Gog's Army Destroyed
Study note
God declared that Gog would fall on the mountains of Israel. His bow would be knocked from his left hand and his arrows from his right hand. He and his entire army would be given as food for the birds and wild animals. God would also send fire on Magog and on those living safely in the coastlands. Through this, people would know God's holy name.
1 "Son of man, prophesy against Gog: The Lord God says -- I am coming against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2 "I will spin you around, drag you forward, and march you from the far north against the mountains of Israel." And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 "Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand and send the arrows flying from your right hand." And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 "You will fall on the mountains of Israel — you, your whole army, and every nation fighting with you. I will make you food for every hunting bird and wild animal." Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 "You will drop dead in an open field, because I have spoken, says the Lord God." Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 "I will rain fire down on Magog and on those living comfortably in the coastal lands. Then they will know that I am the Lord." And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 "I will make my holy name famous among my people Israel. Never again will I allow my holy name to be dragged through the dirt. Then the nations will realize that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel." So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 "It is coming! It will certainly happen, says the Lord God. This is the very day I have been talking about." Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
Seven Years of Fuel and Seven Months of Burial
Study note
The weapons left behind would be so numerous that the people of Israel would use them for fuel for seven years, not needing to cut wood from the fields or forests. The dead bodies would be so many that it would take seven months to bury them all in a valley east of the Dead Sea. The valley would be renamed 'the Valley of Gog's Hordes.' Search parties would go through the land to find and mark any remaining bones for burial, to cleanse the land.
9 "Afterward, people living in Israel's cities will go out and collect the enemy weapons to use as firewood. They will burn the small and large shields, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears. The weapons will fuel their fires for seven years." And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 "They will not even need to gather firewood from the fields or chop it from the forests, because the weapons will provide all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, says the Lord God." So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give to Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog.
12 "Burying all the dead will take the Israelites seven full months as they work to cleanse the land." And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 "Every citizen will help with the burial. The day I display my glory will be a day they always remember, says the Lord God." Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 "After those seven months, teams will search the whole land. They will look for any bodies still left. They will bury them to make the land clean." And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 "Whenever one of these search teams spots a human bone, they will place a marker beside it. Then the burial crews will come and take it to the Valley of Hamon-gog for proper burial." And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog.
16 "A town nearby will even be named Hamonah, meaning 'Hordes.' That is how they will completely purify the land." And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
The Great Feast for the Birds
Study note
God called the birds and wild animals to a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, where they would eat the flesh and drink the blood of mighty warriors. This reversal, where soldiers become the sacrifice rather than offering sacrifices - showed God's total victory. Through this judgment, both Israel and the nations would know that Israel went into exile because of their sin, not because God was weak.
17 "Son of man, the Lord God says: Call out to every bird and wild animal: Assemble! Gather from every direction for the sacrifice I am preparing for you -- a massive feast on the mountains of Israel! You will gorge on flesh and guzzle blood." And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 "You will eat the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the world's princes. It will be as if they were fattened rams, lambs, goats, and bulls from the rich fields of Bashan." 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.
19 "At this sacrifice I am preparing, you will gorge yourselves with fat and drink blood until you cannot hold any more." And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 "At my feast table you will eat your fill. You will feast on horses and riders. You will feast on mighty warriors and soldiers of every rank," says the Lord God. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 "I will put my glory on display before all the nations. Every nation will witness the judgment I execute and the power I unleash." And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 "From that day on, the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God." So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
23 "And the nations will understand that Israel went into exile because of their own sin. They were unfaithful to me, so I turned away from them and handed them over to their enemies. They all fell by the sword." And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24 "I treated them according to their uncleanness and their sins, and I turned my face away from them." According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
God Pours Out His Spirit
Study note
God promised to restore the fortunes of Jacob, have compassion on all Israel, and be jealous for his holy name. After they returned safely to their land with no one to make them afraid, they would know that the Lord their God sent them into exile and brought them back. God promised he would never again hide his face from them, because he would pour out his Spirit on the people of Israel. This is the climactic promise of Ezekiel's prophecy of restoration.
25 "So the Lord God says: Now I will restore Jacob's fortunes and have compassion on the entire nation of Israel. I will fiercely protect the honor of my holy name." Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26 "They will move past their shame in time. They will move past the wrongs they did to me. They will be settled safely at home. No one will scare them." After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27 "I will bring them back from among the nations. I will gather them from enemy lands. Many nations will see my holiness through them." When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28 "Then they will know I am the Lord their God. I drove them into exile among the nations. But I will bring every one home. I will leave no one behind." Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 "I will pour out my Spirit on Israel. From that day on, I will never turn away from them again, says the Lord God." Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.