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“Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. 15You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, 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. 17“This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? 18But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over!

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 allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
• Ezekiel 38:8A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.
• Deuteronomy 31:29I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and will turn from the way I have commanded you to follow. In the days to come, disaster will come down on you, for you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, making him very angry with your actions.”
• Isaiah 2:2In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
• Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.
• Daniel 10:14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
• Hosea 3:5But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.
• Micah 4:1In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
• 1 Timothy 4:1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
• 2 Timothy 3:1You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
• Ezekiel 38:23In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
• Ezekiel 36:23I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord.
• Ezekiel 39:21“In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike.
• Exodus 14:4And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.
• 1 Samuel 17:45David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
• 2 Kings 19:19Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O 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