New English Translation
Ezekiel 38:12
12to loot and plunder, to attack the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center of the earth.”
Ezekiel 38:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
- New International Version (NIV)I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.
Context of Ezekiel 38:12
10“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled towns; I will advance against those living quietly in security – all of them living without walls and barred gates – to loot and plunder, to attack the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center of the earth.” 13Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors will say to you, “Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a great amount of spoils?”’ 14“Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice
Read all of Ezekiel 38Ezekiel 38:12 word by word
לִשְׁלֹ֥ל שָׁלָ֖ל וְלָבֹ֣ז בַּ֑ז לְהָשִׁ֨יב יָדְךָ֜ עַל־חֳרָב֣וֹת נוֹשָׁבֹ֗ת וְאֶל־עַם֙ מְאֻסָּ֣ף מִגּוֹיִ֔ם עֹשֶׂה֙ מִקְנֶ֣ה וְקִנְיָ֔ן יֹשְׁבֵ֖י עַל־טַבּ֥וּר הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- To takeשָׁלַלshâlal · to lootH7997
- a spoilשָׁלָלshâlâl · spoilH7998
- and to takeבָּזַזbâzaz · to plunderH962
- a preyבַּזbaz · plunderH957
- to turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- thine handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- upon the desolate placesחׇרְבָּהchorbâh · desolationH2723
- inhabitedיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- and upon the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- gatheredאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
- out of the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- which have gottenעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
- cattleמִקְנֶהmiqneh · livestockH4735
- and goodsקִנְיָןqinyân · acquisitionH7075
- in the midstטַבּוּרţabbûr · highestH2872
- of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Ezekiel 38:12
- Ezekiel 29:19Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages.
- Isaiah 10:6I sent him against a godless nation, I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, to take plunder and to carry away loot, to trample them down like dirt in the streets.
- Jeremiah 30:16But all who destroyed you will be destroyed. All your enemies will go into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered. I will cause those who pillaged you to be pillaged.
- Isaiah 1:24Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, the powerful ruler of Israel, says this: “Ah, I will seek vengeance against my adversaries, I will take revenge against my enemies.
- Amos 1:8I will remove the ruler from Ashdod, the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. I will strike Ekron with my hand; the rest of the Philistines will also die.” The sovereign Lord has spoken!
- Zechariah 13:7“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” says the Lord who rules over all. Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.
- Ezekiel 36:33“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.
- Jeremiah 32:43You and your people are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. But fields will again be bought in this land.
- Jeremiah 33:12“I, the Lord who rules over all, say: ‘This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.
- Zechariah 1:12The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?”
- Ezekiel 38:8After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, with many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely.
- Zechariah 10:8I will signal for them and gather them, for I have already redeemed them; then they will become as numerous as they were before.
- Judges 9:37Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center of the land. A unit is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 38:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12To take a spoil - and a prey - When Antiochus took Jerusalem he gave the pillage of it to his soldiers, and spoiled the temple of its riches, which were immense. See Josephus War, B. 1. C. 1.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-23In 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…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. midst of the land--literally, "the navel" of the land (Jud 9:37, Margin). So, in Eze 5:5, Israel is said to be set "in the midst of the nations"; not physically, but morally, a central position for being a blessing to the world: so (as the favored or "beloved city," Re 20:9) an object of envy. Grotius translates, "In the height of the land" (so Eze 38:8), "the mountains of Israel," Israel being morally elevated above the rest of the world.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries