Ezechiele 38:8

8 Tu sarai visitato dopo molti giorni; in su la fin degli anni tu verrai nel paese del popolo riscosso dalla spada, e raccolto da molti popoli, ne’ monti d’Israele, i quali erano stati ridotti in deserto perpetuo; allora che il popolo di quel paese, essendo stato ritratto d’infra i popoli, abiterà tutto in sicurtà.

Ezechiele 38:8 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 38:8

After many days thou shalt be visited
After the Ottoman empire has stood a long time, as it has already; when the many days will be ended that Israel should be without a king and a prince ( Hosea 3:4 ) , then shall Gog or the Turk be visited of God, not in a way of grace, but vengeance; he shall be punished for all his iniquities, and his punishment or destruction will be brought about in the following manner: in the latter years thou shall come into the land that is brought back
from the sword;
that is, into the land of Judea, the right owners of which shall now be returned unto it; who have been for many years drove and kept out of it by the sword of their enemies; see ( Jeremiah 31:2 ) and these "latter years" are the same with the "latter days", in which these people shall seek the Lord and the Messiah, and fear him and his goodness, and return to their own land, ( Hosea 3:5 ) ( 1:11 ) , when the Turks, enraged at it, will raise a numerous army, and enter it, in order to repossess it. The description of the Jews, who are most manifestly pointed at, is continued: and is gathered out of many people against the mountains of Israel;
or rather, "to the mountains of Israel" F15; for it seems to design the land of Judea, that is, the people of it; who shall be gathered out of the several nations where they are now dispersed, and brought into their own land; described by the mountains of Israel, because a mountainous country, and a very fruitful one; ( Ezekiel 34:13 Ezekiel 34:14 ) , and not the army of Gog gathered out of many nations, as before observed, to march against the people of the Jews; though this seems to be the sense of the Targum,

``in the end of years thou shalt come into the land, against which are turned those that slay with the sword, who are gathered out of many people against the mountains of the land of Israel:''
which have been always waste:
of a longer time than the seventy years' captivity, even ever since the destruction of it by the Romans; and if the time of the carrying captive of the ten tribes by Salmanezer is respected, it is longer still: but it brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely
all of them;
that is, the people of the Jews, the proprietors of the land of Israel, shall now be brought forth out of each the nations where they are scattered, and shall inhabit their own land, and dwell in the utmost security, having nothing to fear from their most potent enemies, even Gog himself; and though he shall come against them in the following manner.
FOOTNOTES:

F15 (larvy yrh le) "ad montes Israel", Pagninus, Cocceius, Starckius.

Ezechiele 38:8 In-Context

6 Gomer, e tutte le sue schiere; la casa di Togarma, dal fondo del Settentrione, insieme con tutte le sue schiere; molti popoli teco.
7 Mettiti in ordine, ed apparecchiati, tu, e tutta la tua gente, che si è radunata appresso di te; e sii loro per salvaguardia.
8 Tu sarai visitato dopo molti giorni; in su la fin degli anni tu verrai nel paese del popolo riscosso dalla spada, e raccolto da molti popoli, ne’ monti d’Israele, i quali erano stati ridotti in deserto perpetuo; allora che il popolo di quel paese, essendo stato ritratto d’infra i popoli, abiterà tutto in sicurtà.
9 E salirai, e verrai a guisa di ruinosa tempesta; tu sarai a guisa di nuvola, da coprir la terra; tu, e tutte le tue schiere, e molti popoli teco.
10 Così ha detto il Signore Iddio: Egli avverrà in quel giorno, che molte cose ti saliranno nel cuore, e penserai un malvagio pensiero.
The Giovanni Diodati Bible is in the public domain.