New King James Version
Ezekiel 38:2
2“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Ezekiel 38:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
- New International Version (NIV)“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.
Context of Ezekiel 38:2
1Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
Read all of Ezekiel 38Ezekiel 38:2 word by word
בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם שִׂ֤ים פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶל־גּוֹג֙ אֶ֣רֶץ הַמָּג֔וֹג נְשִׂ֕יא רֹ֖אשׁ מֶ֣שֶׁךְ וְתֻבָ֑ל וְהִנָּבֵ֖א עָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
- thy faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
- against Gogגּוֹגgôg · GogH1463
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- of Magogמָגוֹגmâgôg · MagogH4031
- the chiefרֹאשׁrô'sh · princeH7218
- princeנָשִׂיאnâώîy' nâώi' · leaderH5387
- of Meshechמֶ֫שֶׁךְmeshek · MeshechH4902
- and Tubalתּוּבַלtûbal tûbal · TubalH8422
- and prophesyנָבָאnâbâ' · to prophesyH5012
Cross-references for Ezekiel 38:2
- Ezekiel 2:1And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”
- Ezekiel 39:1“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;
- Ezekiel 6:2“Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
- Ezekiel 20:46“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,
- Ezekiel 25:2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them.
- Ezekiel 35:2“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it,
- Revelation 20:8and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
- Genesis 10:2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
- 1 Chronicles 1:5The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
- Ezekiel 27:13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
- Ezekiel 32:26“There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes, With all their graves around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
- Isaiah 66:19I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 38:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog - This is allowed to be the most difficult prophecy in the Old Testament. It is difficult to us, because we know not the king nor people intended by it: but I am satisfied they were well known by these names in the time that the prophet wrote. I have already remarked in the introduction to this book that there are but two opinions on this subject that appear to be at all probable: That which makes…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Gog - Gog of the land of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. “Gog” is here the name of a captain from “the land of Magog” (compare Genesis 10:2) the name of a people of the north, placed between “Gomer” (the Cimmerians) and “Madai” (the Medes). In the History of Assurbanipal from cuneiform inscriptions, a chief of the Saka (Scythians), called Ga -a -gi is identified by some with Gog. Rosh, if a proper name, occurs in this connection only.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-6Gog would lead a group of seven nations from all over the world. The numbers seven and four symbolize completeness, showing an unbeatable alliance from every direction. Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah were in the north, in Anatolia and beyond the Black Sea. Persia was to the east, Ethiopia to the south, and Libya to the west.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-23The objections to a literal interpretation of the prophecy are--(1) The ideal nature of the name Gog, which is the root of Magog, the only kindred name found in Scripture or history. (2) The nations congregated are selected from places most distant from Israel, and from one another, and therefore most unlikely to act in concert (Persians and Libyans, &c.). (3) The whole spoil of Israel could not have given a handful to a tithe of their number, or…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 38:2
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries