New Living Translation
Ezekiel 39:12
12It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land.
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 King James Version (NKJV)For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.
Context of Ezekiel 39:12
10They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign Lord. 11“And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. 13Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord. 14“After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again.
Read all of Ezekiel 39Ezekiel 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“After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again.
- Numbers 19:16And if someone in an open field touches the corpse of someone who was killed with a sword or who died a natural death, or if someone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be defiled for seven days.
- Deuteronomy 21:23the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.
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
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries