Ezekiel 38:16

Ezekiel 38:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
• New International Version (NIV)You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”

Context of Ezekiel 38:16

14“So prophesy, son of man. Tell Gog, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: At that time my people Israel will live safely, and you will know it. 15You will come from your place in the far north and many armies will be with you. All of you will ride on horses. You will be a large crowd and a mighty army. You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the days to come, I will let you attack my land so that nations will know me. I will use you for my holy purpose as they watch. 17“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: You are the one I spoke about long ago through my servants the prophets of Israel. They prophesied in those days that I would bring you to attack them. 18On the day that Gog attacks the land of Israel, I will be filled with burning anger, declares the Almighty Lord.

Ezekiel 38:16 word by word

וְעָלִ֙יתָ֙ עַל־עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֶּֽעָנָ֖ן לְכַסּ֣וֹת הָאָ֑רֶץ בְּאַחֲרִ֨ית הַיָּמִ֜ים תִּֽהְיֶ֗ה וַהֲבִאוֹתִ֙יךָ֙ עַל־אַרְצִ֔י לְמַעַן֩ דַּ֨עַת הַגּוֹיִ֜ם אֹתִ֗י בְּהִקָּדְשִׁ֥י בְךָ֛ לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם גּֽוֹג׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And thou shalt come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• against my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• as a cloudעָנָן‛ânân · cloudH6051
• to coverכָּסָהkâsâh · to coverH3680
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• it shall be in the latterאַחֲרִית'achărîyth · endH319
• daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• and I will bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• that the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• may knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• me, when I shall be sanctifiedקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: holinessH6942
• in thee, O Gogגּוֹגgôg · GogH1463
• before their eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869

Cross-references for Ezekiel 38:16

• Ezekiel 38:9You will attack like a storm and cover the land like a cloud. Your troops and the many armies will be with you.
• Ezekiel 38:8After a long time you will be called to service. In the years to come, you will attack a land that has been rebuilt after a war. Its people have been gathered from many nations and brought to the mountains of Israel, mountains that have been ruined for a long time. These people were brought there from the nations, and all of them live there safely.
• Deuteronomy 31:29I know that after I die you will become thoroughly corrupt and turn from the way I have commanded you to live. In the days to come disasters will happen to you because you will make the Lord furious by doing what he considers evil.”
• Isaiah 2:2In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains and raised above the hills. All the nations will stream to it.
• Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. He will tell King Nebuchadnezzar what is going to happen in the days to come. This is your dream, the vision you had while you were asleep:
• Daniel 10:14I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the last days, because the vision is about times still to come.”
• Hosea 3:5After that, the Israelites will turn and look to the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord for his blessings in the last days.
• Micah 4:1In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains and raised above the hills. People will stream to it.
• 1 Timothy 4:1The Spirit says clearly that in later times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons.
• 2 Timothy 3:1You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time.
• Ezekiel 38:23I will show my greatness and my holiness. I will reveal myself to many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
• Ezekiel 36:23I will reveal the holiness of my great name, which has been dishonored by the nations, ⌞the name⌟ that you have dishonored among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, because I will reveal my holiness among you as they watch, declares the Almighty Lord.
• Ezekiel 39:21“I will show my greatness among the nations. All the nations will see how I will turn my power against them to punish them.
• Exodus 14:4I will make Pharaoh so stubborn that he will pursue them. Then, because of what I do to Pharaoh and his entire army, I will receive honor, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So that is what the Israelites did.
• 1 Samuel 17:45David told the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted.
• 2 Kings 19:19Now, Lord our God, rescue us from Assyria’s control so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are the Lord God.”

Commentaries on Ezekiel 38:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16When I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog - By the defeat of his troops under Lysias, his general. 1 Maccabees 3:32, 33, etc., and 6:6.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16I shall be sanctified in thee - I shall be shown to be holy and just in avenging Myself of Mine enemy.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-23Verses 14-23 The enemy should make a formidable descent upon the land of Israel. When Israel dwell safely under the Divine protection, shalt not thou be made to know it by finding that endeavours to destroy them are made in vain? Promises of security are treasured up in the word of God, against the troubles and dangers the church may be brought into in the latter days. In the destruction of sinners, God makes it appear that he is a great and holy God. We…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-16Israel would be prosperous, living in peace and enjoying the benefits of trusting in the Lord. However, such trust does not remove the chance of facing threats (compare John 16:33). The situation might have seemed unfavorable for Israel, but Gog did not consider the Lord's power. The Lord would use Gog and his allies to show his holiness to all nations.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me--So in Ex 9:16, God tells Pharaoh, "For this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth."Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Latter Days
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Gog
• Eschatology of the Old Testament
• Ezekiel
• Joel (2)
• Sanctification
• Magog

Commentaries on Ezekiel 38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings