes are drawn with the hook out of the water. The sense is, that he would so work upon and influence the heart of Gog, that he should be inclined to come out of his own land and invade Judea; just as the Lord is said to draw Sisera and his army, Jdg 4:7, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe. So the Targum,

"I will persuade thee, and put hooks in thy jaws;''

that is, incline his heart to take such a step, which should be to his destruction:

and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army; all his janizaries, and large army out of Turkey, and other parts of his dominions:

horses and horsemen; the Turkish armies, chiefly consisting of cavalry; See Gill on Rev 9:16,

all of them clothed with all sorts of armour; or completely clothed, as the Targum; for the word "armour" is not in the text; and besides, their armour is particularly mentioned afterwards; and so Kimchi has it, with all kind of ornaments, richly clothed and decorated, especially the principal officers, and, so made a fine show: even a

great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords; or large armies, as the Targum; the Turks have always been used to bring prodigious large armies into the field; See Gill on Rev 9:16.

(f) "circumducam te", Piscator; "circumagam te", Grotius.

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

I am against thee, O Gog. Just because Gog was against Israel, Jehovah was against Gog. Gog"s invasion of Israel"s land would be a declaration of war against Israel"s God. so that the conflict would rather be between Jehovah and Gog than between Israel and Gog. Hence throughout this prophecy Jehovah is represented as the principal actor on the side of Israel, who seeks her defense not in walls and bulwarks or in earthly alliances and military combinations,s in the days of the monarchy before the exile, but in the presence of Jehovah in her midst.

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

Gog

See note 2, (See Scofield "Eze 38:2").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.