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.
• 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.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

Context of Ezekiel 38:16

14“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 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. 17“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign 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 and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
• Ezekiel 38:8After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
• Deuteronomy 31:29For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”
• Isaiah 2:2In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
• Daniel 2:28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
• Daniel 10:14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
• Hosea 3:5Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.
• Micah 4:1In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
• 1 Timothy 4:1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
• 2 Timothy 3:1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
• Ezekiel 38:23And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’
• Ezekiel 36:23I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
• Ezekiel 39:21“I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them.
• Exodus 14:4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.
• 1 Samuel 17:45David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
• 2 Kings 19:19Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are 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