וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא עַל־גֹּוג וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנְנִי אֵלֶיךָ גֹּוג נְשִׂיא רֹאשׁ מֶשֶׁךְ וְתֻבָל׃   39:1

Ezek. 39:1   “And you, human, prophesy against Gog, and you shall say, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord:  Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and of Tubal,

This chapter is mostly a paraphrase of Chapter 38, with some additional details.  It deals primarily with the destruction of Gog and his multitude, then adds some verses about the children of Israel, their salvation, and their response to the destruction.

וְשֹׁבַבְתִּיךָ וְשִׁשֵּׁאתִיךָ וְהַעֲלִיתִיךָ מִיַּרְכְּתֵי צָפֹון וַהֲבִאֹותִךָ עַל־הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   39:2

Ezek. 39:2   and I will turn you about and lead you on, and cause you to rise up from the extreme parts of the north and bring you onto the mountains of Israel,

וְהִכֵּיתִי קַשְׁתְּךָ מִיַּד שְׂמֹאולֶךָ וְחִצֶּיךָ מִיַּד יְמִינְךָ אַפִּיל׃   39:3

Ezek. 39:3   and I will strike your bow from the hand of your left side, and throw down your arrows from the hand of your right side.’

עַל־הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפֹּול אַתָּה וְכָל־אֲגַפֶּיךָ וְעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר אִתָּךְ לְעֵיט צִפֹּור כָּל־כָּנָף וְחַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה   39:4            נְתַתִּיךָ לְאָכְלָה׃

Ezek. 39:4   ‘You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who will be with you.  I will give you to the bird of prey, birds of every wind, and the beast of the field, as food.’

עַל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה תִּפֹּול כִּי אֲנִי דִבַּרְתִּי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   39:5

Ezek. 39:5   ‘You will fall on the surface of the field, for I have spoken, declares the Master, the Lord.’

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמָגֹוג וּבְיֹשְׁבֵי הָאִיִּים לָבֶטַח וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה׃   39:6

Ezek. 39:6   ‘And I will send a fire into Magog and on the inhabitants of the isles in safety, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’

וְאֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי אֹודִיעַ בְּתֹוךְ עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא־אַחֵל אֶת־שֵׁם־קָדְשִׁי עֹוד וְיָדְעוּ הַגֹּויִם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה   39:7 קָדֹושׁ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃

Ezek. 39:7   ‘And I shall make known the name of My holiness in the midst of My people, Israel, and I will not let the name of My holiness be profaned any more, and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.’

הִנֵּה בָאָה וְנִהְיָתָה נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הוּא הַיֹּום אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי׃   39:8

Ezek. 39:8   ‘Behold, it is coming, and it shall be done, declares the Master, the Lord.  That is the day of which I have spoken.’

וְיָצְאוּ יֹשְׁבֵי עָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִעֲרוּ וְהִשִּׂיקוּ בְּנֶשֶׁק וּמָגֵן וְצִנָּה בְּקֶשֶׁת וּבְחִצִּים וּבְמַקֵּל יָד וּבְרֹמַח   39:9        וּבִעֲרוּ בָהֶם אֵשׁ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים׃

Ezek. 39:9   ‘And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall come forth and kindle and make a fire with the weapons, even shield and buckler, with bow and with arrows, and with hand staff, and with spear, and they shall kindle a fire with them seven years,

וְלֹא־יִשְׂאוּ עֵצִים מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה וְלֹא יַחְטְבוּ מִן־הַיְּעָרִים כִּי בַנֶּשֶׁק יְבַעֲרוּ־אֵשׁ וְשָׁלְלוּ אֶת־שֹׁלְלֵיהֶם   39:10     וּבָזְזוּ אֶת־בֹּזְזֵיהֶם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃

Ezek. 39:10   so they will not need to lift any wood from the field or gather from any of the forests, for with weapons they shall kindle fire, and they shall plunder their robbers and take their spoils, declares the Master, the Lord.’

וְהָיָה בַיֹּום הַהוּא אֶתֵּן לְגֹוג מְקֹום־שָׁם קֶבֶר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל גֵּי הָעֹבְרִים קִדְמַת הַיָּם וְחֹסֶמֶת הִיא   39:11           אֶת־הָעֹבְרִים וְקָבְרוּ שָׁם אֶת־גֹּוג וְאֶת־כָּל־הֲמֹונֹה וְקָרְאוּ גֵּיא הֲמֹון גֹּוג׃

Ezek. 39:11   ‘And it shall be in that day, I will give to Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those passing east of the sea, that it will be stopping up those passing, and they will bury Gog and all his multitude there, and they shall call the valley Hamon-gog.’

The name Hamon-gog means the valley [or gorge] of Gog.

וּקְבָרוּם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעַן טַהֵר אֶת־הָאָרֶץ שִׁבְעָה חֳדָשִׁים׃   39:12

Ezek. 39:12   ‘And the house of Israel shall bury them seven months in order to cleanse the land.’

וְקָבְרוּ כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְהָיָה לָהֶם לְשֵׁם יֹום הִכָּבְדִי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   39:13

Ezek. 39:13   ‘And all the people of the land shall bury, and the day of My glorification shall be for a reputation for them, declares the Master, the Lord.’

וְאַנְשֵׁי תָמִיד יַבְדִּילוּ עֹבְרִים בָּאָרֶץ מְקַבְּרִים אֶת־הָעֹבְרִים אֶת־הַנֹּותָרִים עַל־פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ לְטַהֲרָהּ   39:14 מִקְצֵה שִׁבְעָה־חֳדָשִׁים יַחְקֹרוּ׃

Ezek. 39:14   ‘And they shall continually set apart men of the passersby in the land, burying with those passing by those remaining on the surface of the land, to cleanse it; they shall search more than a total of seven months.’

וְעָבְרוּ הָעֹבְרִים בָּאָרֶץ וְרָאָה עֶצֶם אָדָם וּבָנָה אֶצְלֹו צִיּוּן עַד קָבְרוּ אֹתֹו הַמְקַבְּרִים אֶל־גֵּיא הֲמֹון   39:15 גֹּוג׃

Ezek. 39:15   ‘When those passing shall pass through in the land and one sees a human bone, then he shall put up a signpost by it until the buriers have buried it at the valley of Hamon-gog.’

וְגַם שֶׁם־עִיר הֲמֹונָה וְטִהֲרוּ הָאָרֶץ׃   39:16

Ezek. 39:16   ‘And also Hamonah shall be the name of a city.  So they shall cleanse the land.’”

The name Hamonah means a multitude.  The accepted assumption is that the city was in the valley or nearby, so that it was a sort of memorial to glorify the Lord’s name.

וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה אֱמֹר לְצִפֹּור כָּל־כָּנָף וּלְכֹל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה הִקָּבְצוּ וָבֹאוּ   39:17            הֵאָסְפוּ מִסָּבִיב עַל־זִבְחִי אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי זֹבֵחַ לָכֶם זֶבַח גָּדֹול עַל הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲכַלְתֶּם בָּשָׂר וּשְׁתִיתֶם דָּם׃

Ezek. 39:17   “And you, human, thus says the Master, the Lord:  ‘Say to birds of every wing and to every beast of the field, ‘Assemble yourselves and come!  Gather yourselves from all around at My feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast, upon the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood!’

בְּשַׂר גִּבֹּורִים תֹּאכֵלוּ וְדַם־נְשִׂיאֵי הָאָרֶץ תִּשְׁתּוּ אֵילִים כָּרִים וְעַתּוּדִים פָּרִים מְרִיאֵי בָשָׁן כֻּלָּם׃   39:18

Ezek. 39:18   ‘You shall eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth.  All of them are rams, lambs, and goats, bullocks, fatlings of Bashan.’

וַאֲכַלְתֶּם־חֵלֶב לְשָׂבְעָה וּשְׁתִיתֶם דָּם לְשִׁכָּרֹון מִזִּבְחִי אֲשֶׁר־זָבַחְתִּי לָכֶם׃   39:19

Ezek. 39:19   ‘And you shall eat fat to satiation, and drink blood to drunkenness from My feast that I prepare for you.’

וּשְׂבַעְתֶּם עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִי סוּס וָרֶכֶב גִּבֹּור וְכָל־אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   39:20

Ezek. 39:20   ‘And you shall be sated at My table:  Horse and mighty horseman and every man of war, declares the Master, the Lord.’

