1 And the word of þe Lord came vnto me, saying;
2 Sonne of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog the chiefe prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophecie against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chiefe prince of Meshech and Tubal.
4 And I will turne thee backe, and put hookes into thy chawes, and I will bring thee foorth, and all thine armie, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, euen a great company with bucklers & shields, all of them handling swordes.
5 Persia, Ethiopia and Libya with them; all of them with shield & helmet:
6 Gomer and all his bandes, the house of Togarmah of the North quarters, and all his bands, and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thy selfe, thou and all thy company, that are assembled vnto thee, and be thou a guard vnto them.
8 ¶ After many daies thou shalt be visited: in the latter yeeres thou shalt come into the land, that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people against the mountaines of Israel, which haue beene alwayes waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storme, thou shalt be like a cloud to couer the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to passe, that at the same time shall things come into thy minde, and thou shalt thinke an euill thought.
11 And thou shalt say: I will goe vp to the land of vnwalled villages; I will goe to them that are at rest, that dwell safely all of them dwelling without walles, and hauing neither barres nor gates;
12 To take a spoile, and to take a praye, to turne thine hand vpon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and vpon the people that are gathered out of the nations which haue gotten cattel and goods, that dwell in the middest of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the marchants of Tarshish, with all the young lyons thereof, shall say vnto thee, Art thou come to take a spoile? hast thou gathered thy company to take a praye? to carie away siluer and gold, to take away cattell and goods, to take a great spoile?
14 ¶ Therefore, sonne of man, prophecie and say vnto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the North parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding vpon horses, a great company, and a mighty armie.
16 And thou shalt come vp against my people of Israel, as a cloud to couer the land; it shall be in the latter dayes, 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.
17 Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou hee, of whom I haue spoken in old time by my seruants the prophets of Israel, which prophecied in those dayes many yeeres, that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to passe at the same time, when Gog shal come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my furie shall come vp in my face.
19 For in my iealousie, and in the fire of my wrath haue I spoken: surely in that day, there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the foules of the heauen, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creepe vpon the earth, and all the men that are vpon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountaines shall be throwen downe, and the steepe places shall fall, and euery wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountaines, saith the Lord God: euery mans sword shalbe against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood, and I will raine vpon him and vpon his bands, and vpon the many people that are with him, an ouerflowing raine, and great hailestones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnifie my selfe, and sanctifie my selfe, and I will be knowen in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
The army and malice of Gog. (1-13) God's judgments. (14-23)1-13 These events will be in the latter days. It is supposed these enemies will come together to invade the land of Judea, and God will defeat them. God not only sees who are now the enemies of his church, but he foresees who will be so, and lets them know by his word that he is against them; though they join together, the wicked shall not be unpunished.
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 should desire and pray daily. Father, glorify thine own name.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.