Ezekiel 38:5

5 Persia and Cush and Put will be in the ranks, also well-armed, as will

Ezekiel 38:5 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 38:5

Persia, Ethiopia, and Lybia with them
These are the confederates or auxiliaries of the Turks, which shall join with them in this expedition. Persia is a neighbouring kingdom to the Turks, and may fall into their hands before this comes to pass; and is in a fair way for it at this time, through the internal divisions in it; however, it will be confederate with them. Ethiopia or Cush does not design the country of the Abyssines in the dominions of the Great Mogul, but Arabia Chusea, which lay between Judea and Egypt, and is now in the hands of the Turks; and Lybia or Phut is the name of one of the sons of Ham, ( Genesis 10:6 ) who, according to Josephus F7, founded Lybia; and from him the inhabitants of it were called Phuteans (as they are here by the Targum); and he observes that there is a river of his name in Mauritania. Lybia is a country in Africa, to the west of Egypt and subject to the Turks: all of them with shield and helmet;
the Lybians are described by Jeremiah, ( Jeremiah 46:9 ) , as those that handle the shield;
and the Egyptians, to whom the Lybians were near neighbours, and whom they might imitate in their warlike arms, as in other things, wore shields down to the feet, as Xenophon


FOOTNOTES:

F8 relates.
F7 Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 2.
F8 Cyropaedia, l. 6. c. 14. & l. 7. c. 11.

Ezekiel 38:5 In-Context

3 Say, 'God, the Master, says: Be warned, Gog. I am against you, head of Meshech and Tubal.
4 I'm going to turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and drag you off with your whole army, your horses and riders in full armor - all those shields and bucklers and swords - fighting men armed to the teeth!
5 Persia and Cush and Put will be in the ranks, also well-armed, as will
6 Gomer and its army and Beth-togarmah out of the north with its army. Many nations will be with you!
7 "'Get ready to fight, you and the whole company that's been called out. Take charge and wait for orders.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.