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־כְּבֹודִי בַּגֹּויִם וְרָאוּ כָל־הַגֹּויִם אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטִי אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי וְאֶת־יָדִי אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בָהֶם׃   39:21

Ezek. 39:21   ‘And I shall set My glory in the nations, and all the nations shall see My judgment that I execute and My ‘hand’ that I lay on them.’

וְיָדְעוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם מִן־הַיֹּום הַהוּא וָהָלְאָה׃   39:22

Ezek. 39:22   ‘And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord, their God, from that day and beyond.’

וְיָדְעוּ הַגֹּויִם כִּי בַעֲוֹנָם גָּלוּ בֵית־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אֲשֶׁר מָעֲלוּ־בִי וָאַסְתִּר פָּנַי מֵהֶם וָאֶתְּנֵם בְּיַד צָרֵיהֶם   39:23 וַיִּפְּלוּ בַחֶרֶב כֻּלָּם׃

Ezek. 39:23   ‘And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into exile because of their iniquity, for the reason that they were unfaithful with Me, so I hid My presence from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies, and all of them fell by the sword.’

כְּטֻמְאָתָם וּכְפִשְׁעֵיהֶם עָשִׂיתִי אֹתָם וָאַסְתִּר פָּנַי מֵהֶם׃   39:24

Ezek. 39:24   ‘I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions; so I hid My presence from them.’

Verse 39:23 and this one both contain an exception to my theory of reversing vavs.  The eleventh word in the previous verse and the fifth in this verse, both the same Hebrew word and translated as so I hid, is a first-person verb with an inverting vav.

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה עַתָּה אָשִׁיב אֶת־(שְׁבִית) [שְׁבוּת] יַעֲקֹב וְרִחַמְתִּי כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל   39:25              וְקִנֵּאתִי לְשֵׁם קָדְשִׁי׃

Ezek. 39:25   ‘Therefore, thus says the Master, the Lord:  Now I will turn back the captivity of Jacob and love all of the house of Israel and be zealous for the name of My holiness.’

The word in the parentheses, spelled with a yad, is flagged as an error.  The intended correction within the brackets is spelled with a vav.  However, according to my extensive Hebrew-English dictionary, either spelling appears to be acceptable.  So I must presume that the sages were overzealous in their error finding here.

וְנָשׂוּ אֶת־כְּלִמָּתָם וְאֶת־כָּל־מַעֲלָם אֲשֶׁר מָעֲלוּ־בִי בְּשִׁבְתָּם עַל־אַדְמָתָם לָבֶטַח וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד׃   39:26

Ezek. 39:26   ‘And they shall bear their shame and all their treachery that they did with Me, with their dwelling on the land in safety when none are afraid,

בְּשֹׁובְבִי אֹותָם מִן־הָעַמִּים וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֹתָם מֵאַרְצֹות אֹיְבֵיהֶם וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בָם לְעֵינֵי הַגֹּויִם רַבִּים׃   39:27

Ezek. 39:27   with My having returned them from the peoples, when I will gather them out of the lands of their enemies and be sanctified by them for the eyes of the many nations.’

וְיָדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בְּהַגְלֹותִי אֹתָם אֶל־הַגֹּויִם וְכִנַּסְתִּים עַל־אַדְמָתָם וְלֹא־אֹותִיר עֹוד   39:28       מֵהֶם שָׁם׃

Ezek. 39:28   ‘And they can know that I am the Lord, their God, by My taking them away into exile to the nations when I gather them to their own soil and do not leave any from them there anymore,

וְלֹא־אַסְתִּיר עֹוד פָּנַי מֵהֶם אֲשֶׁר שָׁפַכְתִּי אֶת־רוּחִי עַל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   39:29

Ezek. 39:29   and do not hide My presence from them anymore, once I have poured out My spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Master, the Lord.’”

It’s intriguing to me that the Jews of the time believed that the Lord had hidden His presence from them, primarily because of the destruction of the Temple, and their suffering, death, and exile.  And Ezekiel (and the other prophets of the time) echoed this belief in their interpretation and delivery of God’s messages to them.  Many Jews, in fact, still believe this today.  The Lord’s hiding His presence is found here and in two previous verses, 39:23 and 24.  I don’t accept this premise.  I’m convinced that the Lord is with us as always -- with all of humanity, not just the Jews.  And His messages still come to us if we can believe, quiet our running internal dialogue, and listen:  Dreams, visions, words, and even thoughts.

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