Ezekiel 39:12

Ezekiel 39:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.
• New Living Translation (NLT)It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land.

Context of Ezekiel 39:12

10They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord God. 11“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord God. 14“They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.

Ezekiel 39:12 word by word

וּקְבָרוּם֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמַ֖עַן טַהֵ֣ר אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ שִׁבְעָ֖ה חֳדָשִֽׁים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
• monthsחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320
• shall the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• be buryingקָבַרqâbar · to buryH6912
• of them, that they may cleanseטָהֵרţâhêr · be pureH2891
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Ezekiel 39:12

• Ezekiel 39:14“They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
• Numbers 19:16Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
• Deuteronomy 21:23his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 39:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12And seven months - It shall require a long time to bury the dead. This is another figurative expression; which, however, may admit of a good deal of literal meaning. Many of the Syrian soldiers had secreted themselves in different places during the pursuit after the battle, where they died of their wounds, of hunger, and of fatigue; so that they were not all found and buried till seven months after the defeat of the Syrian army. This slow process of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-22Verses 11-22 How numerous the enemies which God destroyed for the defence of his people Israel! Times of great deliverances should be times of reformation. Every one should help the utmost he can, toward cleansing the land from reproach. Sin is an enemy every man should strive against. Those engaged in public work, especially of cleansing and reforming a land, ought to be men who will go through with what they undertake, who will be always employed. When…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-16So many people would die that all Israel would take part in cleaning the land for seven months. Even after those seven months, more work would remain. Specially appointed workers would continue to search the land. When they found human bones, they would mark the place so the remains could be buried properly.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-291. Repeated from Eze 38:3, to impress the prophecy more on the mind.Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 39:12

• Burial

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Gog
• Burial
• Cremation
• Ezekiel

Commentaries on Ezekiel 39

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings